Impacting the performance of employees when you just want them to show up, do their job and not complain

“I just want them to show up and do their job and not complain,” said one burned-out manager to me not long ago.  He was struggling with how to motivate the performance of several members of his staff, and in his exhaustion to try to be a leader, had adopted a mindset of something far from leadership. So how do leaders influence and impact the performance of employees when sometimes we just want them to show up and do their job and not complain? 1.  Adopt a Leadership Mindset. First, a mindset of leadership needs to be present.  Leadership is

How to Answer the Interview Question “What is your greatest weakness?”

How to Answer the Interview Question “What is your greatest weakness?” I can just hear the canned answers to the question, “What is your greatest weakness?” from an interview candidate. Most of the time the response goes something like this… “Well, I’m a perfectionist.” Or, even better, “I’m a workaholic.” Or how about the question, “Tell me about a time when you’ve failed?” and the candidate just stares at you before responding, “Well, I can’t think of a time when I’ve failed.” I’ve actually had more than one student being interviewed for an ambassador program at a their high school

Passion + Productivity = Give Back (Manufacturing)

Making a transition back into the workplace can be challenging for a stay-at-home mom or dad that has been out of the workplace for quite some time, but with a focus on discerning what your passionate about, how that can make you productive and how that leads to you giving back to a cause, community or purpose that you love, the transition is not quite as hard as it seems. Whitney Clemons, a realtor with Ben Porter ERA did just that.   Trained as an Accountant at the University of Alabama, Whitney spent time in her twenties working as an accountant

1 Tip for Stay-at-Home Moms and Dads Ready to Re-enter the Workplace

In talking with a successful realtor (see her story on Thursday’s blog post!) about her transition back into the workplace after ten plus years out of the pay-for- working world (believe me she WORKED while she was at home, she just didn’t get paid to do it) her advice to those seeking to do the same was simple: Figure out where you frequent and pursue work opportunities there. Where you frequent could be a physical place or it could be a place in your mind. For example, this stay-at-home mom turned realtor featured on House Hunters found that she loved

October Leadership Carnival

Welcome to the October 6, 2014 edition of the Leadership Development Carnival! Enjoy these great posts from 29 of the best leadership bloggers. Every quote is a link to tweet. Feel free to share with your networks! Lolly Daskal from http://www.lollydaskal.com/ presents Take a Hard Look in the Mirror “When the life you lead reflects your inward self, you can then truly lead others.” @LollyDaskal #leadership #leadfromwithin John Hunter from Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog presents Take Advantage of the Strengths Each Person Brings to Work   “Take maximum advantage of people’s strengths while minimizing the impact of weaknesses.”@curiouscat_com Joan Kofodimos from