⚡️ April 2024: Big News, Building Habits, Being Better

🗣️ BIG NEWS! I'm happy to report that I have been asked by Madecraft to create a video training series for them this spring on how to provide encouraging and empowering #leadership and #management to #GenZ employees! 🎉 I will keep you posted on when and where it will be released -- some time this summer. So excited for this new opportunity.

I don't know if it's Daylight Savings or a decrease in the heavy Southern California rains, but my energy level has picked up and I have encountered an absolute boatload (ton, oodles, slew, plethora, the whole enchilada, you name it!) of resources that I've used with clients, so this month's post is going to be a ⚡️ round of suggestions for you to check out. Here goes!

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🚼 Investing in the Development of Young, Remote Employees. I have started to develop the video course on managing Gen Z employees in the midst of teaching an internship course this semester for 20-22 year olds preparing to enter the workplace. Let's just say that #GenZ is #nojoke! I found this article practical and pertinent.

🧱 Building New Habits in Small Steps. Here’s a worksheet from PositivePsychology.com that reflects some of the coaching I often do with clients around implementing a needed change. What do you think?

🌎 The World Can Be Better. This came up during an #EqualPay zoom discussion with one of my clients. I really liked it - it compels me to reflect, accept reality, and work for more, all at the same time.

🪓 Task Chunking. Here's a great newsletter from my hero, Oliver Burkeman, about taking on HUGE, intimidating #projects in small increments. I refer to it by the highly technical term of “task chunking.” #15minutes **#timechunking **#anxiety #timemanagement

👀 How to Make Sure Your Resume Gets Seen. #fightthebots #keywords #cleardesign

🤖 Using AI to Prep for Job Interviews. YIKES: it is hard to keep up with how AI is changing the work landscape. But here are some KEY tips to using AI to prep for a job interview.

🔮 21st Century Workplace Predictions. I know, I know, everyone is making #predictions about the 21st century #workplace, but this conversation reflects what I am seeing in real time with my clients. Take 36 minutes to listen, especially if you’re considering a #careerpivot.

👍🏼 How to Engage & Retain Tenured Employees. What I liked about this article:

• It validates the importance of wellbeing, something organizations endorse but do not always implement in a consistent or strategic way;
• It validates the need for employee engagement and pulse surveys;
• However, it also endorses the importance of selecting the right questions for engagement surveys, and provides key categories that need to be covered;
• It confirms the value of a sabbatical program.

This article is a good jumpstart for companies who need to figure out how to hang on to their most experienced people. So much energy is put into recruiting and hiring and for some reason I tend to see far less investment in #retention. A big “front door” is no good if you have a big “back door” of turnover as well.

❝ ❞ Final Thoughts. I'm going for existential today as I finish up. The world is incredibly complicated and overwhelming. I found solace (and motivation) in these words:

“Today it is not nearly enough merely to be a saint; but we must have the saintliness demanded by the present moment, a new saintliness.”  

Twentieth-century mystic and philosopher Simone Weil

NOVEMBER NINE, 2020

By my calculations we are entering the ninth month of the pandemic, so I will mark that milestone with nine recommendations for the month. At least I'm glad we're in this rollercoaster ride together!

1. COVID-19 Won’t Change Us Forever. Though written in July (which seems forever ago!), I think the argument still stands. Here's a solid reminder: "Let’s give ourselves some credit. No matter how horrific the disaster, no matter how damaged our psyches, we wounded humans always bounce back." As we face a momentous election day this week, I recommend this brief one from The Atlantic.
2. Informal Communication in an all-remote environment. OK, buckle up, because I've got a couple of key links here. I spent October taking an online course on How to Manage Remote Teams and have already applied things I've learned with three different teams. I certainly recommend the link at the start here, but I also recommend an interesting article from Fast Company magazine that sent me down this rabbit hole in the first place. And if you want the full downlow, here's the Gitlab Wiki that they use to run their fully remote company. PHEW! A whole lotta info, but the rules of work are changing under our feet (or in the cloud?) and we need to keep up. All the cheats are here. Reach out to me if you want/NEED more info!
3. Coaching Problem Employees. This could be the most useful 36 minutes you could spend this month. Tune in to this "Dear HBR" podcast episode from 9-17-20, which includes Melvin Smith, professor of management at Case Western Reserve University. I especially liked this podcast because it really got in the weeds with specifics of how to address real life situations. I also turned it into a training module for one of my clients to use with their managers -- contact me if you want to receive that.
4. How to Quickly Turn Emails into Tasks. One of my mantras with clients is "DO NOT use your email inbox as your to-do list!" As the article says, "It’s tempting to leave emails in your inbox because it’s easier, but then tasks you need to accomplish are buried in the incoming deluge of email." This gives you the skinny on how to make this happen in Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail. Nice!
5. 6 COVID-19 terms that would have made no sense in January. Try to guess what they are before you hit the link. (P.S. This could be a good mixer to start off a team meeting too!)
6. Navigating the Virtual Workplace in Stressful Times (scroll down about halfway down the page). This may sound a bit random, but there are important vocal, chemical and body dynamics at play during video conferencing: this podcast provides fascinating stuff on how seratonin, oxytocin and dopamine are at play in our social interactions... plus some interesting new insights on the importance of HANDS in video calls. I KNOW! 🤷🏽‍♂️
7. Your comprehensive guide to job searching during the pandemic. I am coaching SEVERAL clients in job searching right now... you are not alone. This article gives a good jumpstart if you're feeling a bit paralyzed. I also posted this one in August: Your Ultimate Guide to Answering the Most Common Interview Questions, which helped one client get a job offer, and this one in May: How to Recover When Your Career Gets Derailed.
8. "Oddly Satisfying." Need a mental health break during your day? This one is pretty darn great. I think there is some of that ASMR stuff going on too... How Things Are Made is rather diverting as well.
9. Plague of Peacocks. No real purpose here. I just found it rather delightful. Favorite quote: "They’re like blimmin’ road runners.”

Hit me up with questions and feedback at kelly.soifer@ksleadershipdevelop.me. Find additional resources at https://bit.ly/KSLDresources. Thanks for reading ~ share it with a friend.

October 2020: Future Focus

This month's post is focusing on the (near) future. I am finding, both personally and with clients, that the pandemic has offered time to think and reflect, whether we want to or not. These links reflect some of the conversations I've been having as we shift from a sprint to a marathon.

✅ Americans might never come back to the office, and Twitter is leading the charge.  Keep the subtitle in mind, because it's telling: "Twitter’s plans for work from home indefinitely have prompted a wave of copycats. But its transformation has been two years in the making — and the rest of America can learn some lessons." I recently presented a webinar on Managing Remote Teams, and during the final discussion, someone acknowledged that she had been doing her regular job, just making some tweaks to get things done remotely. What she now realizes is that she needs to craft an entirely new approach, and not just make things work. Can you relate??

🎇 How to Reimagine the Second Half of Your Career. Furloughs, loss of workplace, economic stress, time to think, you name it... all of these dynamics are prompting many people in my universe to consider changes in work. This article could get the conversation started. 

📌 Growing Interest in Alternative Credentials. I've seen this trend coming for quite awhile. I've talked with higher ed institutions and while they are open to it, the pace of innovation in academia is GLACIAL. We may see the tech sector be the one that really pushes this forward. Google and Amazon are already offering options to their employees in this space. Listen and learn: we'll be hearing much more about certificates and badges in the future!

😳 Four COVID Impacts. Everyone and their brother is prognosticating these days about where we are headed, but I think this one has some calm, helpful insights for next steps. This statement stays with me: "The pandemic is a once in a lifetime opportunity to reset things that aren’t working or to try out new things."  I also found this article super interesting: It's Getting Better AND Worse, from Bloomberg News.

🥳 Need a Break? Here are three very fun, mindless diversions to give you a mental health break...

• The Amazing Fact Generator. Keep this one open for that random piece of trivia that you can drop on somebody on a moment's notice.
• WFH Zoom Fail. There are far too many of these available online, but this is a good one.
• The 2020 Marist Mindset List. These lists have been compiled since 1998, originally by Beloit College, serving as fascinating "cultural compasses." This year's entry opens with this: "They were born in the aftermath of 9/11 and have entered college during the COVID-19 pandemic. For this year’s incoming group of first-year college students, going to college might even require staying home for remote classes; some may simply be taking a gap year."

Current Favorites.

• Podcast. The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green. Equal parts nerdy and fascinating.
• Streaming. World's Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji on Amazon Prime. The backstories on the competitors Make. Me. Cry. Every. Time. I also can't wait to watch the final season of Schitt's Creek.
• Reading. Amazon Monthly Kindle E-Book Sale. True confession: I am hopelessly addicted to this treasure hunt of goodies. Is that so bad?!
• Documentary.  John Lewis: Good Trouble. Do not miss this. Utterly humbling, inspiring and motivating.

KS Leadership Development Updates. Nothing earth-shattering here, but I want to point out two resources that are available to you:

1. COVID-19 Resources. I have been trying to take in as much as I can in terms of ALL aspects of the pandemic. I maintain the column on the right side of this blog on a regular basis with resources that address a variety of the things impacted by all of this. Feel free to send other recommendations.
2. KSLD Resources Drive. I upload many of the tools here that I use with clients. Hopefully they will "stir the pot" for you if you need some ideas for leadership development, team-building, professional development, etc.  

Thanks for reading... feel free to send feedback and questions to kelly.soifer@ksleadershipdevelop.me. And forward this to a friend.

Maps, Mindset, Multi-Tasking and Milestones: May 2019

I am fresh from an incredible week of vacation in the Pacific Northwest so I am feeling GOOD! Not only did it not rain, the weather hovered between 70-80 degrees all week. Bizarre for May in the PNW, but I can't deny I enjoyed it. Three nights on Lake Crescent in Olympic National Park and great hospitality from dear friends made it quite lovely. I am including a shot from the private little beach I enjoyed at our cabin on Lake Crescent. I spent time walking or hiking each day and reading to my heart's content. Does it get any better??

Despite the rest I have still accumulated a pile of resources I want to pass along. Give them all a spin ~ I loved each one of them.

MAPS! For some reason the universe conspired to drop incredibly cool and nerdy maps into my field of vision these past few weeks. PLEASE take some time to tour each one of them...

7 maps that tell the incredible story of aging in America. This one is a feast of fascination. It makes my head spin to think about the implications of this data. Make sure you hit the "exclusive map series" link to get the goods. And when you tour each map, keep zooming in on specific counties to see the stats. From health care to advertising to higher ed to church life, the ramifications of this info seem endless. Check it out. 

40 maps that explain the world. Where do I begin? To quote Donald Rumsfeld, "There are things we don't know we don't know." This link exposed me to a bunch of stuff that caused me to dig even further to learn more. My faves (i.e., those that grabbed my attention most) were maps #4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 24, 28, 32, 40. Which ones stood out to you? 

Bored Panda eagle map. No profound purpose to this one, but SO INTERESTING!

The Future of Leadership Development: A Global Mindset. Given that all things related to #leadershipdevelopment wake me up in the morning, it's no surprise that I loved this one. This quote got my attention:

The future will belong to millennial leaders -- who tend to be increasingly globally oriented and eager to explore the world -- and millennials' inclination to identify themselves as global citizens will further the push for a global viewpoint. 

But here's the kicker:

But few businesses are offering emerging leaders the scope of experience they'll soon need. 

Amen to that. In the past month I've worked with young leaders from the US, Bosnia, Thailand and Philippines. All are hungry to learn, but also know very little about cultural differences and dynamics. Equally significant is the impact of racism and how much that slows progress. So much work to do! My goal is to keep listening to and learning from non-white voices and to read steadily on all the issues around these topics.

What might be most intriguing (and challenging?) of all is reconciling these future trends around globalization and multiculturalism with the aging of America. THAT makes my head hurt.

Multitasking is usually a bad idea, but here are 5 times when it’s okay. This title had me at "hello" because I am a notorious multi-tasker. According to Strengths Finder (Arranger is #6 for me), it actually gives me energy to do so. Even better, this article came up with things I actually do! For example,

I love when my office is neat. But I find the actual process of organization pretty boring. Opening mail, filing papers, sorting through piles, or dusting just don’t engage my brain enough to make them feel like a worthwhile use of time on their own.

That’s why for simple organizational tasks, multitasking actually works. When I do these activities, I’ll talk with a friend or listen to a podcast. 

Let me know whether multi-tasking ever works to your benefit.

OK.... one more BONUS recommendation! How is it possible that 2019 is already almost halfway over!!? With that milestone approaching, I wanted to invite you to do a brief self-check and see if you've followed through on any New Year's Resolutions... No guilt ~ only love! (Here's what I wrote about resolutions earlier this year...)

Depending on how you've done so far, I recommend this brief article titled Three Tips to Change Behavior. Before you slump your shoulders in despair, keep this simple sentence in mind:

If you want to change your life, it requires intentionality. 

Don't give up! And if you either didn't establish any resolutions or want to change the ones you made, go for it. I picked a new one on this recent vacation and have pursued it consistently for the past ten days. It feels good.

Feel free to send me feedback or questions to kelly.soifer@ksleadershipdevelop.me. And feel freer to pass this along to friends and colleagues. Thanks for reading. Ciao!