8 Leadership Blind Spots and How to Avoid Them
Every leader is unique and brings their own style to leading and managing others. Successful leaders can help teams and organizations thrive; however, less effective leaders can negatively impact an organization and its people. Learn how to optimize your leadership style by avoiding these eight key blind spots. 1. Poor Communication How to avoid it: Listen actively and encourage others to share their ideas and concerns. To communicate effectively, a great leader must also articulate
Four Generations at Work: The Unexpected Truth
By Mark Scullard, Wiley’s Senior Director of Innovation and Research There has been a lot of attention paid to the increasing number of generations currently in the workforce. From the tech savvy and ambitious Gen Z-ers to the more analogue and experienced baby boomers, with Gen X and millennials in between, the differing needs of the generations has been a hot topic in the world of learning and development. Wiley Workplace Intelligence sought to get
Reducing Unconscious Bias in Hiring and Selection
It’s easy to rely on past experiences, beliefs, and instincts to make speedy hiring and selection decisions, but all three are one-way tickets for unconscious bias to enter your organization. The fact that unconscious bias is called “unconscious” is significant. These biases are deeply embedded in even the smallest everyday actions making them difficult to recognize, much less act on. In the context of hiring and selection, unconscious bias can lead your organization to inadvertently
Employee Conflict: Do Managers Have the Tools They Need?
By Mark Scullard, Wiley’s Senior Director of Innovation and Research Conflict. A powerful word that can inspire a variety of feelings – excitement, avoidance, and fear to name a few. Conflict at work can be even more incendiary. Many of us have been in situations where we disagree with a colleague or manager, engage in power struggles, or have a different perspective on the “right” way to go about completing a project. The general perception
Widening Skills Gaps: Reflections on a Growing Trend
By Mark Scullard, Wiley’s Senior Director of Innovation and Research In the years since the start of the pandemic and in the wake of The Great Resignation, organizations risk facing unexpected skills gaps within their workforce. A variety of factors can impact the size and scope of an organization’s skills gaps, but one thing is certain: it must be addressed in order to stay competitive and attract and retain top talent. Wiley Workplace Intelligence sought
The Culture Conundrum: What In-Person Work Mandates Get Wrong
By Mark Scullard, Wiley’s Senior Director of Innovation and Research Over the last year, an increasing number of organizations have abandoned the remote work model in favor of hybrid or full return-to-work policies. This is often done in the name of culture, with executive leadership expecting to revive or renew the same culture the company had pre-pandemic, simply through in-office interactions. The increasing popularity of these policies made us wonder – does being in the
The Reality of Work: Trends Come and Go, Where Are We Now?
By Mark Scullard, Wiley’s Senior Director of Innovation and Research Since the beginning of the pandemic, the workplace has continued to evolve in rapid and unexpected ways. For example, the move to working from home at the time seemed monumental, and the sudden shifts were destabilizing to many. Fast forward three years and working remotely is a mainstream model that many people prefer. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, people have taken the opportunity to
Well-Being and Results: How Managers Can Pave the Way
By Mark Scullard, Wiley’s Senior Director of Innovation and Research In the last three years, we have seen more glimpses into one another’s personal lives than ever before. How often has someone’s pet (or child!) popped into view on a video call, or have you heard the familiar click of a blinker as a coworker takes a meeting while shuttling the kids to school? It’s not entirely uncommon to get a “decline” for a meeting
Key Factors that Contribute to Psychological Safety
In recent years, the concept of psychological safety has gained increasing attention in workplaces, schools, and other group settings. Psychological safety refers to the shared belief that a group is safe for interpersonal risk-taking. It’s about feeling comfortable to speak up, share ideas, and make mistakes without fearing negative consequences. Psychological safety is important because it is linked to better performance, more creativity, and greater innovation. When people feel safe to express themselves, they are
Failing with Style
Used with permission as a Diamond-award winning Wiley Everything DiSC Authorized Partner The playwright Samuel Beckett once said, “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” If we didn’t give ourselves permission to fail, then we’d never learn what we needed to learn in order to eventually succeed. In order for people to fail better, we need leaders and managers who can appreciate how people fail. Otherwise, ‘innovation’ will remain a
Harness the Power of Human Connection with Facilitated Learning
By Mark Scullard, Wiley’s Senior Director of Innovation and Research While the transition to a digitally dependent workplace was initially a rocky one, most organizations have settled into a routine with their work environments, whether it be in-person, hybrid, or virtual. For the most part, people have enjoyed this transition, but there is no doubt that while work/life balance may have improved, individuals are missing the human connection that comes with face-to-face interaction at work
Four Common Myths About Your Employees
We know employees continue to be stressed, frustrated, and disengaged. Who can blame them? From The Great Resignation to the impact of Covid, employees have endured a considerable number of changes over the last few years. According to Gallup’s most recent report, 60% of the workforce is emotionally detached, while 19% report they are actively disengaged from work. They also found that 44% of employees globally reported feeling stressed most of the day. How can
Job Fit: Rising to Overcome Talent Disruption
Organizations everywhere are experiencing a profound disruption in the ways individuals interact and work. Many will find it tricky to understand and clearly map out a plan that can confidently carry them into the future. But, as we move toward imagining a post-pandemic era, organizations will need to meet the new demands for how we live and work. In a recent article from Deloitte, Reimagining Human Resources, the authors argue that despite disruption, HR can
The Great Resignation: When the Unflappable Manager…Flaps
by Mark Scullard, Wiley’s Senior Director of Innovation and Research Here’s what we know to be true: The Great Resignation is taking a toll on managers. With the job market full of uncertainty and quality workers hard to find, managers are feeling overwhelmed and stressed. While many organizations have invested in stress reduction resources to address the impact of today’s volatile workplace conditions, most of these initiatives are generalized, meaning they can apply to anyone
The Employee Experience: An Investment That Pays Off
by Mark Scullard, Wiley’s Senior Director of Innovation and Research A staggering number of people continue to leave their jobs, resulting in the perfect storm of staffing shortages and remaining employees being expected to pick up the slack. Current data from The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that over 4.5 million quit their jobs in March. What is the impact on those who stay? According to Gallup, almost two-thirds of employees are disengaged in
Investing in Employee Experience: The Keys to Empowering a Culture of Leadership
by Mark Scullard, Wiley’s Senior Director of Innovation and Research It’s no surprise that the myriad events of the past two years have resulted in a dramatic shift in the workplace. From where we work to how we work, the “office” has been completely flipped. The same goes for how we lead. But in the case of leadership, changes have been happening for years and were exacerbated by the pandemic. So just how much and
Deliver Effective Onboarding in a Fast-Changing Work Environment
Companies today are in the midst of transforming their business models, restructuring their teams, and rethinking how they service their customers. Many have also permanently integrated hybrid or remote work arrangements, moving away from an office-only structure. Employees who work in these environments, where there is constant change and poor communication, are experiencing high stress levels and burnout. Many are reacting by Quiet Quitting or pulling back from collaborating and communicating with their colleagues. What
Prevent Quiet Quitting and Burnout: How to Build a Culture of Communication That Works
I thought you would enjoy this insightful article describing Wiley’s recent onboarding research. In the following, Mark Scullard, Wiley’s Senior Director of Innovation and Research, highlights key findings and outlines practical, agile practices you can implement in today’s rapidly changing work environment. ~~~ In light of the last two years, it makes sense that employees want to work for organizations that have a clear vision for the future, with a focus on relationships and effective
Happy New Year and Tools for Constant Change & Reinvention
Happy New (ish) Year to All! And if you’ve already broken some of your New Year’s resolutions, there is always Chinese New Year Feb. 1, 2022! The world of work for leaders continues to be characterized by unrelenting change and disruption. And now, more than ever in this era of “The Great Resignation,” self-aware, self-directed teams that continuously learn are required—NOT teams comprised of the “best and brightest” individual players. For more on how to
Unlocking Leadership Agility with Everything Disc® Agile EQ™ – Workshop 7-30-21
If we’ve learned nothing else in the past year, it’s clear that organizations are going to need to continually innovate and reinvent themselves by becoming more agile, flexible, and resilient in the face of relentless change and disruption. Maybe your company has become more agile by flattening the hierarchy, introducing agile project management or by emphasizing flexibility and teamwork in hiring. That’s all well and good, but without agile people who can be proactive, resilient,
