fbpx

The Compass

Topics to keep you and your organization on course.

Building Remote Teams: Go Deeper than Icebreakers

One of the things I’ve seen in nearly all the recent articles about building teams remotely can best be described as icebreakers.  These have their place, but I’d argue that now may not be the time.  People are stressed.  There is a lot of uncertainty.  They are trying to do their jobs remotely in less than ideal working situations.

read more

Human Topography: Navigating Workplace Relationships

Managing human relationships in the workplace is challenging.  Dynamics shift frequently, engagement rises and falls and external factors impact us and our co-workers.  Our world of work is much like a landscape that we need to understand and navigate in order to be...

read more

Great Team Cultures Don’t Happen By Accident

Communication!  Teamwork! Trust! Support! When I first started working with teams, these are the words people would shout when I asked what they learned from an experiential activity.  Unless prompted, they would let it go at that. As leaders, we sometimes do the same...

read more

Leader as Teacher: Tips and Tricks

Leaders are asked to do things all the time they weren't trained to do.  It is the nature of the role.  One of the most consistent and often neglected challenges for leaders who aren't trained in it is being a teacher.  Whether, it is formal teaching, informal...

read more

Leadership Style: Looking for a Fit

How does your actual leadership style fit you?  Do the people you supervise think you are genuine and sincere? Does the culture of your organization match your approach and philosophy on management?  How often are you asked to act in a way that doesn't align with your...

read more

Do Leadership Principles Apply to Hourly Employees?

"This all sounds great for teams with motivated and educated people, but what about teams of entry-level or disengaged workers?"  An attendee asked this at a recent workshop focused on building effective teams.  She then said that all of the leadership material she...

read more

Rural Nonprofit Problems: What Can Be Done?

All small nonprofits face challenges, but rural nonprofits face added difficulties. Here are three common challenges and how to address them. STP STP means everything is run by or supported by the Same Ten People.  They serve on church boards, volunteer with Little...

read more

Tough Employee Near Retirement: Just Wait it Out?

Problem employee nearing retirement?  Why not just wait for them to go? I've heard this sentiment so many times.  A leader describes, to minute detail, an employee's negative impact and then says something like, "They will be retiring in two years, just waiting for...

read more

Adventure: Inspiration is All Around Us

Grit.  Resilience.  Determination.  Perseverance.  When I deliver the Endurance Leadership program, I encourage attendees to substitute whatever word they like with the word endurance.  While they may not be technically synonymous, I find that people connect with...

read more

Empathy is Not a Soft Skill

We understand the purpose of empathy, and maybe even its importance in theory, but in situations that matter, we have difficulty putting ourselves in others’ shoes.

read more

Encouraging Mistakes

I might be a mean parent. My daughter recently got scraped up doing something outside. Instead of diving for the first aid kit and offering sympathy, I commented on how cool the scrapes were.  Okay, maybe I'm not mean, but I know that minor scrapes and bruises show...

read more

Lessons from the U.S. Women’s Ski Team

The most recent Olympics provide an opportunity to celebrate a couple of amazing performances and see directly how they relate to individual performance inside a team environment.  The gold medal earned by Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall show that focus on effort, process and team culture can bring historic results.

read more

Addressing Board Committee Challenges

I once worked at a nonprofit organization that had 11 standing board committees.  The board also required nearly every significant decision staff made to be approved by the appropriate committee who then needed their decision approved by the board.  Wasn't that...

read more

One Approach to a More Effective Team

Working with a client recently, the group discussed the difficulty of creating truly effective teams.  They work in a fast-paced industry and say they have little time for team development inside the office.  They also experience relatively high turnover, a standard...

read more

Want to receive more valuable information on leadership and other subjects that impact your work?  Sign up for our monthly newsletter.