Incomia

Sometimes simply being in the room is a disempowering act. That’s one of the hidden challenges of being in a leadership role—whatever your background, there’s a likelihood that the strength that got you this far has now become a liability. When you’re in charge, your opinion simply takes up more space than that of others, whether you intend it to or not. What you say and do carries more weight. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, unless it means you’re disempowering and demotivating others from finding their own voice. You can use the three archetypes explained below—Fixer, Fighter and Friend—to determine your own leadership style and discover the potential problems inherent to each. Not just one has to suit you, but one will hopefully speak to you more than the others. (For example, over the course of my career I’ve occupied the role of Fixer and Friend at times, but the Fighter is my go-to theme.)  The archetypes may also help to determine the kind of workplace culture you have...

Let me start by saying a couple of things self-care is not. Self-care isn’t: An excuse to continually be unhealthy. A cheat day every once in a while is fine (encouraged even, because balance), but you can’t use “self-care” to justify poor habits Spending excess money on yourself that you don’t have. Debt has never done a body good. #TreatYoSelfResponsibly Selfish Maybe we should repeat that last one, because I want it to sink in for everyone. Self-care is not selfish. Nor is it a waste of time. The world spins deceivingly fast; if you don’t step aside and check in with yourself every now and again, you might wake up to find you’re standing in a very different place than where you intended. (Cue those drives home when you look up and realize you don’t remember passing through the last three stoplights.) Worthwhile self-care requires a bit of a two-pronged approach: assessing your mental, emotional and physical health ( on a scale of 1 – 10, how am I doing? ) and selecting an a...

Improving the performance of a team member is not a one-way street. Your team members will trust and follow you only when they feel you put in an effort to make their life and work-life better. If you remember one thing about this process, let it be this: Your team will always remember how you make them feel while at work, to riff on Maya Angelou’s famous quote. Addressing an underperforming team member is a difficult conversation for both sides. This is why I take an approach that comes from empathic concern. In its simplest form, it means you understand what people need from you without them asking. Connect Take time to connect a few weeks prior to the official meeting, if you can. Strike up a conversation that feels authentic on your part. If this feels awkward, then your approach as a leader may have some other issues to be addressed first. As you connect, you may discover what’s really going on. The reason for their work performance being lower may be because they are strugg...

Who we are as people, and the skills we accrue, have the potential to be a great determinant of our success in both our personal and professional lives. Research has previously shown that the big five personality traits play a large role in our lives, from influencing career choices to predicting life satisfaction .  Outside of these commonly accepted personality traits, however, there are character traits which have their own impact on our success. Whether you have an exceptional memory, the grit to push through any challenge or an overflowing pool of empathy for others—among other skills—each of us possess character traits which, if cultivated, set us apart from those around us. In our daily lives, these traits can make us better friends or partners—in our careers, they can allow us to further our success, should we choose to take advantage of these natural strengths. It is not one tool which can make us succeed in our careers—resilience cannot serve you when it comes to good...

Queen Elizabeth II left behind a legion of admirers and mourners when she died September 8 at the age of 96. In what is perhaps the most famous line of succession in the world, her son Charles automatically became king upon her death. However, there was still a clear and detailed succession plan in place for King Charles III, the royal family and various state and government entities that included arrangements and instructions in the immediate aftermath of the monarch’s passing.  While your business might not need a succession strategy as intricate as that for the House of Windsor, there are lessons to be learned from Queen Elizabeth and the British royal family on preparing for succession and establishing continuity in the absence of a longtime leader. Determine your objective  Operation London Bridge, the name of the Queen’s official funeral plan, outlined the protocol to be observed following her passing. This included instructions and details regarding the official an...

During the past two decades, coworking spaces have provided companies, entrepreneurs and remote workers with a different way to work—one that’s convenient and flexible, has low overhead and sidesteps many of the challenges of the traditional office setting. These spaces have become an increasingly popular refuge between the distractions inherent at home and the many unappealing aspects of office life, two minefields that can be particularly taxing on one half of the current workforce: women. In traditional workplace settings, office and company culture tend to dictate how colleagues interact —and how employees spend two-thirds of their waking hours. For nonmale workers, office culture can leave much to be desired. The office is still a largely male-dominated space. In the U.S., men earn 16% more than women, lead 85% of Fortune 500 companies and make up four-fifths of total C-suite positions. Studies have shown that women are less likely to be promoted , less likely to get raises they...

When people think about pursuing something, the first thing they normally do is look at their resources to determine whether or not it can be done, which is always a wise thing to do. But where most people fail in this process is taking stock of the wrong things, like money. “How much money do I have?” they ask. Sure, we need to know how much money we have, but money is not the greatest resource. In fact, there are a few other resources that are more important , and that certainly have more of an effect on your goals than money. Desire  Everything that comes from life comes from wanting it— really wanting it. Do you have a desire for something? This is not a wish or something you would take if it came along. This is something deep in your heart. Something you long for. In many ways, it is what you feel you were created for—your destiny. It is buried within you and cannot be taken away. Do you have this kind of desire for what you seek? If so, you will accomplish it .  Visi...