Leadership + Culture

Having a successful business depends on you having a dynamic team. Not only do you need to focus on hiring the right people, but you also need to work hard after you hire to build up your team. Here are some ways to create a more efficient and unified team. Recognize Strengths You can probably name the biggest strengths of your team members because the chances are that is why you put them in the position that they hold, but you need to find out their hidden strengths. When someone does a great job, do not stop with the praise. Ask him or her how she accomplished the task. See if it is a teachable process that the employee can share with others. During employee evaluations, focus on how the employee’s mind works. Then, ask yourself if that thinking process is useful for other tasks within your organization. When you…

Working full time and still being able to do the things you love isn't always easy. In fact, it can be very draining at times. People often point to a lack of work-life balance as the root cause of employee burnout. Rather than look at work and home life as a constant tug-of-war, it’s better to look for ways to align your work with your goals and lifestyle. Work-life alignment is about using your work to build a more meaningful life.  As the manager, it’s your duty to ensure your employees are productive and happy at work. Here, the idea is to make work duties integrate seamlessly into your employees’ lives. Don’t know where to start? Here are three strategies you can implement to foster better work-life alignment in your employees. Offer Family Leave Although you may see them every day, you may not know much about your employees' personal…

Earlier this year I had the great opportunity to speak about my professional background with a group of talented students at a reputable code school. The purpose of the talk was to share how the hard skills they were learning in a demanding 12-week boot camp were just one element of truly succeeding in today’s job market. Developing soft skills — communication, strategic thinking, self-management, teamwork, and leadership — is critically important to landing a job, keeping a job, and growing a career. As my talk came to a close and the Q&A session began, a student in one of the front rows asked a question, “There is a lot of talk about Imposter Syndrome, especially for aspiring web developers. As someone who started her career as a web developer and has grown her career to running a company, have you ever felt like an imposter?” Yikes! Can the audience see the big YES…

When it comes to running a successful business, often, it is not a downturn in revenue that brings down a company but the internal culture. So it is hardly a surprise why some of the most established companies in the country spend so much on bringing in mentors, consultants, and anyone who can help improve their culture. If it's important to them, it should no doubt be important to you. The following list entails some of the best ways to create a healthy business culture among your employees. Identify Your Ideal Culture Simply wanting a positive business culture isn't enough to obtain one. You must go into this with a clear understanding of what you want the end goal to be. The fact is that you may already have an atmosphere of respect within your office, but you lack communication. On the other hand, say your communication is up to…