Leif Babin’s Post

As we approach the end of the year, many managers are reflecting on their teams' accomplishments and setting goals for next year. What better time to remember the power of rewards and recognition in your management journey? Sure, people are getting paid to do their jobs, but we all know that just isn’t enough to keep teams engaged and motivated. In today’s world, recognizing and rewarding effort can make all the difference. No need for parades or elaborate gestures — a simple thank-you note, public shout-out, or flexible schedule can go a long way. It’s these small acts that keep people connected to their work and their purpose. Here are a few benefits of rewarding your team: ✅ Reduces turnover ✅ Generates more revenue ✅ Boosts customer satisfaction ✅ Improves engagement ✅ Creates a fun company culture And as Dan Pink points out in his book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, money isn’t the biggest motivator. Instead, it's about autonomy, mastery and purpose! So, as you wrap up the year and look ahead, how will you reward and recognize your team? If you’re looking to improve your management skills, I've got you covered. I'll be hosting one more session of the 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙋𝙧𝙤 workshop in November. Why should you attend? 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙋𝙧𝙤 is a comprehensive program designed to equip new managers with essential tools and skills and also a great tool for experienced managers who need a guide to prepare future managers or supercharge their leadership skills. Grab your seat now and bring a colleague or friend eager to elevate their leadership game. https://lnkd.in/eVHVP_72

Today’s the day! It’s always such a joy to kick off another Pinocchio Principle Unleashed program. I love having the opportunity to make a lasting impact on the lives of the people who attend and the organizations they work for. If you missed it, you can join the waiting list to be notified about future offerings at UnleashtheExtraordinary dot com. You will also find information there about the Executive Track, which allows you to experience the program’s curriculum while engaging in one-on-one coaching with me over the course of 12-13 weeks – with meetings scheduled at your convenience. The Pinocchio Principle Unleashed program is also available to bring in-house. Below are some words from Pete Pritts, CEO of Corporate America Credit Union, who has repeatedly brought the program into his organization since 2017. “The things Diane has taught us through her coaching and programs have taken on a life of their own in our organization and given rise to some business practices that are helping us to get to the next level of organizational success. Diane has helped us to increase our self-awareness, gain insight into how we could be more effective, take inspired action, and build on our successes as leaders. Now we are finding ways to do that across our entire organization. We have put several of our people through her Pinocchio Principle Unleashed program, starting with myself and our C level team and we’ve continued to downstream the program through various levels of the organization. It’s been extremely helpful, and the ROI is something I can’t even measure – it’s just exponential. Thank you so much Diane for assisting to make CACU a better place to work chalked full of balanced, healthy, and motivated people – we have needed you and your skill set and you exceeded expectations for me personally, and more importantly, for the team’s transformation for the better!” - Pete Pritts, President/CEO, Corporate America Credit Union If you have questions or would like more information, message me directly or reach out to us at [email protected] #realleadership

We often get questions from our clients about challenges they're experiencing with their team members… Whether that's because someone in underperforming, struggling to meet expectations, pushing boundaries, or having interpersonal issues --- dealing with people challenges is hard and often the last thing we want to deal with as business owners. The first thing we ask our clients when they're struggling with their team is: "Have you spoken with them directly?" More often than not the answer is no… Unfortunately, our default behavior is typically to avoid the confrontation. To just sweep it under the rug, look the other way and hope and pray that things miraculously improve...but the truth is, it never works out well that way. 70% of people are avoiding difficult conversations at work and 53% of people are handling "toxic" situations by just ignoring them… Have you ever avoided a tough conversation because you were afraid of how the person would react? What if they get defensive? What if they cry? What if they quit? Or maybe you had the conversation and then it didn’t go as planned and it ended with you comforting them by the end…wondering how you got here?! It's never easy, but there's no reason to make it harder on yourself. I've been guilty of avoiding tough conversations over the years, but things never improve, they'll actually start to really create a cancer within the culture over time as well. A bad apple with spoil the whole bunch ... and that goes for you too. "When we avoid difficult conversations, we're trading short-term discomfort for long-term dysfunction." -- Peter Bromberg Choose discomfort, not dysfunction. Having difficult conversations is not as hard as living with the results of not having them. And, more often than not, they're not even as difficult as you may have thought they would be. But they become much easier when you know what you need to prepare, how to tweak the conversation based on the person, and exactly what you need to say. I'll be covering all of this in our free Level Up Your Leadership training next week. Are you... > a CEO/business owner or in a leadership position at your business > currently earning high 6-figures to 7-figures in company revenue > running a small team with anywhere from 3-20 team members > interested in becoming a better leader for your business and team > want to improve retention and build a better culture > have team members who you want to grow and develop Then I’d love to see you at our free training next week, because I designed it just for you. Level Up Your Leadership: How to have tough conversations that move your business forward >> https://lnkd.in/ebeKguvE Tuesday, March 26th @ 2pm - 3pm ET.

Ever had one of those life-changing moments? Where you just know that you're a different person now, to who you were before? I've had a few of those so far, and have just added another defining experience to the list. In my role as a CFA volunteer, I was given the privilege of completing the Fireline Leadership course over two weekends. Initially developed by Mission-Centered Solutions and brought to Australia by Jamie Mackenzie AFSM of Red Flag Real Time Leadership Solutions, this course is simply, well, life-changing. Although Fireline is delivered in the context of an emergency management environment, all of Jamie's courses deliver on life skills in ✅️ self-awareness ✅️ managing stress ✅️ building teams ✅️ communication, and ✅️ strategic thinking in ways that are applicable to any person, from any background. There's gold there to help you as a parent, partner, friend, family member, community member, leader, team member... the list goes on. The course framework, content, delivery method and Jamie's warm and real facilitation combine to make THE most powerful and impactful training experience I've ever done. And I've done a few 😉 If you're wanting to build teams, change workplace culture (and I mean really change it, not just talk about changing it), create succession plans, help your people cope with pressure, and just generally create a space where your people can truly shine, then Red Flag's suite of courses is really worth looking into. For me, there's now life before Fireline, and life after it. Ask anyone who's done it. They'll tell you the same.

A steady hand on the rudder maintains the course!   What I’ve learned over the years is that leadership wisdom is hard won and takes time. The thinking I had as a leader ten years ago, five years ago, even one year ago has changed. There’s no catch-all rule book on mastering the management of a growing and dynamic organization. Just like a captain of a ship, when the winds change, you need to alter your course and maintain a steady hand on the rudder to achieve your destination.   My approaches are always evolving, but they got a jump start after our recent Café (Town Hall with a focus on employee input). Some takeaways:    ·        Create the opportunity for feedback - saying you have an open door isn’t enough. Build the platform and open the gates for specific and open-ended discussion. Feedback is like the wind - your sails need to be open and positioned properly to catch as much as possible. ·        Employees want to hear about the strategic plan and company direction but at this kind of forum, the majority of the time should be dedicated to employee input. Your ship will reach its destination much faster if everyone knows what course has been plotted. ·        Providing education courses and budget for learning and development is good but isn’t enough. Employees consistently say they learn the most from each other. Find ways to make that happen. The crew of any ship must support and learn from each other or mishaps and accidents happen. ·        Never stop communicating within and across the organization - whatever you’re doing now probably isn’t enough. ·        Socializing is crucial - it creates connection and community, vital ingredients in a positive company culture. Work is work and there have to be fun moments as well.    If I don’t consistently listen to our employees (crew), I will not be a good leader (captain) and will not get our organization (ship) to where we need to go. Even as I continue to adjust my leadership strategies, I’m so grateful for their input and ideas. Our Cafés are essential and I look forward to even more of them.

We have used Patrick Lencioni's 6 Types of Working Genius Assessment with a few clients lately, and some of the results are very interesting. One client we worked with had been facing challenges within their organization but pinpointing the root cause proved elusive. Upon reviewing the assessment, the team's dynamics became clearer. It became apparent that none of the team members enjoyed or had a talent for this particular type of work, leading to shared frustrations. It was like the penny dropped; everyone on the team understood what the problem was and knew how to fix it. Taking self-assessment quizzes can be enjoyable and insightful. Although they may lack scientific rigour, they offer glimpses into our behaviours and preferences. Leaders and managers who understand themselves are better equipped to build and nurture high-performing teams. By recognizing their own preferences, communication styles, and leadership tendencies, they can adapt their approach to meet the needs of their teams and the organizations they work in.

How can you elevate your team’s performance? Check out a proven tool - Glad to Be Here® debrief.

💡What are your weekly leadership goals?💡 Whenever I suggest to clients to ‘be kind’ to their colleagues, their ‘ah-ha moment’ reaction never ceases to surprise me.  It’s as though being kind is a novel idea that had never occurred to them! Starting your week by thinking about your leadership goals is a valuable developmental process that will improve your leadership skills and make a big difference to your working week. This week, focus on being kind. If you don’t know where to start, below are some achievable leadership goals you can set for the week. 👇 1️⃣ Avoid using malicious language when communicating 2️⃣ Invest in building relationships instead of tearing them down 3️⃣ Demonstrate compassion and appreciation for your team members If you aren’t sure how to start meeting these goals, here are some tips for finishing the week strong! ✅ Notice when you are being hurtful and hold yourself accountable for your actions ✅ Be quick to apologise when you have been unkind and ensure you express appreciation of colleagues  ✅ Be empathetic and understanding and show you care about your team members Setting weekly leadership goals means you are continually improving your leadership, investing in your team's development and most importantly, shaping an intentional culture. Make this week count!

Many organizations face the real-life struggle of cultivating effective leaders from within their ranks. Promoting from within is often seen as an ideal way to reward high-performing employees and maintain company culture, but it comes with significant challenges. 👉🏼Newly promoted managers and supervisors frequently find themselves unprepared for their new responsibilities.  👉🏼They may lack the necessary leadership skills, such as effective communication, conflict resolution, and team motivation. 👉🏼The shift from peer to leader can create tension and uncertainty, both for the new manager and their team. The truth is, without proper training and support, these promising individuals can struggle to drive results, leading to decreased productivity and morale. Now how can you address these challenges? Many individuals used to think that these new leaders need to be years ahead in business before feeling “worthy” of their promotion. It turns out, they don’t. And all you had to do, as decision-maker of your organization, is to make one simple shift: to equip your new managers with the skills and competence they need to thrive in this new role. ⚙️ Ready to invest in your organization’s future by developing your newly promoted managers and supervisors? Stay tuned for more details about the New Boss Bootcamp and how it can help you achieve your organization’s goals. Join the waitlist through this link: https://lnkd.in/gaVzTkce

Revamp your corporate environment with KDE Leadership's Corporate Turnarounds Program (CTP). In today's fast-paced world, adaptability is crucial, and we don't just tackle challenges; we turn them into pathways for unparalleled success. Our process kicks off with a thorough analysis, where we collaborate with your leadership team to identify obstacles and develop tailor-made solutions. By combining our expertise with your insights, we create a program that maximizes your workforce's capabilities. Through focused coaching and strategic execution, we empower your middle and frontline employees to achieve peak performance. The outcome? Surpassing client expectations becomes standard, profits surge, and employee retention reaches unprecedented levels. You can choose from our flexible 12, 24, 36, or 48-month CTPs, each meticulously crafted to foster sustainable growth and organizational excellence. It's time to unleash your corporation's true potential with KDE Leadership's CTP. Start shaping your success story today. Schedule a free, no-obligation exploratory session now! Booking Link in the comments 👇 👇 👇