Leadership Institute at Columbus State University

  According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4 million Americans quit their jobs in July 2021, which is why you’ve probably heard the phrase The Great Resignation in the past weeks. There are millions of jobs open nationwide, and it’s the highest it’s been in this country’s history. In this COVID and Great Resignation era, managers need to be intentional in having more meaningful conversations. That means understanding employees’ career aspirations. Even their passion outside of the office that could cross over to their everyday work life. “The Great Resignation is pushing managers to give great feedback and advance people’s careers,” says Nathan Blain at Korn Ferry.  But, in addition to advancing careers, people are searching for more flexibility, more belongingness, and overall more of a lifestyle fit. What can employers do to retain their talent? Find the story To help talent re-discover their spark, collect stories from highly engaged employees or stakehol...

  Are you selfish if you put yourself first? If the answer is yes, this is no surprise because of how society labels putting yourself first. These labels should be terminated, if you're wondering why then continue reading. We asked our social media friends who they consider the most important person in their life, 8 out of 10 people said either a family member or a close friend. Does anyone consider themselves as the primary option? We asked a few other people, and to our surprise, the answer was no. When I think about the same question, my immediate response is ME, and a few judged me for ME being MY first preference. There are so many things that will go great if you consider yourself from time to time.  Family and friends are important too, but can they be happy if you’re not happy with yourself? I didn’t hesitate to make this point to my family. They understand that if I cannot be happy with myself, then I cannot make them happy.  Besides, the way people treat you is ...

  How to Promote a Culture of Wellness at Work We all have been living in a never-ending pandemic and experiencing the longest transition to a ‘new normal’ while still having to ‘show up’ at work. Sociologist at Sandford University Marianne Cooper warns, “employers need to understand the employees returning to the office are not the same people who left last March.”  In fact, behavioral app Ginger surveyed workers and found “69% of them said the pandemic was the most stressful time of their entire professional career”. Last year involved sickness and shutdowns which galvanized people to prioritize their mental, physical, and social wellness more now than ever before. This year people have focused on self-care realizing the importance of wellness in their lives at home and at work. Just do it, that’s what Nike did. They shut down for one-week, Matt Marrazzo senior manager said “it’s not just a ‘week off’ for the team ... It’s an acknowledgment that we can prioritize mental heal...

  You can do anything, but not everything A major part of leading others is developing them, and delegation is one of the easiest ways to build up others on your team. James Graves lead of Executive Development at Korn Ferry says, “leaders need to be more planful around what decisions can and should be made by others.” A leader’s lack of ability to delegate can result in burnout and ignoring the team members there to help them. So, why else is it important to delegate? 1. Builds trust amongst the team. When you show trust in your team, in return they understand their contributions, experience increase feelings of belonging, and take more responsive action to ensure organizational success. To evaluate whether someone on your team is a trusted individual ask yourself is this person credible, reliable, and open to other's points of view? If the answer is yes, it’s simple to entrust them with the tasks.   2. Builds an environment of empowerment. We often hear people say, “If you w...

CEO Gary Burnison says self-awareness is everything. Without it, we’ll never learn, grow, or improve. We’ll ignore our blind spots, overestimate our strengths, and gloss over our weaknesses. Other than that, why else is self-awareness important? It’s important because you get an accurate sense of strengths and limitations. You receive clarity on your values and sense of purpose which helps you to understand how others see you. A 2004 research study by psychology professors at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Paul J. Silvia and Maureen E. O'Brien, revealed that self-awareness enables perspective-taking, self-control, creative accomplishments, and high self-esteem. Here are 5 tips for becoming self-aware of blind spots: 1.        Normalize time for self-reflection Create a habit for taking stock of your goals or career growth. Make sure you set a realistic goal for doing so it doesn’t get lost in your day-to-day responsibilities. Deter...

  It is safe to say 2020 changed our lives forever and will go down in history books. For some, there were good changes, and for others challenging changes. Many of us became caretakers to love ones, battled health threats, became a remote worker for your job or a virtual teacher for your kids. Most of these circumstances have become permanent or are slowly getting back to normal for you. Being back to work at full capacity everyone is looking to get to know each other all over. In virtual and physical spaces leaders and their teams struggle to maintain relationships and team dynamics strained by the pandemic. People simply want to collect insight about themselves or gain perspective about what others think of their leadership style. This summer the Leadership Institute has noticed an increase in requests for assessment tools. At the Leadership Institute assessments are tools and critical to developing and retaining your most valuable asset: your employees. We offer teams a...

  By: Shana Young Are you struggling to connect with your employees? Chief Learning Officer for the International Trade Administration, Brian McNamara, says the key is simple - just care more, sincerely and authentically. One of the easiest ways to show employees you care is to ask questions and listen, really listen. Do not listen to respond, insert your own view or opinion or interject with words of advice.  Here are nine questions you can start with to connect and care more: 1.     What do you want?  For yourself?  For your career? 2.     What do you enjoy doing the most? 3.     What gives you satisfaction and makes you feel alive and inspired? 4.     What do you enjoy doing the least? 5.     What do you resist or procrastinate doing? 6.     What frustrates you? 7.     What challenges do you face? 8.     What keeps you from being emp...