Leadership Institute at Columbus State University

  Top performers can often be segmented from other workers. That leads to a vast difference in performance where some individuals perform at exceptional levels while others coast. Which does not effectively impact the culture and leaves top performers burned out and eventually disengaged.   Least successful achievers need to harness the superpower of top performers. So, how can organizations inspire it’s not so exceptional workers to improve their performance?   1.) Identify/define top performance Identify who the top performers are within the organization, then identify their characteristics and skills. Ask yourself, what does success look like for top performers? With these answers, HR and leadership can create training opportunities and modify interview techniques. Then share those defined standards with everyone to communicate clear expectations for performance.   2.) Invite top performers to interviews Place top performers on interview panels to offer insight ab...

Mental Health Awareness Month is here, so what better time than now to talk about trust. For myself working in an environment where trust matters is important. Teams aren’t effective when there is no trust. A lack of trust leads to stress, conflict, disengagement, productivity, and decreased retention. Even more so trust is important to the mental health of a team because it supports psychological safety. A 2015 Google study found the five keys to a successful team and the number one factor was psychological safety. Author and professor at Harvard Business School Amy Edmondson describe psychological safety as “a critical driver of high-quality decision making, healthy group dynamics and interpersonal relationships, greater innovation, and more effective execution in organizations.” Here are 3 simple ways you can start the work to build trust among your team. Build connection, communication, and compassion To get to a place where you feel like others on the team have your back y...

  A report of more than 15,000 leaders and more than 2,000 HR executives was completed by DDI completed in 2021 as part of its Global Leadership Forecast series. The results prove their transition into their current leadership role has not been successful. 2020-2021 were the most trying times of the pandemic for businesses. During this time an organization’s lack of transition support can be attributed to its need for survival. In the past two years leadership roles changed for several reasons i.e., companies quickly downsized, transformed, or reorganized leaving them needing to fill leadership roles quickly. Before COVID-19 leadership transitions were already challenging. According to DDI, leadership transition is among life’s most challenging adjustments, ranking up there with personal illness or a major life event. (DDI, Leaders in transition, 2015). Transitions are not getting any easier as leaders are now being expected to have a greater conception of emotional intellige...

Barriers to Being Authentic at Work When I first began hearing the increasing trend of promoting authenticity at work, I was on the fence. I would not bring my weekend self to work. Meaning the sweatpants and hair-tied look would not be appropriate when working with clients. I used to think bringing your authentic self to work meant rolling in to work with the hot mess baggage we often leave at the elevator doors. Based on the research and thinking about bringing my true self to the workplace, I have a better appreciation and understanding of authenticity at work. A survey administered by Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership of more than 6,000 professionals, found that 93% agree “being authentic at work is important.” But why? Authenticity leads to job satisfaction at work. Survey respondents feel more confident at work, are more engaged, happier, more inspired, and feel better about themselves and the company (Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadershi...

  Self-Advocacy at Work After landing your first career job, did you ever think: I will stay in this position forever. If you saw yourself advancing beyond your first role but now seem to have hit a roadblock, keep reading. Traditionally, in the workplace, we feel networking or job shadowing is the key to advancing one’s career. Is this still true today? Our friends on social media think the opposite. When it comes to advancing your career 50% of respondents selected “being good at what you do”. Some may be thinking if it was that easy, I would’ve been promoted or would have received robust job offers by now. But advancing your career doesn’t stop at just being good at your job, you must learn to advocate for yourself. What does it take to be an advocate for yourself at work? Gain clarity To advocate for yourself, you must first have a clear understanding of what you want. Ask yourself what are my strengths? Creating a list of things you’re good at can help you nail down ...

  5 Ways to Display Dependability Merriam-Webster defines dependability, worthiness as the recipient of another's trust or confidence. Dependability is important to building trust amongst direct reports and being valued as a reliable leader. So how can you prove your dependability to others? Here are 5 ways to display dependability: 1.  Don’t offer excuses and or blame others A person will be a true leader when they accept responsibility. Avoiding responsibility and blaming others for their shortcomings will result in losing credibility. Even when someone has made a mistake, standing up on behalf of that person will motivate and inspire them to work more efficiently because they feel supported. 2.  Stick to your commitments and know that others depend on you For a commitment made, make sure you take care of it. A commitment is considered a promise made, and when it is not visible in action the trust will be broken. Employees will depend on you and expect honest fe...

Bring the Joy Back A lot of us have experienced being distracted, overwhelmed, or lost of traction on tasks. This has become known as pandemic brain. Social and behavioral scientist and assistant professor for the College of Public Health at Temple University Jeni Stolow says this is a “cognitive impairment that the whole world has been going through because it’s triggered by things like stress.” For the past 24-48 months, in addition to feeling this way at home, this emotion has spilled over into the work-life for many. I am coining this the work fog. Across different regions, professions, and roles in the organization, workers must find joy at work again. Dr. Rebecca Newton, a psychologist who studies how professionals thrive in organizations has observed the following as reasons why that spark of joy at work is absent: 1.)    Burn out from two years of loss and grief. 2.)    Feeling inauthentic because you still have jobs to get done. 3.)    ...