Reflections
Our BlogThe Silver Linings in the Pandemic
It is hard to imagine that you could finding any silver linings in the weeks of living under the shelter-in-place to slow the Covid-19 pandemic. But friends and family say they are experiencing them and are happily pointing them out. I tend to agree. More sleep....
Managing in the Age of Corona
It’s hard being a people manager today. Your normal routines have been upended. The same is true for the people you work with and who work for you. Some are stuck at home with family and children sharing a lot of together time in close...
Creating Certainty in Uncertain Times
These are challenging times. Human beings crave certainty, and that’s what makes the current Covid-19 pandemic so unsettling. This contagion has brought unprecedented uncertainty. While we know how the virus is spread and that eventually scientists will find a...
“I See You”
I had a moment of insight while watching the Marine Corps Marathon this past Sunday, October 27, in the pouring rain. Some years I bike with friends and cheer on the runners along the route. This year was different. My daughter was running, and I got a more intimate...
10 Tips for Cultivating Your Emotional Intelligence
OLA developed this checklist of ten things you can do to cultivate your emotional intelligence and help you show up as your best self each day. 1. Understand your emotions and triggers. Learn to identify and name your emotions. Take time to understand what triggers...
The Challenge for New and Emerging Leaders
Stepping into a manager role is challenging. It may be the first time that you are directly responsible for managing the work of others, some of whom may once have been your peers. So, what should you focus on in this new role? Based on my experience in multiple...
Managerial Courage is Too Important to Be Left to Chance
We talk a lot about leadership courage but managerial courage is just as important to successful organizations. So, what is managerial courage and how does it differ from leadership courage? While leadership courage involves steering an organization towards its...
Three Tips for Engaging Employees
Everyone wants an engaged workforce. Engaged employees are more productive and committed to the organization’s success. Given that, why do so many organizations fall down in creating an engaged workforce and what can be done about it? Having worked on employee...
Millennials! Nurturing the Next Generation
Everywhere we go as consultants, we hear “millennials!” usually with multiple exclamation points. Frustration about them is a common refrain. Our advice is usually to “take a breath” and find ways to work with and develop this talented group of workers. You really...
Make Change Work for You
What I notice most in our change management work is how organizations stall out in the middle of their change efforts. Most organizations start out with a real commitment to address a problem, or to move the needle in a particular direction. They pull together...