Management

43 posts
Are You Running Or Leading Your Company? (Intent Doesn’t Count)



I was excited to catch up for some coffee with a CEO friend of mine at their request. We had met a month or so ago when they were really “stuck” at taking steps to prepare for the future while also preserving the company during the current uncertainty.

We talked about the importance of strategy, an action plan, resources, skills, and incentives to accomplish what she wanted to do. She actually seemed lifted up out of a fog when we finished. In fact, as we departed our last meeting, she said, “Thanks for hearing me out and helping me clarify what steps to take, and how to make choices with ROI in mind. I cannot wait to meet with my leadership team in a couple of days to discuss. They will be thrilled that we are finally taking action.” It was almost like she knew she was holding them back.

As we sat down with our coffee she immediately jumped in with how she had wanted to meet with her team and start to figure out their strategy and so on but can you believe this banking situation? How she and the team had been discussing it and the same with her key clients and so on. She went on to explain how she had been consumed by and before she went much further, I SMILED. Her face turned red and she said, “What is so funny?"

"I thought you banked with J.P. Morgan Chase bank?"

She said, "Yeah, I do. We switched to them a couple of years ago so we are in great banking shape and they are going to be fine, and wow, thank god I do because can you imagine…"

I put my hand up.

I asked her, "What is holding you back from attacking the game plan we discussed a month ago?"

As she dropped her head, she said, “I know, I know. I just have never had to do it before and wonder if I am up to the task or not.”

Look... Intention isn’t good enough as a CEO and/or business owner. Action trumps it.

I also realized that as an executive coach and facilitator, maybe I was playing a role in this and because she is a friend, I had a blind spot so I stepped back myself and thought further about how to help her move forward in a more confident way.

Here are my thoughts that I shared with her and will share with any/all CEOs of SMBs that are wondering what is the best way to proceed.

First and foremost, just because you are the CEO doesn’t mean you have to be in the driver's seat behind the steering wheel for everything. It is worth considering having a professional facilitator who knows your space or works with companies of your size and scale.

I would be asking myself the following questions to decide how to proceed:

  • Do I lead it or have it facilitated or are there other CEOs I could connect with in my market?
  • How will I measure ROI?

Facilitator Considerations


Executives use a facilitator to help their team

Facilitators bring an outside perspective: A facilitator can offer a fresh perspective on your organization and its priorities. They are not bound by the same biases or assumptions as your team and can help you identify blind spots or areas for improvement.

Facilitators can help manage group dynamics: When a group is trying to prioritize initiatives, there can be a lot of competing opinions and emotions. A skilled facilitator can help manage these dynamics, ensuring that everyone's voice is heard and that the discussion stays on track.

Facilitators can bring structure to the process: Prioritization discussions can quickly become overwhelming and unproductive if there is no clear structure in place. A facilitator can help design and facilitate a process that is efficient, effective, and aligned with your organization's goals.

Facilitators can help drive consensus: It's important that your leadership team is aligned around your organization's priorities. A facilitator can help drive consensus and ensure that everyone is on the same page.

Of course, bringing in a facilitator comes with a cost, and may not be necessary for every organization. However, if you feel that your leadership team could benefit from an outside perspective, or if you're struggling to make progress on prioritization discussions, it may be worth considering.

Peer Advisory Groups - There are several of them in every market place so exploring the right fit for you takes some time but is well worth it. I wish that when I was a CEO someone gave me that advice! When you join a CEO peer advisory group you will be working with a group of people who are demonstrably committed to learning—people who dedicate significant time, effort, and money to being regularly challenged by their peers, speakers, and chairs—all in the service of becoming better leaders and better people. It doesn’t get much better than that. It is the only safe, confidential space for business owners and CEOs to validate their decisions, recognize gaps in their thinking, or gain new exciting ideas they didn’t think of on their own.

Measuring ROI


Patrick Lencioni\u2019s Six Geniuses

When a CEO is deciding to prioritize certain projects over others, it is important to measure the return on investment (ROI) of each project to ensure that the projects being pursued will have a positive impact on the organization. In my experience, I would ensure my finance lead or CFO (depending on org size) had this responsibility. The two of us would talk it over and they would help me decide how best to measure the ROI. Below are some things to consider.

Define the goal: The CEO should define the desired outcome of each project, such as increased revenue or improved efficiency.

Estimate costs: The CEO should estimate the costs associated with each project, including both direct and indirect costs, such as labor, materials, and equipment.

Forecast benefits: The CEO should forecast the potential benefits of each project, such as increased revenue, improved customer satisfaction, or reduced costs.

Calculate ROI: The CEO should calculate the ROI of each project by dividing the projected benefits by the estimated costs. This will provide a percentage that indicates the potential return on investment.

Prioritize projects: The CEO should prioritize the projects with the highest ROI to ensure that resources are allocated to projects that are most likely to generate a positive return.

Monitor progress: The CEO should monitor the progress of each project and adjust priorities as needed based on actual results.

When you are ready (note the prep work below), I would bring your team together and ask them the three most powerful words outside of I LOVE YOU…

I need help.

Set clear goals and expectations: Before you can prioritize tasks, you need to have a clear understanding of what your goals are. Take some time to articulate what you want your team to achieve and communicate those goals clearly to your team.

Define what is important: Know the big from the small and you will have to learn to be aggressively patient. (Move fast on some things, slow on others.) Once you have your goals, it's important to determine what tasks or projects are critical to achieving them. Make a list of these items and share them with your team.

Collaborate with your team: It's important to involve your team in the prioritization process. Hold a meeting or brainstorming session where everyone can contribute ideas on what should be prioritized. Encourage open and honest communication to ensure that all perspectives are heard.

Assign ownership: Once you've prioritized your tasks, assign ownership to specific team members. This will help ensure that everyone knows what they're responsible for and that the work is distributed evenly. This is one of the most important steps in all of this because it establishes buy-in.

As a side note, I would also suggest looking at Patrick Lencioni’s new Working Genius tool (see image above) because it does an amazing job helping you and your leadership team identify your gifts as individuals and as a team. You will quickly see where maybe certain team members' gifts are not being leveraged. Great story in Chief Executive magazine.

When you have total alignment it requires preparation and planning but, done well, you deliver optimum results! Strategy (without you get confusion), set the action plan (false starts without), have the right resources (frustration without), make sure you have the skills/competencies (or you create anxiety, and finally have incentives aligned (you will get only gradual change).

Acquiring Job Advance Your Career Career Changing Careers and Employment Education Internship

Are You Running Or Leading Your Company? …

Executive Spotlight: What Defines Good Professional Presence?



Everyone has a professional presence. The question is, do you have a good one? As a professional, your reputation is as important as your skills and experience. Your professional presence is your reputation, what people think when you walk into a room. Developing good professional presence is essential for success. No matter what industry you're in, good professional presence can open the door to new opportunities and pave the way for raises and promotions.

We recently asked our successful executives what defines good professional presence.

Here are their responses...

Michael Willis, Sports Business Operations Executive


The three main ingredients in any executive presence are:

  1. Confidence
  2. Clarity
  3. Credibility

Confidence – The most shining part of executive presence is gravitas—how you act. It means that you show up as inspiring, trustworthy, and capable.

From the start, you must show that you have substance and authority in your talents, knowledge, and skills.

Leaders with gravitas show grace under fire. They are great at handling adversity with a cool head, letting others know that any crisis can be taken.

Clarity – People with poise have a way of talking that transparently engages people.

Executives who have complete command over the goals that need to be reached can communicate and break down elements of the tasks into step-by-step instructions.

Leaders who can communicate effectively develop a personal brand for delivering information.

Credibility – Is the quality of being trusted and believable. In working in the sports business, credibility is paramount.

If fans lose confidence that the games are unfair and non-equitable, the NFL loses the core part of the business—the game.

Michael Willis has 18+ years of experience working with accounting & sports organizations and has managed P&Ls of $10M - $125M+ with budgets of $3M-$50M+. He worked for the NFL for 22 1/2 years, mainly with the game officials working on the financial/accounting side of the business.

Maria Grandone, Director In Higher Education


Professional woman/executive/leader with good professional presence sits at her desk

Good professional presence requires good personal skills that can help you succeed in your career as well as your personal life.

  • Be present – living a life of purpose one must be intentional, passionate, and connected and show that you care.
  • Be open to learning – lifelong learners are eager to learn to advance their skills, try new things, and even learn from their mistakes. Failing forward develops your character—failing 100 times and getting up 200 times is key.
  • Positive attitude – helps facilitate a good work environment and can inspire others to feel the same. This can-do attitude helps others positively contribute to innovation and find solution-oriented opportunities.

I believe you give 100+ percent. Show up, engage, collaborate, and connect with the team. In higher education, it is critical to model the way and inspire a vision that allows for success.

Maria Grandone is dedicated to student access and success, particularly of underrepresented students in higher education. She loves to wake up early to meditate, go for an early morning run, and meet people from all walks of life.

Kathleen Duffy, Founder, CEO, And President Of Duffy Group


Professional/leader with good professional presence talks during a work meeting

A professional presence is your image, your mission, your passion, your values, and your vision. It’s not a logo, a resume, or a profile on LinkedIn or other social media channels. It’s the story of how you solve problems and improve morale or service vs. your credentials—degree or job title.

Developing a strong professional presence can help showcase who you are—your skills, expertise, and passion. It provides a platform for you to establish credibility, helps you inspire and succeed, and establishes you as a thought leader in your field.

There are a few key tenets to keep in mind:

  • Be authentic, representing exactly who you are.
  • Be compelling, so people will want to take notice.
  • Be consistent across all channels of communication.
  • Be transparent—no secrets.
  • And be visible. After all, what good is a strong professional presence if nobody can find you?

Kathleen Duffy is the founder, CEO, and president of Duffy Group. The company's vision is to elevate recruitment research as an alternative to contingent and retained search. Since its founding, Duffy Group has been a remote workplace and a culture of work/life harmony.

Sharon Grace, Executive Recruiter


Professional/leader listens to a coworker during a work meeting

As a seasoned executive recruiter, I have advised many hiring executives and candidates on their image. Professional presence includes feeling and looking your best, embracing a positive mindset, communicating effectively, and being likable. It would help if you gave people reasons to want to meet with you and build a relationship. I suggest six tips when improving one’s professional presence.

  1. Take care of yourself. The benefits of practicing good health and wellness are endless. Being mindful of good health keeps our stress levels low and our energy, focus, and positivity high. When you feel good, you look good.
  2. Be present, engaged, and actively listening. Showing up and being intentional is not always easy. Having the right mindset will help you perform better. Be an active listener with a curious attitude to learning.
  3. Be prepared. An action plan with the desired outcome is a time investment well spent.
  4. Communicate thoughtfully, clearly, and effectively. Clear is kind, and being direct, upfront, and honest is essential. Practice being engaged with those you speak with, and do not meet for the sake of meeting; make it a valuable experience.
  5. Speak in the way you want to be heard. Think before speaking and be in the right mindset. Know your audience.
  6. Look good and take an interest in your appearance. Dressing appropriately is always in style, and never forget to know who your audience is.

Sharon Grace is a veteran search executive who helps hiring leaders hire great people because of her proven track record as a strategic partner and advisor to recruit, identify and assess talent.

Kathryn Marshburn, Music Program Manager


Professionals/executives/businesspeople with good professional presence shake hands

Professional presence in the music industry is different than other industries. As a female executive in the music industry, earning respect is essential and requires putting in the time with teams that are highly sought after and in demand.

Professional presence starts with social media checks and ends with teams liking you.

Many times, just showing up is crucial because the teams, artists, and bands that connect with you personally provide roadmaps to other connections. That said, a few basics that are important include:

  1. Always have exceptional phone manners when receiving invites and say less and listen more.
  2. Show up in appropriate fashion for the moment. (Studios, events, and carpet opportunities require completely different looks.)
  3. Humble, humble, humble would be the word for the night. Be grateful that you are in attendance and thank the host.
  4. Be professional. Do not take pictures or videos when not invited. Keep all time spent as a professional in an invited space.
  5. Do not overindulge in any substance.

If I love a project or something I want to do, I don't do it for money. I do it because I love it. If the budget isn't there, I'll make it work for me and throughout my career. I think that's been a consistent theme. I hear all day long that peers will turn down jobs because the money is not right. Some people will throw away opportunities because of the pay. That's just not how I do business as so many opportunities happen from just being in the room.

To be invited into successful circles, your presence is important no matter what industry you are in, and making sure that you are providing an attractive, positive image is always on trend.

Kathryn Marshburn has spent 12+ years in the music and gaming industries guiding teams on identifying targeted goals with an agile approach resulting in driving revenue and reducing risk.

Ana Smith, Talent Architect & Global Learning Strategist


Young professionals talk during a work meeting

​According to multiple surveys, over 60% of organizations that hire coaches say executive presence is one of the two top purposes for their coaching. Companies see this skill’s value and want their leaders to lead with a strong presence!

So, if it is so critical, what is it? It is defined in different ways for sure, depending on who you ask, yet the definition that I typically go to combines:

  • Character
  • Personality
  • Credibility

And these probably include a wide variety of possible combinations which generate a successful "executive presence." The result is a leader who can command the attention of a room and immediately draw you into their vision and who is set apart from others, allowing you to establish a reputation of respect and knowledge.

Companies and leaders may already know that executive presence is important, but it isn’t a skill that comes naturally for a lot of people.

It takes some time to develop and refine.

So, the most important question is, how can you develop it yourself?

  1. Be self-aware and spend time with other executives you admire. By studying yourself and others, you can train yourself through hard work and discipline.
  2. Inspire your direct reports through clarity and intentional communication, taking the initiative and being a role model for them by keeping a journal, etc. Writing down your goals, plans, and priorities can also help you better understand your emotions and encourage regular self-reflection!
  3. Build relationships, which helps you to connect with others and build trust. By building strong relationships with colleagues, clients (internal and external), and other key stakeholders, you can establish yourself as a leader who is approachable and respected.
  4. Create AND share a clear, compelling vision. One of the most inspiring forms of executive presence is to inspire and share a compelling vision for others to see and follow.
  5. Build trust across different stakeholder groups (i.e., direct reports, peers, next level up, etc.) by keeping your work, and taking the necessary time to build and earn trust.

Building executive presence is probably one of the most complicated things to do in leadership development, therefore don't forget to get a coach, a mentor, and several peers who will be willing to support your development as you will support theirs!

Ana Smith helps people & organizations achieve their full talent potential by developing and co-creating people strategies and customized solutions, and turning them into impactful outcomes and collaborative relationships, using coaching as the "red thread."

Marshall Martin, Director Of Operations


Businesspeople with good professional presence shake hands and talk during a work meeting

Developing a good professional presence is crucial for success in any industry. It is not just about having the right skills and knowledge, but also about presenting oneself in a positive and effective manner. Good professional presence is defined by a combination of qualities, such as:

  • Passion is the driving force behind a person or organization’s work and is essential in creating a positive impact. It exudes optimism and a can-do attitude.
  • Integrity is fundamental in demonstrating honesty, ethical behavior, and trustworthiness. It is essential for building trust and credibility with colleagues and clients alike.
  • Generosity involves giving back to others and contributing to the community. Whether through sharing knowledge or supporting others with our time, talents, and treasure, generosity fosters strong and healthy relationships.
  • Gratitude is recognizing and expressing appreciation for others' contributions. It contributes to creating a positive work culture.
  • Authenticity is being true to oneself and one’s values, maintaining a sense of transparency and honesty in all interactions.

Overall, good professional presence requires intentional effort and self-awareness. By embodying these qualities, individuals can establish themselves as respected and trusted leaders, achieving success and making a positive impact on those around them.

Marshall Martin is a former executive with start-up/entrepreneurial and large multi-national organizations with 20+ years of experience in the delivery of sales, finance, and operations management. His mission is to be a servant leader that connects, creates, and builds innovative ideas and solutions.

Percy Leon, Digital Media Content Executive


Man with good professional presence at work

​In today's competitive business world, having a good professional presence is essential for success. Here are some key characteristics that I feel contribute to a strong professional presence:

  • Confidence: A good professional presence is characterized by confidence. This means having the self-assurance to speak up, take risks, and make decisions. When you exude confidence, others will be more likely to trust and respect you.
  • Communication skills: Communication is an essential part of building a strong professional presence. This includes not only speaking clearly and articulately but also being a good listener and able to communicate effectively in writing.
  • Professionalism: Professionalism is another key characteristic of a good professional presence. This means being reliable, respectful, and trustworthy in your interactions with others. It also means dressing appropriately for the situation and being punctual.
  • Emotional intelligence: Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage your own emotions and those of others. This is essential for building strong relationships with colleagues and clients.
  • Competence: Finally, a good professional presence is characterized by competence. This means having the skills and knowledge necessary to do your job well and being willing to learn and adapt as needed.

A good professional presence is a combination of confidence, communication skills, professionalism, emotional intelligence, and competence.

By focusing on developing these characteristics, you can build a strong professional presence that will help you in your career.

Percy Leon is a digital media content producer specializing in educational technology and entertainment. He is interested in web3, metaverse, and the use of virtual reality for storytelling.


Lisa Perry, Global Marketing Executive


Executive/woman with good professional presence at work

I didn’t know much about professional presence until about 2 ½ years ago when I met J.T. O’Donnell. I took her in-depth course on executive presence and learned that it’s about what people see when they come in contact with us. It’s our ability to project gravitas, confidence, competence, poise under pressure, decisiveness, speaking skills, assertiveness, and the ability to read an audience or situation, among other key characteristics. It enables us to build trust, establish credibility, and accelerate outcomes and results. What defines good executive presence is a personal journey and requires work. And that’s what I’ve been doing over the last several years. I did a deep dive into four areas:

  1. Understand My Strengths, Weaknesses, Talents, & Biases
  2. Explore How Peers, Colleagues, Subordinates, & Leaders Perceive Me
  3. Develop An Action Plan To Enhance Executive Presence
  4. Create A Measurement Plan

This process was very enlightening, helping me understand where I was undervaluing myself based on feedback from those who have worked with me. As a result, over the last year, I’ve been able to turn around my executive presence based on the action plan I put together, helping me become a more effective leader, build stronger relationships with others, and achieve greater success at work.

Lisa Perry helps companies build leadership brands, driving loyal customers & delivering profitability. She does this through a process that builds brands consumers love. Her goal is to help companies develop, monetize, and grow their brands.

John Hoffman, Creative Producer


Professionals/employees with good professional presence attend a work meeting

An excellent professional presence is essential for anyone, especially those starting a career path.

It begins with credibility, being present, paying attention, and inspiring confidence in your colleagues.

To build credibility, focus on four simple aspects:

  1. Competence - the ability to do something successfully.
  2. Communication - transfer information succinctly.
  3. Integrity - do what you say, say what you do.
  4. Preparedness - be ready.

Always be willing to learn and improve by asking questions, stepping out of your comfort zone, and being open to feedback. Stay positive, avoid negative language, and have fun. Taking yourself too seriously can be detrimental to your professional presence, so remember to keep it simple and enjoy the journey.

In closing, pay attention to the positive and ask yourself if your actions are helping or harming the task. Then, do these things and develop a professional presence to set you up for success.

John Hoffman has 15+ years of leadership experience creating and producing video content, branded entertainment, PR stunts, and experiential and live events. At his core, he's a storyteller who has mastered the creative map and can scale logistical mountains.

What do you think defines good professional presence? Join the conversation inside Work It Daily's Executive Program.


Acquiring Job Advance Your Career Career Changing Careers and Employment Education Internship

Executive Spotlight: What Defines Good Professional Presence?

The 4 Pillars Of A Culture Of Safety In Healthcare



Mary McClinton was a patient admitted to the hospital for a routine medical procedure. She had full trust in the health care providers and was looking forward to going back home after the procedure and spending valuable time with her family and grandkids. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

She died during the procedure due to a medication error. She was injected with Chlorhexidine, a chemical antiseptic used for skin cleaning instead of another local IV injection. Both liquids were colorless, but the receptacles of the medications were unlabelled leading to a mixup and fatal medication error.

Sadly, medical errors still happen in healthcare and healthcare organizations are working towards zero harm, but we still have a long way to go. Patients come to the hospital worried about their medical condition and its impact on their livelihood and their families. They place their full trust in the medical providers. The last thing they expect is they will suffer harm or death due to medical errors.

That's why it is vital for organizations to develop a culture of safety.

Let’s Start With The Definition Of What Is A Culture Of Safety


Man working in the healthcare industry

Many of you must have heard different definitions, but the one I like is very short and simple: the culture of safety is how the healthcare organization and the people working in it behave when no one is watching them.

So, what exactly does this mean?

It means patient and workforce safety is engrained as a core value from the top level person in the organization to the frontline staff AND they will not take any shortcuts to compromise patient safety for the sake of productivity

That said, let’s look at how an organization can build a culture of safety.

Organizations Must Build 4 Strong Pillars To Support The Culture Of Safety


Healthcare professionals work together to solve a safety problem

​​Pillar #1: Psychological Safety. This is when frontline staff are empowered and are not scared to speak up. They are not punished or humiliated but are appreciated for bringing out safety concerns. Psychological safety leads to better brainstorming of ideas, more possibilities, better assessment and testing of ideas, and rapid cycle learning process. Staff will be more valued and respected. This leads to staff engagement. Teamwork thrives in the organization that has psychological safety.

Pillar #2: Active Leadership. This is when leadership in the organization uses strategies and has skills that foster staff engagement, staff development, and staff well-being. The leadership words resonate with their actions. Some of the essential leadership skills are communication skills, creating an intentional culture, providing employees with a voice, developing a reward system, supporting career development, and fostering employee well being.

Pillar #3: Transparency. This is where open communication thrives in the organization. Safety information is shared with all the stakeholders which leads to the building of trust. Transparency is used in this organization as a vehicle for learning.

Pillar #4: Fairness. This is where individuals are evaluated for their actions with the same lens irrespective of their position and titles. Everyone is treated equally and fairly in the system.

When an organization has developed all of the four pillars outlined above, then it has laid the foundational work to support the culture of safety.

If you’d like to talk with me more about how to build a culture of safety at your healthcare organization, I can be reached by email at [email protected], or on LinkedIn.

Acquiring Job Advance Your Career Career Changing Careers and Employment Education Internship

The 4 Pillars Of A Culture Of …

10 Mistakes New Managers Make At Work



Landing a management job is a big deal. You're moving up in your career and getting recognized for all of your hard work and accomplishments. But it takes more to be a good manager than just experience and an impressive resume.

We've all had managers at different points in our careers, and let's be honest: a few, if not the majority of them, were not good managers. And that's okay. Not everyone is cut out for a management position. But if you recently landed a job as a manager at your company, you probably want to be the best manager you can be.

Here are 10 mistakes new managers make at work that you should try to avoid:

1. Acting Too Quickly


New manager leads a meeting

New managers frequently believe that they need to change everything. They place the stamp of their own ideas on every policy, procedure, and rule. And if there are no policies and rules, they're eager to create new ones.

They act on poor performance appraisal data. They immediately favor co-worker friends for key assignments, schedules, and so on. They want to create their "own team" as quickly as possible.

2. Acting Too Slowly


New manager talks in a meeting

Other new managers act too slowly—buying into the "we've always done it that way" mindset. This can be particularly true of new managers with no management experience or very little experience with the company (e.g., a new manager hired from outside the organization).

Managers report that they intended to "wait a year or so" to learn how things work in the organization so "my employees can get to know me."

3. Failing To Assess Properly


New manager compares notes with a colleague

This mistake holds the solution to the paradox of the first two mistakes—the "just right" solution. A new manager must assess the situation of the organization, the expectations given by senior management, and the strengths and weaknesses of the department and each employee (hopefully, more focused on strengths).

Typically, a new manager is charged with solving some specific problems. Ignoring them is fatal. Not meeting with each subordinate to get to know them personally, get to know their strengths, and get their input is equally fatal.

4. Acting On Old Performance Appraisal Data


New manager discusses an issue with two employees during a meeting

Performance appraisal data is fundamentally flawed by rater bias. The appraisal data reflects more on the performance of the previous manager than it does on the employees being rated. Spending hours reviewing old performance ratings on subordinates is a waste of time.

If the previous manager was promoted because of his or her successful management of your new team, ask that manager some simple questions about each member of your new team. For example, ask: "Would you always pick (or rehire) this person for your team?"

If you're replacing a manager who was not successful, see the mistake below.

5. Focusing On Weaknesses, Not Strengths


New manager leads a business meeting

Solving key problems may be a top priority (e.g., poor customer service). But solving problems is less likely to be successful if the focus is on weaknesses instead of strengths.

If you can't objectively measure the strengths of the team using an assessment like CliftonStrengths Assessment then interview members about their strengths. Ask each one of them how they see themselves best contributing.

6. Failing To Communicate


New manager communicates with an employee during a meeting

Yes, it's a classic movie line, but it could be number one on this list. Too often, new managers lock into a learning mode to read policies and procedures. They want to "understand things" before saying anything to their new team.

The solution is simple: communicate now and communicate often. Give your team the opportunity to learn about you as you learn about them. Let them learn your communication style as you learn their styles.

7. Failing To Ask Questions


New manager on laptop thinks about her mistakes

"If I ask questions, it shows I don't know what to do." That's scary, but it's not unusual.

Too many new managers fail because of both inaction and action driven by the failure to ask. Some of the most successful managers I've known were the most curious—asking questions of their bosses, other managers, and members of their team. They had a two-year-old's curiosity and loved the "why?"

8. Treating Everyone The Same


New manager calls a team meeting

The biggest mistake all managers make, not just new managers, is trying to motivate all team members the same way—or assuming they're motivated by what you think "motivates everyone."

Motivation has some common elements known to anyone who really studies performance and it has some myths that managers routinely follow by mistake. The solution is to understand your team members' strengths. That way, you'll know more about how to best motivate each person on your team.

9. Having A 'My Way Or The Highway' Attitude


New manager complains on the phone

New managers often believe they must be the know-it-all decision maker for the team, failing to realize the job is coaching people to be top performers and NOT being the "I can do it myself" manager.

In today's multiple-skilled workforce, a manager is likely to be the least knowledgeable regarding specific job/technical knowledge. The solutions are communicating, asking, and listening!

10. Being Afraid To Fire


New manager fires an employee during a meeting

New managers are often challenged by Red Scott's "hire smart, or manage tough" dilemma with a situation created by themselves or the previous manager. Managers must know when and how to firmly make decisions (legally) that someone does not want to meet performance objectives.

A common refrain: "I know I should have terminated him/her a long time ago."

A favorite management quote: "Management is now where the medical profession was when it was decided that working in a drug store was not sufficient training to become a doctor." —Lawrence Appley

The ultimate solution to these 10 mistakes new managers make is adequate training! We wish you the best of luck in your management position and hope you receive the training you need in order to be the best manager you can be.

Need more help with your career?

Become a member to learn how to UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.


Acquiring Job Advance Your Career Career Changing Careers and Employment Education Internship

10 Mistakes New Managers Make At Work

Executive Spotlight: How To Recover From A Failure At Work



Although we shoot for perfection and success at work, we all experience failure at some point in our careers. Failure can be difficult to handle in a professional setting. Executives and other leaders in the workplace—our mentors, the ones we look up to at work—have all failed. Not only that, but they've recovered from failure and found success in the process.

We recently asked our successful executives how they recover from a failure at work.

Here are their responses...

Lisa Perry, Global Marketing Executive


When I worked at The Disney Channel, one of my jobs was to proof ads. I was the last sign-off before the ad went to press. It was an exciting time as we launched a new campaign in support of a new series. It was quickly dampened when I learned that the ad, which had gone live that morning, had a glaring error I’d missed.

The most forward-thinking companies embrace risk-taking and the possibility of failure. What's wonderful about failure is the learning you receive from it. You learn substantially more from failures than successes. Failures should push you to bounce back and work harder to achieve your goals, making you stronger. Here are three things you should model as a leader within your organization:

1. Lead by Example: Management should share past examples of company failures, suggest new solutions that might work, and receive ideas from others without judgment.

2. Provide a Solution: While failing is okay, managers need to encourage employees to provide solutions to problems and propose an action plan for the next steps. Managers can then review and provide guidance on how best to proceed.

3. Don't Repeat Failures: The key here is to learn from your mistakes, document the learning, establish a process that ensures these failures won't happen again, and share these learnings throughout the organization.

The best advice I received is that failure is a success if we learn from it.

Lisa Perry helps companies build leadership brands, driving loyal customers & delivering profitability. She does this through a process that builds brands consumers love. Her goal is to help companies develop, monetize, and grow their brands.

Lynn Holland, VP Sales & Business Development


Woman stressed about a failure/mistake on the job

As a lover of the outdoors and living within driving distance of Oregon’s Mt. Hood, I was drawn to skiing. I volunteered as a cross-country instructor for an alpine club, then taught for a ski resort, secretly motivated by free lift tickets so I could get better at skiing downhill. Initially, I was afraid of failure and intimidated so when venturing onto harder runs it was natural to lean into the mountain. Yet I quickly learned that when I leaned out, though counterintuitive, I fell less, and I became a better skier.

As an executive, I see leaning out as risking to attempt something new and being aggressive to grow, learn, and accomplish greater things, knowing that along the way I will probably break some stuff. In my mind, as long as I learn from it and bring future success out of it, it has value.

After I launched my first company, leaning out manifested a failure as I negotiated a supply chain partnership to source products globally vs. just domestically. It represented a huge opportunity for my business, but in doing so, I failed to dig deeply into the relationship, the financial chain of custody, and the quality assurance process with each of the individual factories. As a result, my orders experienced missed lead times and material defects that were costly and embarrassing, and I later learned there was another party between my contractual partner and the factories who failed to perform.

This taught me to take full ownership of every aspect of my business and prompted me to implement a four-point policy that helped me select, negotiate, and manage all future partnerships successfully.

Here are some of my learnings about failing in business, recovering from it, and using it to propel our careers:

  • The most accomplished and celebrated leaders and entrepreneurs in history failed many times before they were a success.
  • Always fail while risking to accomplish something great.
  • Always take full ownership of failure to preserve credibility, integrity, and reputation.
  • Root out and take from a failure every available ounce of growth and wisdom into the next goal and keep striving.
  • Read the speech “Man in the Arena” by Theodore Roosevelt to remember to tune out the naysayers, haters, and critics who keep us from attaining greatness.
Lynn Holland is a business development executive with 18+ years of experience taking operational, IoT & retail technologies, products, & consumer engagement to market with a focus in petroleum & convenience retail.

Ana Smith, Talent Architect & Global Learning Strategist


Failure, success concept

When I think about recovering from a failure at work, I always have to ask/think about the context of the culture and psychological safety of the team, the business segment, and the organization where the failure happens.

As leaders or people managers, we play a critical role in how our team members perceive and react to failure when it happens; creating the necessary psychological safety and culture of learning is key to this.

Promoting a growth mindset for our people calibrates how they interpret failure in a completely different way than people with a fixed mindset. Folks with a growth mindset see failure as a signal that they need to put in more effort, try different strategies, or seek feedback and guidance. They use failure as a motivation to improve and grow, rather than as a reason to give up or feel ashamed.

Some examples of how people with a growth mindset view failure include:

  • Failure is only failure if we fail to learn from it
  • Failure is an opportunity to enhance our skills and knowledge
  • Failure is a challenge that pushes us out of our comfort zone

However, having/exercising a growth mindset is not always easy or simple. It requires practice, persistence, and support from your leader/manager.

Bouncing back from failure at work can be hard, but it’s not impossible. There are some steps we can all take to recover from a setback and move forward with confidence.

Some of the steps you/we can take are:

  • Being honest with your superiors and admitting your mistake
  • Don't make excuses or blame others for your failure
  • Find the silver lining (and there's always one!)
  • Learn from your failure

Using failure as an opportunity to improve your skill set and potentially become a better leader.

These steps can help you bounce back from failure at work and show that you are resilient, adaptable, and committed to your goals.

Ana Smith helps people & organizations achieve their full talent potential by developing and co-creating people strategies and customized solutions, and turning them into impactful outcomes and collaborative relationships, using coaching as the "red thread."

Kathryn Marshburn, Music Program Manager


Businesspeople in a meeting upset about a failure at work

Successful executives get used to failure because it provides so much growth and opportunity to learn. Creating a culture of celebrating failure is important and that starts with humility in the workplace.

While I worked for Spotify, Dawn Ostroff, a C-suite executive at Spotify, would share failures, break them down, and celebrate in our town halls (in front of 3000 employees) where we could learn as a team from the mistakes. I remember seeing the title for her presentation and I was so intrigued and teams across the company were inspired. We took notes on how to not repeat those mistakes, lean into them, and forward progression for new strategies.

When a failure occurs:

  1. Accept it with humility
  2. Gather all the facts
  3. Review how we could improve moving forward
  4. Come to the table with a mindset of failures = possibilities

I believe developing your skills in the practice of losing and accepting is a huge educational opportunity, so your skill set includes being put in uncomfortable positions, so that you can get good at rejection. I believe that people are too addicted to positive reinforcement and we could all grow from learning how not to repeat the failure where the next project benefits from the previous failure.

Kathryn Marshburn has spent 12+ years in the music and gaming industries guiding teams on identifying targeted goals with an agile approach resulting in driving revenue and reducing risk.

Michael Willis, Sports Business Operations Executive


Man on laptop shocked, stressed about a failure at work

No one begins a journey with failure as part of their plan. Caution might lurk, but turning back is not an option.

As executives and leaders, we know that failure is part of success. The real work for leaders begins when you must figure out what works and what doesn’t.

The first step is to own the failure. Don’t blame anyone or anything else. Take full responsibility for the failure and the action needed to correct it.

Find the fix, and understand what went wrong.

Test the solution from beginning to end to ensure everything works as planned.

Meet with your team to outline what failed. Inform everyone what was done to solve the problem. And share with the team the new protocols going forward.

In summary, everyone on the team must communicate a breakdown or failed system. Leaders can’t effectively lead with missing information. Leaders need to lead teams that are invested in the end product.

Michael Willis has 18+ years of experience working with accounting & sports organizations and has managed P&Ls of $10M - $125M+ with budgets of $3M-$50M+. He worked for the NFL for 22 1/2 years, mainly with the game officials working on the financial/accounting side of the business.

John Schembari, Senior Education Executive


[rebelmouse-image 33252364 expand=1 dam=1 alt="\"Time to evaluate" site_id=19546645 is_animated_gif="false" original_size="900x615" crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//assets.rbl.ms/33252364/origin.jpg%22%2C%20%22thumbnails%22%3A%20%7B%22origin%22%3A%20%22https%3A//assets.rbl.ms/33252364/origin.jpg%22%2C%20%221245x700%22%3A%20%22https%3A//www.workitdaily.com/media-library/bigstock-top-view-note-book-written-tim-465559365-jpg.jpg%3Fid%3D33252364%26width%3D1245%26height%3D700%26coordinates%3D0%252C54%252C0%252C55%22%2C%20%221200x400%22%3A%20%22https%3A//www.workitdaily.com/media-library/bigstock-top-view-note-book-written-tim-465559365-jpg.jpg%3Fid%3D33252364%26width%3D1200%26height%3D400%26coordinates%3D0%252C157%252C0%252C158%22%2C%20%22300x%22%3A%20%22https%3A//www.workitdaily.com/media-library/bigstock-top-view-note-book-written-tim-465559365-jpg.jpg%3Fid%3D33252364%26width%3D300%22%2C%20%22600x200%22%3A%20%22https%3A//www.workitdaily.com/media-library/bigstock-top-view-note-book-written-tim-465559365-jpg.jpg%3Fid%3D33252364%26width%3D600%26height%3D200%26coordinates%3D0%252C157%252C0%252C158%22%2C%20%221200x600%22%3A%20%22https%3A//www.workitdaily.com/media-library/bigstock-top-view-note-book-written-tim-465559365-jpg.jpg%3Fid%3D33252364%26width%3D1200%26height%3D600%26coordinates%3D0%252C82%252C0%252C83%22%2C%20%221200x800%22%3A%20%22https%3A//www.workitdaily.com/media-library/bigstock-top-view-note-book-written-tim-465559365-jpg.jpg%3Fid%3D33252364%26width%3D1200%26height%3D800%26coordinates%3D0%252C7%252C0%252C8%22%2C%20%22750x1000%22%3A%20%22https%3A//www.workitdaily.com/media-library/bigstock-top-view-note-book-written-tim-465559365-jpg.jpg%3Fid%3D33252364%26width%3D750%26height%3D1000%26coordinates%3D219%252C0%252C219%252C0%22%2C%20%22600x400%22%3A%20%22https%3A//www.workitdaily.com/media-library/bigstock-top-view-note-book-written-tim-465559365-jpg.jpg%3Fid%3D33252364%26width%3D600%26height%3D400%26coordinates%3D0%252C7%252C0%252C8%22%2C%20%222000x1500%22%3A%20%22https%3A//www.workitdaily.com/media-library/bigstock-top-view-note-book-written-tim-465559365-jpg.jpg%3Fid%3D33252364%26width%3D2000%26height%3D1500%26coordinates%3D40%252C0%252C40%252C0%22%2C%20%22300x300%22%3A%20%22https%3A//www.workitdaily.com/media-library/bigstock-top-view-note-book-written-tim-465559365-jpg.jpg%3Fid%3D33252364%26width%3D300%26height%3D300%26coordinates%3D142%252C0%252C143%252C0%22%2C%20%22700x1245%22%3A%20%22https%3A//www.workitdaily.com/media-library/bigstock-top-view-note-book-written-tim-465559365-jpg.jpg%3Fid%3D33252364%26width%3D700%26height%3D1245%26coordinates%3D277%252C0%252C277%252C0%22%2C%20%2235x35%22%3A%20%22https%3A//www.workitdaily.com/media-library/bigstock-top-view-note-book-written-tim-465559365-jpg.jpg%3Fid%3D33252364%26width%3D35%26height%3D35%22%2C%20%221000x750%22%3A%20%22https%3A//www.workitdaily.com/media-library/bigstock-top-view-note-book-written-tim-465559365-jpg.jpg%3Fid%3D33252364%26width%3D1000%26height%3D750%26coordinates%3D40%252C0%252C40%252C0%22%2C%20%22210x%22%3A%20%22https%3A//www.workitdaily.com/media-library/bigstock-top-view-note-book-written-tim-465559365-jpg.jpg%3Fid%3D33252364%26width%3D210%22%2C%20%22600x300%22%3A%20%22https%3A//www.workitdaily.com/media-library/bigstock-top-view-note-book-written-tim-465559365-jpg.jpg%3Fid%3D33252364%26width%3D600%26height%3D300%26coordinates%3D0%252C82%252C0%252C83%22%2C%20%22600x600%22%3A%20%22https%3A//www.workitdaily.com/media-library/bigstock-top-view-note-book-written-tim-465559365-jpg.jpg%3Fid%3D33252364%26width%3D600%26height%3D600%26coordinates%3D142%252C0%252C143%252C0%22%2C%20%221500x2000%22%3A%20%22https%3A//www.workitdaily.com/media-library/bigstock-top-view-note-book-written-tim-465559365-jpg.jpg%3Fid%3D33252364%26width%3D1500%26height%3D2000%26coordinates%3D219%252C0%252C219%252C0%22%2C%20%22600x%22%3A%20%22https%3A//www.workitdaily.com/media-library/bigstock-top-view-note-book-written-tim-465559365-jpg.jpg%3Fid%3D33252364%26width%3D600%22%2C%20%22980x%22%3A%20%22https%3A//www.workitdaily.com/media-library/bigstock-top-view-note-book-written-tim-465559365-jpg.jpg%3Fid%3D33252364%26width%3D980%22%7D%2C%20%22manual_image_crops%22%3A%20%7B%229x16%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%22700x1245%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20615%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20346%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20277%7D%2C%20%22600x300%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%22600x300%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%2082%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20450%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20900%2C%20%22left%22%3A%200%7D%2C%20%223x1%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%221200x400%22%2C%20%22600x200%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%20157%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20300%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20900%2C%20%22left%22%3A%200%7D%2C%20%223x2%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%221200x800%22%2C%20%22600x400%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%207%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20600%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20900%2C%20%22left%22%3A%200%7D%2C%20%221x1%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%22600x600%22%2C%20%22300x300%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20615%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20615%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20142%7D%2C%20%223x4%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%221500x2000%22%2C%20%22750x1000%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20615%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20462%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20219%7D%2C%20%2216x9%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%221245x700%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%2054%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20506%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20900%2C%20%22left%22%3A%200%7D%2C%20%224x3%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%222000x1500%22%2C%20%221000x750%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20615%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20820%2C%20%22left%22%3A%2040%7D%2C%20%222x1%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%221200x600%22%2C%20%22600x300%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%2082%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20450%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20900%2C%20%22left%22%3A%200%7D%7D%7D" to="" evaluate="" =" site_id=19546645 is_animated_gif=false original_size=\"900x615"]

​I like to conduct after-action reviews—or AARs—after failures on the job.

The AAR process is as follows:

  1. What was supposed to happen?
  2. What actually happened?
  3. Why did it happen?
  4. What are we going to do next time?

What I like about the AAR process is that it is not just about identifying a problem but highlighting solutions/next steps which hold me (and others) accountable for change. This works for project-based failures.

When it comes to leadership failures that are often surfaced in 360-degree/other performance reviews, I like to find mentors/resources in that area and discern what is and what is not in my power to address/change.

John Schembari is a current K-12 teacher/school leader academic improvement coach and former school building and district administrator. He loves to draw, travel, swing dance, and read nonfiction.

John Hoffman, Creative Producer


Video production/film team work through a failure

Being a creative producer in the film and live experiential event industry requires handling setbacks, challenges, and adverse conditions. Therefore, the skill of dealing with failure, or redefining it as setbacks on the job, is crucial for success.

To excel as a creative producer, it's essential to understand the primary responsibility of bringing a TV or live event concept to life:

  • Overseeing every aspect of the project
  • Generating ideas to collaborate with production partners and artists
  • Coordinating with all teams involved in all phases of the production process

Maintaining a positive attitude and staying focused on finding solutions is essential, and identifying pitfalls and solving problems is a superpower honed from years of experience. Setbacks can be turned into opportunities for growth and success, but this requires clear communication of expectations to stakeholders and realistic goals.

Instead, by approaching setbacks as opportunities for growth and focusing on finding solutions, creative producers can overcome challenges and succeed in bringing innovative and creative concepts to life.

With experience and agility, you learn to expect the unexpected because failure is not an option for a creative producer.

John Hoffman has 15+ years of leadership experience creating and producing video content, branded entertainment, PR stunts, and experiential and live events. At his core, he's a storyteller who has mastered the creative map and can scale logistical mountains.

How do you recover from a failure at work? Join the conversation inside Work It Daily's Executive Program.

Acquiring Job Advance Your Career Career Changing Careers and Employment Education Internship

Executive Spotlight: How To Recover From A …

Executive Spotlight: The Best Time Management Hacks To Use On The Job



What would we do with more time in the day? Most of us probably think we'd be more productive. But if there's one thing we want more of but can't control, it's time. The secret to being more productive is not more time, but better time management. This is especially true at work.

The most successful professionals have exceptional time management skills. If you don't have strong time management skills, that's okay. Like any skill, time management skills can be developed.

We recently asked our leading executives about their best time management hacks.

Here are their responses...

Percy Leon, Digital Media Content Executive


You've probably heard of "time hacks" by now if you're a video creator, a YouTube manager, or just someone who needs to maximize their time while working.

Time-saving techniques are basically ways to be more productive at work and do more tasks faster.

You can utilize a few different tactics to make the most of your time. I do the following things, to name a few.

The first thing I do is make a schedule I can follow. I know I'll be able to focus and make the most of the time I have if I have a plan of action for each day and know what needs to be done and when.

Over the entire month, I aim to develop and batch my stuff, having enough for LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube long form, and YouTube shorts.

I divide my tasks into manageable portions and complete each one one at a time. This is another crucial time-saving technique.

This enables me to concentrate on each activity and complete it more quickly. I discovered various apps, like Notion, to keep track of what needs to be done so that you don't forget anything.

Limiting distractions is a third time-saving trick. I mute my phone, turn off notifications, even if I find this to be a challenge, and concentrate on the task at hand. That way, I won't be seduced by diversions all the time and can accomplish more in less time.

I try to take breaks throughout the day. This helps my mind recharge and I’m able to continue with the task I set out to do.

By creating a schedule, breaking out each task into smaller chunks, limiting distractions, and taking breaks throughout the day, I’m able to get more done in less time and be more productive.

Percy Leon is a digital media content producer specializing in educational technology and entertainment. He is interested in web3, metaverse, and the use of virtual reality for storytelling.

Kathryn Marshburn, Music Program Manager


Professional woman with good time management skills calls someone on the phone

I thought I was a great multi-tasker as a businesswoman until I saw a video on Nick Cannon and Amber Grimes when I saw how they both work in the music industry. They are on time, work like no other, efficiently work, treating the housekeeping staff the same as a client. Always having a positive attitude and always showing up. I borrowed a life hack from Nick, where he has a daily list of his to-dos, but always adds the last item where he makes time to do at least one favor a day for someone. This is one of my favorite topics: how do we share our experiences and mold and guide the next generation?

I value sharing my perspective with Gen Z and millennials about the music industry and how staff should be treated. I have many students and industry folks that reach out to me to ask questions about the industry in LA and connecting with these requests is important to me.

My favorite time-saving hack is to follow the Nick Cannon style of working and do favors and serve others. But because there are so many requests, I had to come up with an organizational plan.

I reserve 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm every single Friday to allow for time in my calendar to serve others and share what I know about the music industry. I schedule 30-minute calls, back to back, for anyone who wants to chat on music, needs advice, needs to connect, or is looking for resources. This helps me to plan ahead and group requests together.

I'm a big believer in paying it forward as so many people, especially women, kicked down so many doors for me.

Kathryn Marshburn has spent 12+ years in the music and gaming industries guiding teams on identifying targeted goals with an agile approach resulting in driving revenue and reducing risk.

Mark Taylor, Product & Operations Executive


Professional man with good time management skills talks during a work meeting

Self-prioritisation. Identify the current “axis of power” in your work and align what you are doing with that.

For example, I gave an update every Monday to the CEO on the status of a number of projects that had previously been languishing.

I knew the CEO’s expectations: 1) that everyone involved in the projects was working well together, and 2) that what we said was going to be done was actually being addressed in a timely and accurate manner.

I spent a good amount of my week getting status updates, fact-checking, and thinking ahead for possible questions. I blended these into a truth-based, expectation-meeting story by the time Monday’s meeting arrived.

This is where the “axis of power” comes in. If the CEO thought I was getting things done and doing a good job, it didn’t matter what anyone else thought—and I lived to fight another day...

Mark Taylor has 20+ years of risk, technology, and product management experience working in global and regional financial services firms in the UK and the U.S. He's managed teams of 40+, successfully addressed 100+ regulatory issues, and has saved companies $15M+.

Carla Biasi, Personal Stylist


Work delegation, time management concept

Delegation! As an executive, we are charged with hiring a highly competent team. Use the highly motivated in your group to assist with tasks and responsibilities. This also helps acclimate them to different skills, and you have the opportunity to discover hidden talents in your staff. Your employees will love the collaborative environment!

Carla Biasi is a personal stylist living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. She currently has her own business and works part-time at an upscale women's boutique and as a virtual and kit stylist for a women’s specialty brand.

What's the best time management hack you use on the job? Join the conversation inside Work It Daily's Executive Program.

Acquiring Job Advance Your Career Career Changing Careers and Employment Education Internship

Executive Spotlight: The Best Time Management Hacks …

4 Phrases Your Boss LOVES To Hear



If you want to put yourself in a position to build a strong professional relationship with your boss, while growing your career and managing up, you have to prove yourself as a reliable employee. Taking the right kind of initiative can go a long way toward strengthening your relationship with your boss.

It's important to keep in mind that managers are not only responsible for your role and responsibilities and to a degree your career; they're also responsible for their duties as well.

If you really want to prove yourself to your boss, think of ways to work these four phrases into your work vocabulary:

"Here's A Potential Solution"


A boss listens while his employee shares an idea with him during a work meeting

Bosses hear A LOT of problems. And more often than not, they are expected to come up with a solution. The thing is, if it isn't their problem, they are not going to actively seek out solutions. Therefore, when you come to the boss with a problem, immediately follow it up with a proposed solution.

This accomplishes two things. First, it shows your manager that you are solution-oriented. You took the time to examine the problem and think about ways to address it. Second, your solutions are essentially saving the boss time and energy and those are both gifts to your manager. This approach is a huge win for you and the boss.

"Here's An Idea"


Two co-workers go over some ideas with their boss during a meeting

You should be a student of your company. You should be very familiar with the company's goals, mission, and vision. You should also have a very good understanding of the company's challenges. When you know these challenges, you should spend some time each week working on ideas to solve those challenges that the company faces.

When you go to your manager to say you have an idea that will positively impact the company's bottom line, everyone wins. Bosses should love to hear ideas on how to make things more efficient and profitable. Look for these ideas whenever you have downtime at work.

"Let Me Show You"


An employee graphs out an idea in front of his boss during a work meeting

On time-strapped days, it is so much easier to show someone something than it is to tell them. When pitching something to a boss or sharing an idea or even solving a problem, show him/her what you are talking about. Sketch it out, give them a flow chart, or show them anything visual and talk them through it. If you can, make a quick prototype. It is so much easier than using just your words when the chances are good that the boss is distracted.

Think about it. When you show people what you are saying, you have captured two of their senses: hearing and seeing. If you give them something to hold—even better (three senses). This gets their attention and allows them to truly evaluate what you are trying to do for the boss or the company.

Always try to show people what you are talking about. It allows them to react to your idea in a more connected way.

"I Could Use A Little Mentoring"


Bosses are not solely responsible for your career. This is your responsibility.

If you need new challenges or want new opportunities, it is up to you to scope those out and present them to your boss. If you don't know how to do something or think that you could develop your skills even further, it is up to you to ask for mentorship.

As the protégé, you must take an active role in carving out time for the relationship. When you seek mentorship from your boss, know that it may not be the boss who becomes your mentor. Your boss may not even be the right mentor. However, they can be the one who facilitates an introduction. When you ask for this type of guidance, your boss knows that you own your experience and will work to support you.

Building a solid relationship with your boss is the key to getting where you want to go in your career. These relationships will follow you throughout your career. These bosses will likely one day be the person you call on to be a reference. And when it comes time to be a reference for you, you want them to say that you were solution-oriented, respectful of their time, and full of an entrepreneurial spirit.

Need more help navigating workplace relationships?

Join our community to learn how to UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

Acquiring Job Advance Your Career Career Changing Careers and Employment Education Internship

4 Phrases Your Boss LOVES To Hear

Executive Spotlight: How To Handle Working With Difficult Customers



You don't have to work in customer service to work with difficult customers. In the business world, a customer is anyone (an individual or business) that purchases your goods or services. Some might be your "clients," but no matter what you call them, they have the potential to give you headaches on the job. Fortunately, there are many strategies and philosophies you can use to handle those difficult customers.

We recently asked our leading executives how they handle working with difficult customers.

Here are their responses...

John Schembari, Senior Education Executive


Customers come in all shapes and sizes and what may be a difficult relationship for one executive might be in the charm zone for another. However, as a consultant, I sometimes struggle with clients who come to me because they have a problem that they could not solve but then do not give me the autonomy to solve it if this means that new strategies/systems proposed run counter to how the client had tried to solve their pain point in the past (and was unsuccessful).

This is an issue of control that often comes down to fear. So, to ease my client's fears, I will communicate much more often and during each step of the process/service being provided—i.e., the creation of the initial work plan, ongoing impact/milestone reports, and a checklist of next steps/desired impact based on interim milestones/results of our work together. Some folks just like to have the road map out while they are driving down the road.

John Schembari is a current K-12 teacher/school leader academic improvement coach and former school building and district administrator. He loves to draw, travel, swing dance, and read nonfiction.

Lynn Holland, VP Sales & Business Development


Woman talks to a customer/client during a meeting

In our pressurized world, frustration and raw emotion can lurk beneath the surface. When triggered by unmet expectations, these are eight tips I've used to disarm and preserve goodwill throughout the buyer journey:

1. Seek to understand by interpreting their words and body language then reflecting back the thoughts and feelings heard.

2. Remember the affect heuristic mental shortcut that influences decisions and judgments based on views or past experience vs. the actual situation.

3. Begin with an “I don’t know” mindset vs. prejudging them or their situation.

4. Focus on listening, understanding, and discerning the next steps vs. forcing an insta-solution.

5. Break a big problem into bits to solve one at a time.

6. Expect anger, don’t personalize it, and realize they're merely feeling misunderstood or undervalued and attempting to gain control.

7. Give them calm as an emotional signal to mirror.

8. Leverage available resources like a strategic pause to de-escalate, a screenshot to better explain, or a colleague’s confirmation about the solution.

Lynn Holland is a business development executive with 18+ years of experience taking operational, IoT & retail technologies, products, & consumer engagement to market with a focus in petroleum & convenience retail.

Mark Taylor, Product & Operations Executive


Serious man talks to a customer/client during a meeting

​I am currently being a difficult customer with a professional services company.

I’m a “reasonable person.” They have driven me to being difficult by losing my trust. I now question whether they are addressing my needs and doing their work correctly.

Firstly, they are unable to proactively and clearly communicate that the work is being done in a timely, accurate, and complete manner.

Secondly, I’ve had to chase them up over 1) not hearing from them as deadlines approach, 2) finding simple errors in their submissions, and 3) not having a crystal clear sense that they have considered “everything.”

So, to answer the original question:

Win and keep the customer’s trust by doing the work. Make sure it is timely, accurate, and complete.

Most importantly, PROACTIVELY communicate this timeliness, accuracy, and completeness in a crystal-clear manner. Rinse and repeat on a regular basis and in a consistent format.

Mark Taylor has 20+ years of risk, technology, and product management experience working in global and regional financial services firms in the UK and the U.S. He's managed teams of 40+, successfully addressed 100+ regulatory issues, and has saved companies $15M+.

Kathryn Marshburn, Music Program Manager


Random act of kindness concept

​One of the amazing benefits of working for a marquee music artist is you get to travel on tour and see shows (like at Wembley Stadium - Summertime Ball) from a different perspective. I’ll never forget watching Flo Rida perform for HP and their top sales achievers meeting at a small awards dinner in Anaheim, California at the House of Blues. Flo Rida is known amongst booking agents as a professional, warm act that performs at a very high level for small and large branded events for C-Suite executives. Pure acts of kindness are always a part of his show, including jumping into the crowd. People touch him and hug him. (He holds toddlers too.) Most artists never engage like this; they pick up their check, perform, and fly out.

Flo Rida takes the time to learn the CEO's name of the company or brand, prepares and repeats the product name in his mouth several times before he goes on stage, and includes the C-Suite spouses on stage to dance with him for his hit "Low." If there are kids in the room he always brings them on stage and takes off his $20,000 diamond solitaire necklace and puts it on the child to make them feel special. (One show at a state fair someone accidentally walked off with it.)

I think I’ve watched the show 50 times and I am almost in tears every single time because it’s so good he’s such a great entertainer.

His mindset for customer service could and should be very arrogant based on his huge catalog of number one hits and gold records that he’s developed over his 30 years in the business, but he’s not. He doesn’t operate that way. His mindset is always humble, and to not only meet but exceed his customers' expectations, and to do that he makes his show very personal. His mindset is to make sure that he connects with the audience and with the VIPs in the room and recognizes the brand in his performance, by name, in his shoutouts. He extends random acts of kindness in this way, giving his fans, new corporate friends, and others a really close visibility into who he is, almost as though he provides a show that no one expected. He thinks through who would be in the audience, what would make an impression, and how could he make sure to re-book.

To me dealing with difficult customers starts with the mindset of including daily random acts of kindness and personalization in your daily routine as part of great customer service. Providing a personalized style of connecting with difficult customers in a different way and recognizing their personal interests. For example, for the customer that is upset over late shipping could a personal call or handwritten note with an extra product change the dynamic? Could a quick search on social media provide that the customer is located in Florida and loves football and, in addition to an apology and correction of the mistake, you try connecting with them by sending a custom Bucs flag from eBay? These random acts of kindness can offer a surprising result and create a snowball effect into other positive results beyond great customer service. Those word-of-mouth stories about receiving something personal are the key to managing difficult customers.

Kathryn Marshburn has spent 12+ years in the music and gaming industries guiding teams on identifying targeted goals with an agile approach resulting in driving revenue and reducing risk.

Ana Smith, Talent Architect & Global Learning Strategist


Woman talks to her boss about difficult customers/clients

Having difficult customers is really harsh, right?

It's not all doom and gloom, though. Taking prompt steps to turn difficult customers into ideal ones does not involve changing their personalities or getting them to see things only from your point of view.

It just takes a little bit of empathy and knowing how to approach the situation. Here's what has helped me in the past:

1. Find the common ground

The first step is to determine what you and your difficult customer have in common. What are their goals? What do they want out of this situation? Once you've identified that, it will be easier for both of you to come up with solutions that will satisfy everyone involved.

2. Communicate effectively

Next up, make sure that everyone knows exactly where they stand. If there are any miscommunication issues or unclear expectations, it's important to address these problems ASAP and make sure everyone understands the situation before moving forward with any plan or solution development process (or else we risk falling back into those same old patterns!).

3. Be flexible but firm

Once everything has been clearly communicated and agreed upon by all parties involved (and make sure that if/as needed things are in black and white).

The bottom line, I think it all comes down to communication. Let's not forget that in addition, in this day and age, we have:

  • Global clients who also come from different cultures, backgrounds, and languages
  • Clients from four different generations at the same time

If we can communicate effectively and openly with our customers, we can figure out what their needs are and how we can meet them. If there is any misalignment or misunderstanding between us and our customers, this is where it will occur. If there's no clear understanding of what they need from us and why they're buying from us (or not), then we'll have trouble getting through to them. We need to be able to answer questions like:

  • What are their goals?
  • What problems are they trying to solve?
  • How do they currently solve those problems?
  • Why aren't they happy with their current solution?
  • How would they prefer solving these problems moving forward?

Ana Smith helps people & organizations achieve their full talent potential by developing and co-creating people strategies and customized solutions, and turning them into impactful outcomes and collaborative relationships, using coaching as the "red thread."

Percy Leon, Digital Media Content Executive


Man talks to difficult customers/clients on the phone

As a content creator and also doing sales and marketing, it's important to know how to handle difficult customers.

I do want my customers to be happy and satisfied with the product or service that I provide. But, when that doesn't happen, I need to know what steps to take next.

Here are some tips for dealing with those tough customer conversations:

1. Stay Calm: During a difficult conversation, it's important to keep my cool and not get too emotional. If I can remain calm during the exchange and remain professional, then I’m more likely to find a resolution that is agreeable to both parties.

2. Listen Carefully: Difficult customers are often the ones who are the most vocal. Instead of trying to talk over them, I take a step back and really listen to what they are saying. This gives me an opportunity to understand their point of view and come up with a solution that works for both parties.

3. Be Proactive: If I can anticipate the customer's needs, then it's easier to provide resolution or possible solutions. I try to communicate as much as possible and offer solutions before my customers have a chance to bring this up, as this shows that I’m on top of the situation and willing to work together to find a suitable solution.

4. Be Understanding: No one wants their problem to go unresolved and customers are no different. If there is a problem with the way the content is shot or lit, or something else, I show understanding and empathizing with their situation will help them feel like they're not alone in their struggle.

5. Follow Up: After the conversation is over, I feel it's important to follow up with the customer and make sure that their issue was resolved correctly. This will help build trust and show them that you value their business this also adds repeat customers.

By following these tips, I can ensure that my customers are happy and that their issues are taken care of in a timely manner. Handling difficult customers can be tough. It does take practice and a lot of empathy, but with the right approach, I can ensure every party is happy.

Percy Leon is a digital media content producer specializing in educational technology and entertainment. He is interested in web3, metaverse, and the use of virtual reality for storytelling.

Lisa Perry, Global Marketing Executive


Woman talks to a difficult customer/client on a video call

We can all relate to dealing with a difficult customer at some point. As a brand marketer, I don’t interact with the typical customer. My direct customer interaction tends to be with internal customers, influencers, and strategic partners. Some of my most difficult customer interactions have been dealing with an internal customer who doesn’t respect my team or me, which results in the challenge of getting anything done. Here are several tips on effectively handling working with a difficult internal customer:

  1. Remain Calm: It’s important to remain calm, professional, and composed, even if the customer is aggressive and disrespectful. Maintain a positive attitude. Try not to take it personally (this is really hard to do).
  2. Active Listening: Try to understand their concerns, ask open-ended questions, repeat back to them what you heard to ensure alignment, and find a solution that works for both parties.
  3. Empathize: Show empathy for their situation. This can help to de-escalate the situation and build rapport with the customer.
  4. Offer Solutions: Work with the customer to find a solution that meets their needs and expectations. Offer several options and be flexible in finding a solution that works for both parties.
  5. Escalate When Necessary: If the situation is escalating and you feel threatened or unable to handle the situation, it’s important to escalate the issue to a manager or someone with more authority to handle the situation.
  6. Documentation: Document the situation and solutions offered, and ensure they are satisfied with the outcome. This will help avoid similar situations in the future, help maintain a positive relationship, and build trust.

Remember that dealing with difficult customers is difficult, but it's important to remain professional and not take their behavior personally. By remaining calm and working with the customer to find a solution, you can turn a difficult situation into a positive experience.

Lisa Perry helps companies build leadership brands, driving loyal customers & delivering profitability. She does this through a process that builds brands consumers love. Her goal is to help companies develop, monetize, and grow their brands.

How do you handle working with difficult customers? Join the conversation inside Work It Daily's Executive Program.

Acquiring Job Advance Your Career Career Changing Careers and Employment Education Internship

Executive Spotlight: How To Handle Working With …

Executive Spotlight: The Biggest Career Move These Executives Ever Made



In life, if you want to achieve your goals and get where you want to be, you need to take risks. This includes taking career risks. For many professionals, making a big career move is a risky decision, but it might be necessary in order to reach one's career goals. The most successful people you know took a big risk, and it paid off. If you want to reach new heights in your career, you might need to ask the leaders in your industry how they made it to the top.

We recently asked our leading executives what the biggest career move they ever made.

Here are their responses...

John Cox, Advertising & Marketing Executive


I’ll cheat once again just a little bit and reference two different moves that turned out to be pivotal to my career.

First, early in my career, I was approached through a tentative connection within my professional network with what essentially amounted to an offer for trial employment. That meant leaving a full-time job with benefits when I was young and single, relying solely on my own income.

Still, I had been ready for a change for quite some time and gambled that this was a move worth making. I made that move, and it turned into multiple promotions, positioning me for where I am today.

Secondly, later in my career, I gambled on a new role for which I didn’t feel entirely qualified. I actually ended up being hired into the role and, ultimately, it too was transformative in shaping me into the leader I am today.

Both anecdotes, I hope, serve as advice to early and mid-career professionals that risks wherein you’ve amply measured the pros and cons can really pay off. I’m not necessarily one to take bold jumps in life, but sometimes there is that leap of faith that you simply have to try. And my experience has been that it’s oftentimes more than worth it.

John Cox has 20+ years of performance excellence in advertising and marketing, leveraging Google-certified skill sets in pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and paid search strategy, web planning and conversion measurement, and creative direction and graphic design.

Michael Willis, Sports Business Operations Executive


NFL flag

My BIGGEST career move was when I decided I wanted to work in sports.

While working at KPMG Peat Marwick, I was not fulfilled doing the debits and credit. I wanted to do more than record the month’s transactions. I wanted to be the one to make the transactions happen.

I had a unique opportunity to join the Football Operations Department at the National Football League. I learned some new skills, such as payroll and budgeting. I was putting budgets together from start to finish.

During my years at the NFL, I developed and expanded the role by doing analysis and forecasting. These skills allowed me to forecast year-end outcomes.

My newfound skills allowed me to summarize multi-page excel spreadsheets into one page.

Making this career move has ignited a new fire inside of me. My passion for this work allowed me to serve the game officials at a very high level.

Michael Willis has 18+ years of experience working with accounting & sports organizations and has managed P&Ls of $10M - $125M+ with budgets of $3M-$50M+. He worked for the NFL for 22 1/2 years, mainly with the game officials working on the financial/accounting side of the business.

Lynn Holland, VP Sales & Business Development


lumber shop concept

My first BIG career move came as a regional sales rep for a packaging and supply distributor in the Pacific Northwest, the mecca for the U.S. lumber industry. My territory included a handful of lumber mills, so I was riveted when a new supplier attended a sales meeting offering lumber wrap as a new product to sell.

Other reps reacted with “meh,” but for me, it was magical! As a large, essential spend for these mills, I made it my mission to become their supplier, learn everything about the product and competition, then kicked off my sales campaign. I quickly discovered that printed wrap was a must, so I found a needed source…which my company didn’t buy into.

I saw an enormous opportunity; they saw uncharted territory and risk, so I bet on myself! I spent the next six weeks writing a business plan in my off-hours, partnered with domestic and offshore manufacturing sources, got a HELOC on my house, gave my notice, and became an entrepreneur!

Lynn Holland is a business development executive with 18+ years of experience taking operational, IoT & retail technologies, products, & consumer engagement to market with a focus in petroleum & convenience retail.

Andrea Markowski, Marketing Executive


Career move, career growth, professional growth concept

Going back to school for my MBA changed the trajectory of my career (and of my life).

A golden opportunity came along to join an internal start-up team while working as a marketing creative in the publishing industry. I helped to ideate and test a new digital product and pitched it to the senior leadership of our Fortune 500 company.

Along the way, I learned basic business principles not taught to commercial artists. Dazzled, I vowed to learn more. I aimed to incorporate research, strategy, and data analysis into my everyday job.

That’s when I was laid off. While job searching, an agency specializing in business innovation interviewed me twice. I didn’t get the role. But again, I was fascinated by new ideas brought to life through business. I read all of the staff bios from that company. Every single one of them had a graduate degree.

Soon after, I had a new job, but it wasn’t challenging. Always wanting to go back to school, I casually interviewed people with MBA degrees to see if that path might work for me. Those I asked highly encouraged it, and my new journey began.

While getting an advanced degree, quitting your job to go back to school full time, AND moving across the country to do so aren’t for everyone, in my case, I wanted to accelerate as quickly as possible. Throw a pandemic into the mix (bad timing, just as I was graduating), and I still came out transformed, with a new career I love, and happier for it all.

Andrea Markowski is a marketing director with specializations in strategy development, digital tactics, design thinking, and creative direction. She has superpowers in presentations and public speaking.

Ana Smith, Talent Architect & Global Learning Strategist


HR management, human resources, recruiting concept

The biggest or certainly one of the biggest career moves I ever made was offered to me and I didn't even see it coming!

I was working as a senior HR manager in a global organization, handling different responsibilities regarding management and leadership development, onboarding, talent acquisition, talent development, etc., and one day, I had to go talk to a newly promoted sales director, about the profile she would be looking for in the new talent who would fill the position (her old job).

As the conversation about the role and her expectations, timing, and process was being discussed, after about 40 minutes or so, she offered me the job! I was shocked to be honest since I did not have any experience or training in the sales space, yet she was offering me what seemed to be the opportunity of a lifetime.

I was a bit concerned thinking about this option (wow!), and she offered me 1) the chance to think about it for a week or so and 2) to come on a trip with her and the VP. They were going to evaluate and learn about how other regions in the U.S. were implementing a new selling model.

I went on the trip, had a blast, learned a lot, and decided to say yes to the opportunity!

As a leader, there were two very important learnings with this career move: 1) this hiring manager saw something in me, talent potential that I didn't know I had myself, and 2) taking this opportunity gave me a chance to try a completely different function, which challenged and stretched me in many ways.

I'm thankful for the experience. It has allowed me the possibility to have a customer-centric approach to the HR and people experiences, initiatives, and strategies I've led or been part of.

Ana Smith helps people & organizations achieve their full talent potential by developing and co-creating people strategies and customized solutions, and turning them into impactful outcomes and collaborative relationships, using coaching as the "red thread."

Mark Taylor, Product & Operations Executive


Businessman/professional walks up stairs carrying a briefcase

Moving to the U.S. from the UK with my job.

I’d always wanted to live in Manhattan and, when the opportunity arose, I seized it.

Looking back, what did I learn:

The difference one word can make. I “wanted” to go—not I “should” go...

There were a number of challenges that I came up against once I arrived, both personal and professional. However, because I wanted to be here, that’s what they were, “challenges": situations that drove growth in all aspects of my life.

If I’d come here because someone had suggested I “should” to further my career, the challenges would have felt more like persecutors. I would have hated the city and the work—and hightailed it back to the UK as fast as I could.

So, dare wisely. Get out of your comfort zone—and make sure your decisions are aligned with what YOU want...

Mark Taylor has 20+ years of risk, technology, and product management experience working in global and regional financial services firms in the UK and the U.S. He's managed teams of 40+, successfully addressed 100+ regulatory issues, and has saved companies $15M+.

Carla Biasi, Personal Stylist


Woman/personal stylist with her new clothes

I spent decades in corporate America in fashion, advertising, and financial services. My heart and passion stayed in fashion, and I knew I wanted to get back into it. In 2020, I left my position as a trust officer at a bank to start my personal styling business. It wasn't even scary. I felt so comfortable like it was meant to be.

I had my first client within a week of announcing my new career, and she has worked with me ever since. I continue to grow my business and work now more than ever but can't imagine doing anything else.

Carla Biasi is a personal stylist living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. She currently has her own business and works part-time at an upscale women's boutique and as a virtual and kit stylist for a women’s specialty brand.

Kathleen Duffy, Founder, CEO, And President Of Duffy Group


Professional woman on the phone while working from home

My biggest career move was to start my business. I had worked for a boutique executive search firm for eight years and planned to grow with the organization. When the partners decided to move the company to another state, I found myself unemployed and looking at three options: corporate recruiting, executive search, or do something on my own. My husband and I were trying to start a family so I was looking for something that would provide work-life balance (it was the early '90s and no one was talking about this yet). I was able to take my expertise in recruitment research and pivot from the executive search path and introduce the approach to corporate America. I was able to work from home as we adopted our son and 18 months later gave birth to our daughter. I was able to grow a workforce of professional mothers who wanted to balance work and life. Thirty years later, we are still 100% remote with work-life balance as the foundation of our culture. I didn't start with a plan but I knew my "why"...to be in control of my career and ensure I was able to be the best wife and mother possible.

Kathleen Duffy is the founder, CEO, and president of Duffy Group. The company's vision is to elevate recruitment research as an alternative to contingent and retained search. Since its founding, Duffy Group has been a remote workplace and a culture of work/life harmony.

Lisa Perry, Global Marketing Executive


Walt Disney Company concept

Several big career moves impacted my overall career, but the biggest was my first job, which set the tone for my career trajectory. I got my BS in Marketing from San Diego State University and searched for that perfect job. I interviewed with several companies while being on a roller coaster of emotions, waiting to hear back. I finally accepted a position with Enterprise Rent-A-Car within their manager trainee program. Four days before I was to start, The Walt Disney Company reached out with a job offer. I was faced with many challenges. First, it was a secretarial position, not a manager trainee program that I wanted. Second, it was The Walt Disney Company (a Fortune 100 company). How could I pass that up? Third, I had already accepted the job at Enterprise Rent-A-Car. What was I going to do? I called Enterprise and let them know I couldn't move forward with the job offer and then picked up the phone to accept The Walt Disney Company's job. Even though I was a secretary, it was the best career move I ever made. Having the Walt Disney Company on my resume opened up many job opportunities. I learned from some of the industry's top marketing leaders. And to this day, I still maintain connections that have benefited my career.

Lisa Perry helps companies build leadership brands, driving loyal customers & delivering profitability. She does this through a process that builds brands consumers love. Her goal is to help companies develop, monetize, and grow their brands.

John Hoffman, Creative Producer


Producer, audio engineer on keyboard

My career move at 28 was my most significant decision ever. Even though I loved my TV and event production work, the company I adored, now in its fifth year, had changed. It became routine. I felt disenchanted. It was a tough call, but I had to trust my gut and follow my heart. I loved working with start-ups and wanted to travel to become a freelance producer. I craved the challenge of working on new projects and new companies and collaborating with talented people to build something unique for every show.

It wasn't always easy by any means but, today, as a creative producer, I get to cherry-pick outstanding teams for one-of-a-kind projects. We combine music, theater, TV production, advertising, marketing, PR stunts, and live experiences into lifestyle-branded entertainment. But, of course, the can-do attitude and love for the work and the people I work with are everything. That start-up passion, energy, and togetherness have always driven me to improve everything I touch. I learned this lesson early on, and it still holds true today.

When you enjoy what you do, it's not just a job. It's your life's work, so why not love it? Follow your heart, trust your gut, and keep striving. It's the best way to make your career feel like a living, breathing part of who you are. My oxygen is creating, mentoring, improving others, and loving my family. And I breathe deeply every breath.

John Hoffman has 15+ years of leadership experience creating and producing video content, branded entertainment, PR stunts, and experiential and live events. At his core, he's a storyteller who has mastered the creative map and can scale logistical mountains.

What's the biggest career move you ever made? Join the conversation inside Work It Daily's Executive Program.


Acquiring Job Advance Your Career Career Changing Careers and Employment Education Internship

Executive Spotlight: The Biggest Career Move These …

Executive Spotlight: The #1 Skill Executives Need To See In Every Employee



Every hiring manager looks for different skills in the job candidates they're hoping to hire. Not only are job candidates being evaluated on the hard skills they possess; they're also being evaluated on their soft skills—the skills that don't belong on a resume but can be identified during a job interview. It's these soft skills that separate the good employees from the great ones. Executives, managers, and other leaders within an organization keep this in mind when interviewing job candidates and reviewing the performance of current employees.

We recently asked our leading executives what's the number one skill they need to see in every employee who works for them.

Here are their responses...

John Schembari, Senior Education Executive


Growth mindset. We live in a world of constant change. Even the best-laid plans are often shifted due to unexpected circumstances. For example. educators had no choice but to switch to teaching remotely during the pandemic. There was no time to become comfortable with the technology first—we had to dive in! To remain profitable, many companies also need to reconfigure services and/or products from time to time and the most successful employees are those who are always open to learning new things. One can teach skills—the core competencies needed to do a job in many cases. However, it is not as easy to get inside someone's head and affect an employee's will unless one is able to tap into that employee's intrinsic motivations. When a growth mindset is already present, this makes any change—even difficult ones—just a tad easier to implement.

John Schembari is a current K-12 teacher/school leader academic improvement coach and former school building and district administrator. He loves to draw, travel, swing dance, and read nonfiction.

John Cox, Advertising & Marketing Executive


Curiosity concept

Curiosity is one of the top things I need out of each of my team members.

That is, they must possess an acknowledgment of the fact that no one of us knows everything and they must be curious in proactively seeking out new knowledge to add to their personal toolboxes.

In my team’s work on brand development and activation, and more specifically, digital marketing, it especially holds true that the industry, best practices, and tools used are ever changing and evolving. Maybe that involves consuming the latest books, blogs, podcasts, or following subject matter experts on LinkedIn.

In total, each team member must really have a passion for lifelong learning and constantly seek out new ways to stretch and grow in their own expertise and in the execution of their work.

John Cox has 20+ years of performance excellence in advertising and marketing, leveraging Google-certified skill sets in pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and paid search strategy, web planning and conversion measurement, and creative direction and graphic design.

Mark Taylor, Product & Operations Executive


Man types something on his laptop at work

Clear, concise written communication. Less is more.

For example, when it comes to project status “decks,” my expectation is no more than one page (two at a push). So:

1) On-point title: sets the scene.

2) Background: one or two single-sentence bullets (the story so far).

3) Status: three to five single-sentence bullets detailing tasks completed since the last update (bad news first please).

4) Next steps: two to three bullets detailing key tasks to be done next (win my trust by making sure that these tasks are clearly reflected in the “Status” section when we have the update next time).

Make removing every word from the deck until it stops making sense a game.

And don’t confuse ruthless editing with time wasted on “perfection.” The process of creating crystal clear prose with no excess fat is a pathway for you to get a deeper understanding of the project’s current challenges.

Mark Taylor has 20+ years of risk, technology, and product management experience working in global and regional financial services firms in the UK and the U.S. He's managed teams of 40+, successfully addressed 100+ regulatory issues, and has saved companies $15M+.

Steve Barriault, Global Technical Sales Management


Businesspeople discuss sales during a work meeting

Resilience in front of adversity.

Look, sales and field engineering are not for the faint of heart. They can often be exhilarating, but there is no doubt that they can be hard.

Each time that you step into a new account (or even an existing one), life can throw you a curveball. The budget you thought was there for your project is gone. The client forgot to tell you one key factor in their development environment that will make your deployment hell—assuming they knew anything about it at all.

Oh, and you travel for work? What do you do when the airline throws a wrench in your plans?

Trust me, I went through it all.

The best sales and field engineers are the ones that can deal with this. When facing a seemingly insurmountable challenge, they make a plan, execute, and when they fail—and fail they will!—they try again. And again. And again. Until it works or the clock times out.

No experience? I can deal with this with education. You made a mistake at times? If you never did, I would say you are not trying hard enough.

But when the going gets tough, you can't stop and get discouraged. And that needs to come from you.

Steve Barriault is a multilingual presales, sales, and business development management professional with 20+ years of experience in the sales and marketing of software & technological solutions worldwide. He's built sales infrastructure from the ground up, going from $0 to millions of $ through both direct sales and distributors.

Lisa Perry, Global Marketing Executive


Professional woman learns a new skill while watching a training/webinar

The most important skill I look for in an employee is their willingness to learn. This includes being open-minded to new ideas, sharing their thoughts and insights with co-workers, and being able to think on their feet and solve problems at a moment’s notice, with a “can-do” attitude. These skills are crucial for an employee’s personal and professional growth and contribute to the company's overall success. The willingness to learn allows employees to adapt to new challenges, develop creative solutions to problems, and continuously improve their skills and knowledge. It also helps to foster a culture of innovation and improvement throughout the organization.

As an employee, focusing on your willingness to learn is essential to staying relevant in your career while maintaining a competitive edge in the marketplace. As the business world is constantly evolving, employees need to be able to adapt and acquire new skills and knowledge to stay current and relevant in their field. Learning new skills also enable employees to be proactive in identifying and addressing challenges and opportunities, which can lead to greater success for both the employee and the company.

Lisa Perry helps companies build leadership brands, driving loyal customers & delivering profitability. She does this through a process that builds brands consumers love. Her goal is to help companies develop, monetize, and grow their brands.

Andrea Markowski, Marketing Executive


Executive talks to her employees during a team meeting

Combining the many bits of knowledge and skills gathered over your life and applying them to your current work role can make you stand apart as a valuable asset.

For example, I learned a practical structure for theatrical acting and directing while in college. As a marketing director today, I use a modified version for a strategic framework.

How can this be? Well, both the art of theatre and the art of marketing possess crucial elements of audience psychology and message communication.

Would just any marketer know this tie-in? Probably not.

Is this something an employer would ever teach me? Nope.

When you successfully adapt a learned approach to a different function, you bring a fresh perspective through pattern recognition and critical reasoning.

Your ability to connect the dots from your past jobs and life experiences to your current role brings creativity and innovation that just can’t be taught. It is a skill I seek and highly encourage in team members.

Andrea Markowski is a marketing director with specializations in strategy development, digital tactics, design thinking, and creative direction. She has superpowers in presentations and public speaking.

Ana Smith, Talent Architect & Global Learning Strategist


Self-awareness concept

Self-awareness would be the skill that I would like to see in every employee I work with!

The main reason is that self-awareness is a mindful consciousness of your strengths, weaknesses, actions, and presence. And therefore, self-awareness requires having quite a clear perception of your mental and emotional states.

When you have a deep and meaningful self-awareness, it allows you to react to different situations and understand what triggers habitual responses for you, how you relate to other people, and why you feel the way you do toward certain individuals, amongst other areas.

Self-awareness is very important and can bring benefits in both your personal life and professional life. For example, it can help you identify what you like about your job and how to build a successful career path that can keep you motivated and fulfilled by your work.

How do you build this skill? These are a few ideas:

  • Assess your own capabilities - with a high level of self-awareness, you’ll see where you can excel and where you can grow.
  • Find a peer coach - someone you trust and respect who is willing to support you in your self-awareness journey.
  • Practice mindfulness - being aware of your surroundings without imposing any personal biases.
  • Be willing and open to receiving feedback - in order to grow you need to listen to different perspectives.

And let's not forget that like with any skill, it is a journey!

Ana Smith helps people & organizations achieve their full talent potential by developing and co-creating people strategies and customized solutions, and turning them into impactful outcomes and collaborative relationships, using coaching as the "red thread."

What's the #1 skill you need to see in every employee who works for you? Join the conversation inside Work It Daily's Executive Program.

Acquiring Job Advance Your Career Career Changing Careers and Employment Education Internship

Executive Spotlight: The #1 Skill Executives Need …

Executive Spotlight: What Word Defines Your Professional Development Focus For 2023?



At Work It Daily, we have a saying: "If you're not growing, you're dying." For context, we're talking about your career. You must constantly work on your career to grow as a professional so you can stay relevant and employable. Professional development should always be on your mind as a business-of-one. But what you do to grow as a professional might change over time. What you focus on developing this year might be completely different from what you focused on last year.

We recently asked our leading executives what word defines their professional development focus for 2023.

Here are their responses...

John Schembari, Senior Education Executive


Investment. How do we invest participants in the professional development that they receive? Far too often, professional development is a one-size-fits-all, lowest common denominator, sit-and-get rather than an opportunity for participants to review relevant data, define personal and collective areas for growth, prioritize initiatives (1-3) that will target the growth area, and then analyze impact. Therefore, I'm not a fan of "one and done" trainings but, rather, a huge proponent of ongoing PD in the form of revolving professional learning communities (PLCs) and affinity networks.

John Schembari is a current K-12 teacher/school leader academic improvement coach and former school building and district administrator. He loves to draw, travel, swing dance, and read nonfiction.

Carla Biasi, Personal Stylist


Creativity, creative ideas, light bulb concept

Creativity!

I want to find fun ways to engage my followers and bring more of my personality to my communications. It will make me think more out of the box and focus my content. And I'm really looking forward to connecting with viewers.

Carla Biasi is a personal stylist living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. She currently has her own business and works part-time at an upscale women's boutique and as a virtual and kit stylist for a women’s specialty brand.

Michael Willis, Sports Business Operations Executive


Man talks during a work meeting

My professional development word for 2023 is “articulate.”

By definition, articulate means expressing oneself readily, clearly, and effectively.

In everything we do, we must find the words to articulate our intentions with vigor to make ourselves believable.

The first question in any job interview will be, “Tell me about yourself.” You will be asked to do this. Your answer will set the tone for the rest of the interview. Many job seekers get stumped on this question. You must be able to “articulate” a persuasive and illuminating response.

A picture may be worth a thousand words, and you may have an excellent visual presentation. But with that graphic, you must be able to “articulate” communicatively and understandably what the visual is trying to show the audience.

In 2023, I will work on my “articulation” skills.

Michael Willis has 18+ years of experience working with accounting & sports organizations and has managed P&Ls of $10M - $125M+ with budgets of $3M-$50M+. He worked for the NFL for 22 1/2 years, mainly with the game officials working on the financial/accounting side of the business.

Mark Taylor, Product & Operations Executive


Commitment concept

“Commitment.” Doing the best I can at any one moment, striving to be “better,” and letting go of those things I can’t control.

Why? Well, I’m forever on the hunt for practical methods of becoming more effective. As such, I recently watched Stutz on Netflix. It’s a documentary directed by Jonah Hill about his therapist, Phil Stutz.

Phil, and fellow practitioner Barry Michels, have written two books: The Tools and Coming Alive. I started reading the latter recently.

There are a number of nuggets in the book that have made me sit up and take notice, not least this quote:

“The reason you can’t commit to anything is because it hurts you too much if it fails. Success means putting everything on the line and, if it doesn’t work out, doing it again. And again. No blaming. No excuses.”

So, here’s to true “commitment” and "success" in 2023...

Mark Taylor has 20+ years of risk, technology, and product management experience working in global and regional financial services firms in the UK and the U.S. He's managed teams of 40+, successfully addressed 100+ regulatory issues, and has saved companies $15M+.

Ana Smith, Talent Architect & Global Learning Strategist


Connection, teamwork concept

Connection is my development focus for 2023!

Our workplaces play a significant role in our lives. Work affects both our physical and mental well-being in good ways and bad. The COVID-19 pandemic brought the relationship between work and well-being into clearer focus. According to the Surgeon General 2022, Workplace Mental Health and Well-being report, one of the biggest challenges we faced in 2022 (and onwards) is connection and community.

Connection is essential for human well-being. Connection is a basic human need, and people who feel a strong sense of connection to others are happier, healthier, and more resilient!

One of the ways that connection is important is that it helps to combat loneliness and isolation. When we feel connected to others, we feel less alone and more supported. This can be especially important in times of stress or difficulty, as it can provide a sense of security and comfort.

Connectedness also allows us to feel seen, heard, and valued. When we share our thoughts, feelings, and experiences with others, and they respond with understanding and empathy, it can help us to feel understood and accepted. This can be especially important for people who may feel marginalized or excluded in some way.

Especially important to me, connection plays a critical role in our ability to learn and grow. When we are connected to others, we have the opportunity to gain new perspectives and insights, and to learn from the experiences of others. This can help us to develop new skills, knowledge, and understanding, which can be valuable for personal and professional growth.

Finally, it is a key factor in our ability to experience joy, love, and belonging. When we feel connected to others, we can experience deep and meaningful relationships that bring us a sense of fulfillment and purpose. This can be especially important for people who may be struggling to find meaning or purpose in their lives.

Ana Smith helps people & organizations achieve their full talent potential by developing and co-creating people strategies and customized solutions, and turning them into impactful outcomes and collaborative relationships, using coaching as the "red thread."

Debra Shannon, IT Executive


Intentionality, strategy concept

My 2023 focus is intentionality. In the past, I’ve tried to do everything but realized that I couldn’t do it all despite my best efforts. There’s a quote by Andrew Benintendi: “You’re going to struggle. You’re going to do well. You can’t really let the past or the day before – whether you had a good day or bad day – dictate the day you have that certain day.” A few things happened during the pandemic that made this really hit home for me. Everything happens for a reason and only worry about what you can control.

There will always be more personal/professional opportunities than I can physically do. I’ve learned that I need to be purposeful and prioritize and continually re-prioritize what is and isn’t important—each day is important. I can’t do it all and that’s ok (and I'm getting better at admitting that). I’m going to continue to be more intentional in what to plan and accomplish.

Debra Shannon is an IT executive who is also a CPA, CIA, and CISA. Her passion is turning chaos into calm. With her unique blend of experience in technology, project management, and auditing, she can break down complex business problems, identify practical solutions, and lead executive teams and business partners to embrace the value of technology changes.

Lisa Perry, Global Marketing Executive


Watching the sunset/sunrise, abundance concept

For 2023, I'm focused on abundance. An abundance of five professional areas: connections, fulfillment, wealth, success, and happiness. I've worked to clearly define what this means for me across each of these five areas. For an abundance of professional connections, I'm looking to grow my social media network by 40% in 2023, as an example. I've laid out a detailed plan as to what it will take to achieve. To grow my social media network by 40%, I will post 2-3 times a week on LinkedIn, TikTok, and Instagram and connect with 100+ new people per week. I will track weekly, making it easier to measure my ongoing progress and success.

I also find it important to state the intentionality of my word, abundance, daily if I can, to stay focused, motivated, and driven toward my goal, which increases the likelihood of achieving it.

I know some things will come easy, but for other things, depending on how big they are, I will have to work at them. I will have to fight the busyness, distraction, intimidation, and fear that will show up. The key will be to stay persistent and motivated to remain committed. But my goal is to focus on the result of abundance.

Lisa Perry helps companies build leadership brands, driving loyal customers & delivering profitability. She does this through a process that builds brands consumers love. Her goal is to help companies develop, monetize, and grow their brands.

What word defines your professional development focus for 2023? Join the conversation inside Work It Daily's Executive Program.

Acquiring Job Advance Your Career Career Changing Careers and Employment Education Internship

Executive Spotlight: What Word Defines Your Professional …

Should We Blow The Whistle On Labor Unions?



What Is A Labor Union?

A labor union can be described as an employee organization that advocates for the rights of employees.

A labor or trade union is an organized group of workers who advocate work conditions, economic justice, and unfair treatment by employers. Labor unions have collectively advanced their members' interests by negotiating with employers.

Unions are organized much like democracies. The members of the associations elect officers who make decisions for their members. The primary purpose of the officers is to provide power and control for their members.

How Do Unions Make Money?


Labor union, worker protection, team concept

Union members pay dues to cover the union’s costs. Most unions have paid full-time staff that help to manage their operational costs. Some of the union members volunteer their time and talents to the association. Some unions create strike funds that support workers in the event of a strike.

Are Labor Unions Still Effective Today?


American flag/worker concept

Unions have played a significant role in workers’ rights for centuries. Labor unions’ roots in the United States date back to the 18th century when the Industrial Revolution and big business were in their infancy and relied heavily on human labor. This quickly led to widespread abuse of workers, including children, who were forced to work many hours daily for low wages and benefits.

Today there are federal and state labor laws to protect workers. For example, these two agencies are responsible for setting industry standards, such as safe working conditions and minimum wage standards.

What Are The Critics Saying About Labor Unions?


Workers huddle up at work

​Critics say that labor unions work against employers, making it more difficult for a company to manage its employees for the company’s good. Some say that labor unions make it difficult for companies to fire unproductive employees. Also, companies complain that unions are driving up payroll costs and benefits costs that leave the company with less revenue to operate the company or force the company’s hand to raise the price of goods and services.

Which Industries Have Labor Unions?


NFL football

The public sector has the highest rate of union members, such as police officers, firefighters, and teachers. In the private sector, industries with high union rates include transportation, warehousing, utilities, motion pictures, and sports.

When I worked at the National Football League, labor unions played a large part in the game. The players union was known as the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). The NFLPA represents all players concerning wages, retirement, insurance benefits, and working conditions, and protects their rights as professional football players. Lastly, the NFLPA ensures that the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) terms are met.

Just as the players benefit from union representation, the game officials also belong to a union. The game officials union was called the National Football League Referees’ Association (NFLRA). The NFLRA represents all game officials concerning wages, retirement, insurance benefits, and working conditions, and protects their rights as professional game officials. Lastly, the NFLRA ensures that the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) terms are met.

The Pros And Cons Of Organized Labor


Union concept

Labor unions have been part of American culture for a long time. Due to government-regulated employment laws, memberships and the need for unions have declined. Gone are the days when unions were in place to protect child labor, unfair working conditions, pay disparities, and workday hours unfairness.

Pros

1. Unions promote higher wages and better benefits.

2. Unions can economically be a pacesetter.

3. Unions provide worker protection.

Cons

1. Labor unions discourage individuality—the group is treated the same.

2. Unions can protect failing employees.

3. Unions can drive up costs for the company.

The Last Resort Or Bargaining Play


Engineer/factory workers unionize

A strike or lock-out is evidence of discontent and an expression of dissatisfaction by unions. When negotiations between company management and labor unions fail, unions must take action to disrupt the company’s workflow and production. The best course of action is when the company and the labor union continue to discuss their differences that keep an agreement from being agreed upon.

When the two sides refuse to budge on the sticking points while negotiating, companies are sometimes forced to hire replacement workers to continue operations. Many of these replacements might be unskilled, but this temporary move by the company is an attempt to keep the company open for business. Hiring replacement workers might also be a bargaining ploy by the company to let the union know that the company can move forward with these non-unionized workers.

Lastly, as company management and labor unions negotiate an agreed-upon contract, neither side will get everything they started out to get. There will be give and take on both sides. Finding common ground so that management and labor can co-exist to work together should be a goal for both sides. Let’s work together so we can all continue to do what we all love. Working. Playing. Making a better world!

Acquiring Job Advance Your Career Career Changing Careers and Employment Education Internship

Should We Blow The Whistle On Labor …