Just 20 minutes of moderate daily exercise can make you happier and more productive. If possible, squeeze a walk, run, cycle ride or other workout into your schedule today. If not, add something active to your diary for the coming week. #bepresent #connectionchallenge
The dinner table is a great place to connect with people, but our phones and devices often distract us. For at least one meal today, put away your laptops, phones and other devices and fully enjoy the company of those around you. #bepresent #connectionchallenge
Instead of sitting through all of your appointments today, try a stand-up meeting. They tend to be shorter and more focused, and will help attendees avoid distractions such as laptops and phones. #bepresent #connectionchallenge June is 1/3 over but if you'd like to...
Saying “I'm sorry” and admitting that we did something wrong is the first step to self-improvement. If an apology is made sincerely, it also increases trust, empathy and accountability in a team. Do you owe someone an apology? Reach out to them today. #beauthentic...
In her amazing TED talk on vulnerability, researcher Brene Brown says that stories are “data with a soul.” Whether you are presenting to an audience of 1000 or having a 1-1 conversation, stories help to build trust and emotionally engage other people. Try it today....
Surprising as it sounds, one path to creating stronger connections with others is ensuring you have time alone. Find 15 minutes today to be by yourself to reflect on a conversation, plan for a meeting or simply decompress. You’ll discover you’re better able to focus...
Technology helps us connect with those far away but it can reduce our attention on those in the same room. Practice the lost art of eye contact while listening to your colleagues and increase connection with others. #bepresent #connectionchallenge
Take 2 minutes and write a positive note or email thanking or praising someone. If you make this a daily routine, it dramatically strengthens your social connections, which research shows has side benefits of higher productivity, better health and greater motivation....
We all approach new situations with a perspective shaped by who we are and the experiences we have had to date. Try to deliberately look at something differently today: Take the other side of a debate or consider a situation from a new angle. #beinclusive...
Instead of holding all of your meetings indoors, schedule a “walking meeting” today. Get some exercise and fresh air while improving the connection with your colleagues. #bepresent #beauthentic #connectionchallenge Join the 30-day Connection Challenge:...
Research shows that doodling while you listen can boost concentration and increase retention, ensuring you stay engaged even in the longest and most tedious of meetings. Try it today. #bepresent #connectionchallenge Join Be Leadership's 30-day Connection Challenge:...
Do you think you ask a lot of questions? Try doubling the number of questions you ask today. Practice asking open questions from a position of curiosity and then listen intently to the answers. #becurious #bepresent #connectionchallenge Join the 30-day Connection...
Today I had six full hours of virtual meetings. Some were on WebEx, some Skype, some GoToMeeting. Others just used standard telephone conferencing. Whatever the technology, the impact was the same: I spent a lot of time sitting at my desk listening, while I wrote in...
Not many years ago, if someone suggested their privately-held tech start up would be valued at $1 billion, analysts would snicker. Today, they're called “unicorns”—and according to Fortune magazine, there are 174 of them. Most of these companies have sprung up in the...
Yesterday I had a rare "free" day - one uninterrupted by meetings and appointments where I could spend the day at my desk really getting things done. When the day started, I thought about all the things I'd like to accomplish. The hours stretched out ahead of me, and...
My phone rang while I was in the queue to pay at the supermarket. It was my husband, and I thought I'd just say hi. It would be quick. But maybe not quick enough. When I got to the front I felt the pangs of guilt when I finally looked up and noticed the check-out...
Agile. Streamlined. Connected. All of these words are being used to describe the goals of organizations as they moving from a strict command-and-control top-down hierarchy to one that is more nuanced. Often the resulting organization is one that is called a "matrix."...
I was honored to be asked to speak recently at the Happy Workplaces conference in London, where I shared my thoughts on social leadership and ways leaders can embrace the Social Era.
If you read most any employee engagement survey out there today, you'll get the same message: Employees are not engaged at the level companies need them to be. A commonly referenced Gallop study found 70% of US employees are not engaged at work. A similar UK study...
How many questions do you ask in a day? Questions are the foundation of conversation. Most of us ask them without even thinking about it; they are a fundamental part of human connection. Without them, there is monologue, an endless stream of thoughts. Or,...