Joy at Work Thinking

Written by Ed Cook

Leaders who help to develop the skills and capabilities of their teammates are giving a gift that returns again and again. These brave leaders are attempting a process that can be both difficult to do and even damaging if not carefully done. What makes this such a difficult under...

Written by Ed Cook

The amount of participation from each team member is a meaningful predictor of a team’s success. Participation means being part of the team, not just showing up. The same root word for “part” (as in being part of) is at the heart of “participation.” Putting on a name tag (or a te...

Written by Roxanne Brown

When you're leading your team to change you may wonder: How do I recognize and reinforce the progress people are making toward the change I have in mind?

Meaningful recognition demonstrates that you understand and respect the unique capabilities and contributions a per...

Written by Roxanne Brown

Imagine this: You trust everyone you work with to do what you need them to do, in the way you need them to do it. You know you can count on them to do their best, even when they make a mistake. Imagine how liberating that would be. Imagine what you could accomplish, what yo...

Written by Roxanne Brown

What's a Trust Fall? Or rather, what’s the point of it? The trust fall is an exercise meant to increase confidence between people: “I can rely on you for my safety and success when I’m at risk personally. And you can rely on me in the same way.” The hazards of the exercise ...

Ed explains how to calculate whether Change Management is worth investing in for your business change: The return on investment in Change Management.

You can learn more about it with our Guide: Calculating a Change ROI

Written by Ed Cook and Roxanne Brown

As a leader, it can be difficult to convey how you want the team to be. Not what the team does but how the team is. People know how their team feels. They know the culture and norms and habits of the team. But is the feeling, on the team, what the leader intends...

Written by Ed Cook

With the amount of energy that organizations put into the development of management skills, you might expect that most managers are great. Yet Gallup’s research shows that great managers are rare. A stunning 82% of the time, companies hire the wrong person to be a manager. Gallup...

People pay even more attention to their leader's words and actions when change is introduced. That's because they are trying to understand how to succeed in this new world you've described. They are reading what you say and do as a cue for how to respond.

If you take the position that everyone involved in the change you're leading must be treated with respect, it makes it easier for you to decide what to say and do. Everyone includes you, the people who are impacted, decision-makers, the company and the customer -- everyone involved in the change.

In this short video, Roxanne talks about her experience of being let go and having to let her team go. This conversation is with Bunny Young -- a coach, licensed therapist and all around wonderful person. Roxanne also talks about a technique she used to get to joy -- something Bunny calls "wall ther...