A Surprising Secret To Leadership Development

When my company recently hosted a webinar on leadership development, I asked several polling questions to make sure I was addressing attendees' key concerns. One question asked attendees to choose their current top priority in their development programs: content, coaching, connection or something else. The big winner? Connection.

Photo by Anna Shvets

Connection Is Key

Surprised? That response actually tracks with what I’m seeing as I work with corporate clients. Leadership today requires a greater focus on collaboration and relationships. Positive connections at work have been shown to make employees happier and more engaged. (With employee engagement at an 11-year low, that’s a pretty big deal.) At the same time, though, the rise of remote and hybrid work is adding an extra level of challenge to creating strong workplace cultures and a sense of community.

While connection is definitely on the radar of most leaders, the potential of leadership development programs to create that connection often is not. But I've found that bringing employees together doesn’t just enhance learning; it also helps them build lasting relationships that support their success and the organization’s.

If you’re involved in selecting a new leadership development program for your company, or even updating your current one, consider how the program fosters the types of connections I've listed below. As my own company developed our digital platform, this was a key consideration in the design, and it has made a big difference in its adoption and employee engagement.

Employee-Peer Relationships

I’m starting here because the value of healthy peer relationships often gets overlooked. If members of a team rarely work in person, or if everyone tends to keep their head down when they are together, leadership development might be one of the rare chances they have to get to know each other outside of their daily routines.

A good training program can help your employees better appreciate each other’s value and understand each other’s perspectives. It can also help employees feel invested in each other’s success, which increases accountability. You could even build peer-to-peer learning into your leadership development program, which helps disseminate best practices, break down silos and stretch your training budget.

Employee-Manager Relationships

When an employee takes part in a leadership training program, that doesn’t mean their development is off their manager's plate. Look for training options that involve managers in their team members’ growth. For example, the employee could have regular check-ins with their manager about goals they set in their leadership development program. Or the manager could help ensure employees get real-world opportunities to use the new skills they’re learning.

Any leadership development program you implement should also align with your organization’s approach to helping employees grow. In other words, don’t select a program that’s at odds with how you train managers to coach employees.

Employee-Executive Relationships

With the rise of hybrid work, there’s a risk of employees’ worlds becoming too small. We all have a lot fewer chances to strike up impromptu conversations in the hallway. Employees may lose sight of the bigger picture beyond their own team. On top of that, they may be missing out on opportunities to interact with the higher-level leaders who make decisions about their advancement.

Effective leadership development programs can restore some of those opportunities. For example, as part of the program, participants could be assigned a special project that they present to higher-ranking leaders. Even better? Build mentorship and sponsorship into your development programs. These key relationships can make all the difference in whether an employee achieves their career goals—and whether your organization will benefit from all they can bring to the table.

Employee-Company Relationships

This is another kind of relationship that often gets overlooked, but employees want to feel a connection with their organizations. Just as they do in their interactions with other people, they want to sense that their company values them, hears them and treats them with respect.

Investing in leadership development can deepen the loyalty your employees feel to your organization, which, in turn, affects engagement and retention. Research by LinkedIn has found that almost all employees would stay longer at an organization that cares about helping them learn and grow.

Ultimately, the secret to effective leadership development lies in its ability to strengthen the bonds that drive organizational success. By selecting programs that prioritize connection, companies can unlock the full potential of their workforce.

This article was originally published by Forbes.

What Companies Still Get Wrong About Leadership Development

I get it: Choosing a leadership development program isn’t easy. On one hand, you know that leadership training is important to employees—more than half of them want this kind of development. On the other hand, though, it can come with a hefty price: Companies spend more than $60 billion on leadership development annually. 

Over more than 15 years of running a leadership development company, I’ve identified some mistakes that executives and HR leaders consistently make when faced with this high-stakes decision. Why do these mistakes keep happening? I believe it’s because these decision-makers assume that the same kinds of leadership development that worked in the past will work today.

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

But as the demands on leaders keep increasing, organizations can’t simply fall back on “the way we’ve always done it.” If you are involved in choosing leadership development for your company, here are five missteps to avoid. 

Focusing Only on the Content

A successful leadership development program doesn’t just require a solid curriculum. It must also include plenty of connection and collaboration. Participants need the time and space to discuss the program’s material and the specific challenges and opportunities of applying it within your organization. These discussions also enable participants to form new relationships or deepen old ones. Relationship-building has always been important, of course, but it’s even more crucial today as the complex challenges organizations face require more collaborative leadership. 

Limiting Development to Your Stars

Many people assume that leadership development programs should target an elite group. But that approach limits a program’s effectiveness. My company’s goal is overcoming what Navio Kwok and Winny Shen call the “leadership development paradox.” As organizations keep providing more development for the very people who need it the least, other employees get left by the wayside. While companies might think that they can afford to develop only a select few high performers or high potentials, I believe that developing more leaders is actually more cost-efficient in the long run because it strengthens your leadership pipeline, a major concern for many organizations. 

Getting Distracted by What’s Shiny and New

I’ve seen a lot of trends come and go. I’ve also seen too many companies obsess over having the “latest and greatest” program. Of course, leadership development should incorporate emerging knowledge and research and adapt to our changing work environment. At the same time, though, don’t assume you have to toss out your current program and start from scratch. Instead, think about what’s already working for you in leadership and development and consider whether you can build on that. 

Assuming Everyone Has to Be in the Same Place 

When you think about leadership development, do you picture participants all gathered in the same conference room or at an offsite? At many organizations, bringing people physically together for training has gotten a lot trickier. According to surveys by Gallup, only 20% of employees who can perform their jobs remotely are working entirely onsite.

The good news is that leadership development doesn’t have to be in person to be effective. At my company, we discovered this firsthand during the pandemic. Organizations realized they couldn’t delay important training until things got “back to normal” because we simply didn’t know when that would be. As a result, learning technology took a huge leap forward. Today, I’m seeing companies conduct successful leadership development programs in person, remotely, and in hybrid formats. 

Forgetting About the ‘Real World’

Have you ever received training that seemed transformative in the moment, but that you never ended up using on the job? This is all too common. Some leadership development programs have awesome content but not enough emphasis on everyday application. I’ve embraced what analyst Josh Bersin calls “growth in the flow of work.” In other words, learning doesn’t have to happen just at designated events or classes.

Instead, it can be a part of every single day. Yana Melnikova, talent management & organizational development leader at PepsiCo, made a similar point when I interviewed her for a recent webinar.  “Everybody knows that 70% of development happens on the job,” Yana said. “At the same time, this is where the majority of companies fail the most.” Don’t be one of those companies! Ensure that any leadership training program you choose takes learning beyond theory and into practice. 

By avoiding these common missteps, you can implement leadership development programs that empower your organization and your people to navigate challenges and seize opportunities for the future.

This article was originally published by Fast Company.

Onboarding New Hires? Don’t Forget These 3 Key Things

For your new employees, the first days on the job are some of the most critical. As a leadership coach and creator of a leadership development platform, I've seen firsthand how crucial onboarding is in helping employees quickly become productive. Effective onboarding also pays off over the long run, with improvements in employee engagement and retention.

Photo by fauxels

Despite its importance, though, many companies are still falling short with their onboarding process. According to a Gallup analysis, "only 12% of U.S. employees say their company does a good job of onboarding" and "nearly one in five employees either report that their most recent onboarding was poor—or that they received no onboarding at all."

So why do onboarding programs so frequently miss the mark? Based on what I’ve observed, there are three key areas that onboarding frequently overlooks; addressing them can make a real difference in the success of your new hires.

1. Help new hires build connections, not just gain knowledge.

Beyond just imparting knowledge, onboarding should help new employees start building relationships with their team and throughout your organization. In today’s hybrid work environment, it's particularly crucial that onboarding includes relationship-building because it's less likely to happen spontaneously, the way it does when people are in the same office.

2. Have proactive conversations about goals and preferences.

Besides introducing new hires to different aspects of your company, onboarding can also be a time for you to learn about them. When I worked in leadership roles at Deloitte Consulting before starting my own business, I made a habit of sitting down with new team members so that each of us could talk about our goals and work styles. This conversation helped me achieve alignment between what they wanted to gain from their experience on the team and how I could leverage their strengths to advance business goals.

Learning about each other's preferences also helped us work together more smoothly and avoid misunderstandings. For example, we would establish what we'd communicate about via email and what needed to be discussed face to face.

3. Connect new hires with learning opportunities early.

Perhaps the biggest missed opportunity in onboarding is connecting new hires with training opportunities early, especially if they express interest in leadership training. Development is crucial for retention and engagement, and younger generations crave development opportunities. Don't wait until you see signs that they're a high performer or have high potential to consider them for leadership development. There's a lot of leadership potential at lower levels, and providing training helps strengthen your leadership pipeline, which is a big concern for many companies.

Investing early in new hires also signals your commitment to their success. And it can alleviate some of the pressure on managers, who are likely already too stretched to onboard their new hires effectively. Finally, going through a shared learning experience early on can help new hires form relationships that will give them much-needed support.

Final Thoughts

By focusing on these three often-overlooked aspects of onboarding—building connections, having proactive conversations about goals and preferences and connecting new hires with learning opportunities early—you can set your new employees up for success and create a more engaged, productive workforce.

This article originally appeared on Forbes.com. To read more of my contributions to Forbes Coaches Council, click here.

Why Every Employee Deserves to Get Leadership Development

There’s a lot of talk in business today about the importance of demonstrating leadership at every level. Yet, many organizations still play it safe, earmarking far more leadership development opportunities for designated “high potentials.” This strategy might seem efficient, but if you want your team to win a race, wouldn’t you want every runner to have a shot at being first? Let’s talk about why opening up leadership development is a must-have for businesses that are in it to win it for the long haul. 

Photo by Christina Morillo

The Leadership Development Gap Is More Common Than You Think

Imagine this: A company invests heavily in developing a select group of employees deemed leadership material. This approach has its merits but also a glaring flaw—it overlooks a wealth of potential among the ranks. Like finding hidden gems in your backyard, broadening the scope of leadership development can uncover talent that can drive your business forward. 

Have you heard of the leadership development paradox? As identified by Navio Kwok and Winny Shen in the Harvard Business Review, it’s when those who are already excelling get all the development attention, while the rest, potentially equally capable, wait on the sidelines. This selective investment is a missed opportunity, limiting individual growth and narrowing the organization’s vision of what leadership looks like. 

Diversity in leadership is a business imperative

Think back to the last time you were surprised by an employee’s insight or problem-solving ability. These moments are golden, but we often fail to turn them into bigger opportunities for the business and the individual. By making leadership development more widely accessible, we’re giving more employees the chance to have a bigger impact and shine. And we’re also providing our businesses with a robust, diverse leadership pipeline ready to tackle future challenges. 

Diversity in leadership isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a business imperative. Different perspectives lead to better decisions, more innovation, and a stronger connection with a diverse customer base. And yet, despite knowing this, many companies haven’t changed their leadership development model. It’s time to break the cycle. 

Strategies to Make Leadership Development Work on a Tight Budget

So, how do we shift gears? How do we think more broadly about leadership development and who gets access to it and make this work on a tight budget? First, by recognizing that leadership potential isn’t confined to traditional markers like seniority or current job title. It’s about the ability to inspire, innovate, and navigate challenges—qualities that can be found across the organizational chart. 

Thanks to technology, tools now exist that can be immensely helpful for strengthening leadership pipelines. When evaluating them, make sure they offer the following key strategies: 

• Accessibility: To strengthen the leadership pipeline, we must open leadership development up to more people—while both satisfying individual needs and addressing tight schedules and company budgets. The number of leaders who have retired or switched companies has created more urgency than ever around this. Another contributor to the growing leadership gap is the changing nature of work and the different skill sets it demands. It’s high time that companies fill the pipeline. 

• Mentorship and sponsorship: These are not just tools for individual growth but powerful strategies for organizational development. They create a culture where knowledge and experience are shared freely, opening doors for many to step into leadership roles. 

• Real-world learning: Lastly, let’s ensure that leadership experiences are part of the job, not just an occasional retreat, workshop, or training class. When employees at all levels are given the chance to lead projects, tackle real-world problems, and learn from the outcomes, they’re being trained—and also transformed. 

Yes, expanding access to leadership development creates more fairness and equity—but it’s also about ensuring our organizations are as dynamic, innovative, and resilient as the markets in which we operate. By embracing a broader vision of leadership, we can unlock a world of potential that’s been waiting in the wings, ready to take our companies into the future. 

As we look ahead, let’s challenge ourselves to rethink what leadership development looks like. It’s not just about selecting a few for the fast track; it’s about recognizing and nurturing the leadership potential in everyone. After all, in the unpredictable race of business, your organization has a better chance of winning when everyone is set up to reach the finish line. 

This article was originally published by Fast Company

To Retain Employees, Help Them Grow And Develop

According to one recent survey, more than half of all employees may be searching for a new job this year. That means we still need a laser focus on keeping employees from jumping ship. One way we can do that is by providing more opportunities for growth and development. Over the past few years, survey findings have shown us just how important these opportunities are to employees

Photo by Christina Morillo

• A 2019 report from LinkedIn found that 94% of employees "would stay at a company longer if it simply invested in helping them learn."

• 60% of Millennials—the largest segment in the workforce—want leadership training.

• More than two-thirds of remote workers want more training.

All of this means that amid the tumult of layoffs, organizations still have to prioritize learning and development or they risk losing top performers. Here are a few ideas on how to accomplish that, even in an environment of change.

Start By Listening

If you haven’t checked in with your team members lately about their goals, passions and what they want to learn, now is a great time to do so. The knowledge you can gain through these conversations should help you make the most of your reports’ talents while also helping them be more fulfilled at work.

Delegate With Development In Mind

Once you’ve had this check-in with your team members, start looking for ways to delegate with development in mind. Getting a task off your plate and assigning it to an employee can be a win-win. You have time for the priorities that make the best use of your skills, and the employee gets an opportunity to grow. Bonus points if the work you delegate helps your team member gain visibility in the organization in addition to helping them learn.

Make Time For Feedback

Employees crave genuinely helpful feedback. I can tell you from firsthand observations, though, that this is something that many leaders struggle with, so they tend to put it off. But this actually makes feedback harder because it allows problems to build.

Feedback is easier to give and more helpful to the recipient when you give it in the moment. Try to share what you notice about your employees’ behaviors right after you observe them. For example, take a couple of minutes after a meeting to point out what worked well and what you would recommend that they do differently,

Encourage Collaborative Learning

We tend to think of learning and development as something that happens on special occasions, like at a conference or an off-site. Such events have value, of course, but they should not be the only ways your employees can learn and grow. Collaborative learning is a great way to make development a regular part of the workday.

For example, assigning an experienced team member to mentor a new employee can benefit both. Your veteran can help the rookie learn how things work at your organization, and the rookie can introduce the veteran to new ideas and perspectives. Some development programs also include a collaborative learning component. For example, a facilitator presents content, and then participants work out how to apply that content at their organization.

Helping employees grow and develop takes extra intention and creativity when organizations are stretched thin, as many are now. But neglecting their development is simply too big of a risk. Taking some small steps consistently can help you create an environment of learning where your employees feel cared for and inspired.

This is an updated version of an article that originally appeared on Forbes.com. To read more of my contributions to Forbes Coaches Council, click here.

Fixing the ‘Broken Rung’ for Women at Work

You’ve probably heard of the glass ceiling for women at work. But what we really should be focusing on is the broken rung.

That’s according to the Women in the Workplace 2023 report, from McKinsey in partnership with LeanIn.org. The report debunks workplace myths about women (I wrote about its findings regarding women and ambition recently.) One of the biggest myths is that the glass ceiling is the biggest obstacle women face in reaching senior leadership. But what McKinsey and LeanIn found — and what we’ve observed firsthand here at Newberry Solutions — is that the barriers to women start far earlier in their careers.

Photo by RDNE Stock project

The broken rung discussed in the report is the fact that fewer women than men get that first key promotion to manager. That puts fewer women in the leadership pipeline, which ultimately leads to a shortage of female candidates for senior leadership positions. As the report states:

Because of the gender disparity in early promotions, men end up holding 60 percent of manager-level positions in a typical company, while women occupy 40 percent. Since men significantly outnumber women, there are fewer women to promote to director, and the number of women decreases at every subsequent level.

How big of a problem is the broken rung? McKinsey and LeanIn found that for every 100 men promoted to manager, only 87 women were. The gap is even bigger for women of color: 73 were promoted to manager for every 100 men who were. This problem is not new. The Women in the Workplace report has flagged it for nine consecutive years. But we clearly need to do more to address it. As a firm that’s passionate about helping women succeed — and that has a strong track record of helping them get promoted — this is one of our top priorities. So we want to highlight McKinsey and LeanIn’s recommendations on fixing the broken rung — and add some of our own.

How to Help Women Get Promoted

• Realize that the problem is not with women and their ambition. Some leaders may brush off the broken rung by claiming that women don’t want promotions and are more likely to step away from work. But that’s outdated — and inaccurate — thinking. The Women in the Workplace report shows that women are actually more ambitious now than they were before the Covid-19 pandemic. (We’ve seen the same thing in our work with high-performing women.) Roughly equal numbers of women and men want promotions. That’s even true for women who work remotely or on a hybrid schedule.

• Address performance bias. All too often, women are hired or promoted based on what they’ve done, while men are hired or promoted based on potential. In their report, McKinsey and LeanIn recommend taking “de-biasing” steps. For example, require that managers give their rationale behind performance evaluations and recommendations for promotions.

• Make development more equitable. Do the current learning and development programs at your organization include enough women who have the potential to be promoted? And does the content of those programs focus on what women need to get promoted? For some inspiration, check out our case study “Empowering Women to Reach Their Leadership Potential.” It tells the story of how a Fortune 50 company used our New Lens® learning platform to prepare more women for promotions.

Research is clear that companies benefit from having women in senior leadership roles. But to accomplish this goal, you have to take action much earlier in the leadership pipeline. This is one of the reasons we created New Lens, and we’re excited that it’s becoming part of the solution for the broken-rung problem. To learn more and set up a demonstration, visit newlensleadership.com.

How to Develop Your Team When Time, Budgets Are Tight

As a leader, one of your most important responsibilities is helping your team members develop to their full potential. But that raises a big question: How are you supposed to accomplish this when all of you are busy and your training budget is small? Today I want to give you some quick, affordable and easy ideas to encourage your team members’ learning and growth. Be sure to read to the end of the article, where I’ll tell you about a free leadership development event you can share with your team.

Photo by Christina Morillo

Leverage What You Already Have

It’s easy to forget about the existing learning and development opportunities at your organization, especially when your schedule is full. But this is a great place to start when you’re looking for ways to develop your team. For example, does your workplace have a cross-training program? Are there affinity groups? What about tuition reimbursement? If you’re drawing a blank, get together with other leaders so you can pool your knowledge about current resources.

Help Team Members Learn from Each Other

So what’s your #1 existing resource? Your people themselves. Take a moment to think about the strengths of each of your team members. You’ll probably be impressed by the depth and breadth of knowledge and experience on your team! Now consider how you can tap into each person’s expertise. Some options include lunch-and-learn events and peer-to-peer coaching.

Build Learning into Every Day

All too often, we think of learning as something that happens in addition to our regular jobs. But some of the most powerful learning actually happens through our work experiences.  Leadership expert Josh Bersin calls this “growth in the flow of work,” and research has shown it delivers real results. According to Camille Preston, a business psychologist and leadership expert: “The most innovative leaders and organizations are seeking ways to integrate leadership development into everything they do.” You can help your direct reports grow by helping them join a cross-functional team, present in front of senior leaders or take on a special project, just to name a few examples.

Coach and Give Feedback

I get it: You’re really busy. But you can provide more coaching and feedback without taking too much time out of your day. Get in the habit of sharing what you noticed about your team members’ behavior right after you observe it. Even a couple of minutes after a meeting to point out what worked well and what would have been more effective can go a long way. If you want to start coaching more but aren’t sure how to begin, I contributed to an article for Forbes Coaches Council that provides some “baby steps.”

Our Free Leadership Development Event

I hope the ideas in this article will help you create more development opportunities for your team members. Making learning more accessible is one of our key values at Newberry Solutions. That’s why we created our award-winning New Lens® app. And it’s why I’m so excited about our upcoming Micro Summit: 4 Core Leadership Strategies for Success. Like New Lens, this virtual event is easy to fit into busy schedules. In just a couple of hours, you’ll gain valuable, actionable strategies for success from four incredible business and HR leaders. It all happens 11 a.m.-1 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, October 25. I invite you to register here, and to share this link with your team members and other colleagues. 

Big Insights from One Little Question [One Thing Video Series]

Sometimes the wisdom you need in a particular moment comes from a surprising source. For me recently, that source was a note I wrote myself a couple of years ago. That note consisted of just a single question. But it’s been helping me anytime I’m feeling frustrated or if something isn't going my way. In my latest One Thing You Can Do video, I talk about the simple but effective message of that note and how you can use it, too.

For more practical leadership strategies you can start using immediately, I invite you to check out our award-winning New Lens® app. It’s designed to make leadership development more accessible than ever through bite-sized lessons and small action steps. Ready to learn more? Request a demo now.

Micro Summit: 4 Core Leadership Strategies for Success

Have you registered for our online micro summit coming up on October 25? In just a couple of hours, this event will give you actionable insights into some of Newbery Solutions’ core strategies for success. We developed these strategies over 15 years of executive coaching and leadership development and incorporated them into the New Lens™ app.

This virtual event is geared toward executives, professionals in areas like human resources and talent development, and other business leaders who want to make a bigger impact and get results they couldn’t before. Don’t miss this chance to learn from powerful leaders who’ve been there and know the ropes. 

It all happens from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, October 25, and registration is open now.

Transcript

Hi, I am Neena Newberry with Newberry Solutions, and I'm excited to share the next installment of our One Thing You Can Do video series, which is all based on New Lens, which is our leadership development app that focuses on micro learning, giving you valuable strategies in two to seven minutes. This video is going to be under two minutes, and today I want to share with you a note that I just came across from a couple of years ago. This was a note that I wrote to myself and I had completely forgotten about it, but it has a really important question on it, which is, what meaning are you assigning to this?

So when I am in a position of feeling frustrated or if something isn't going my way, or if someone's behaving in a way that I don't necessarily expect, the question is what meaning am I assigning to this? And we all have a tendency to personalize things, and this question will prompt you to pause and really think about what you're doing in the situation. And it's very empowering when you realize you can make a different choice than the one that you're making. So I want to arm you with that question today. And for more leadership tools and strategies, visit newberrysolutions.com.

How to Deal with Challenging Team Members

As a leader, you probably have at least one team member who has a knack for pushing your buttons. Your challenging team members may be high performers in many ways. But their negative behaviors still make life harder for you and the rest of your team. Today I want to share some ideas on how to address a difficult team member, as well as some specific responses you can use in the moment to redirect them.

Photo by fauxels

Give Timely Feedback

It’s easy to delay giving feedback, especially when you’re busy. But the cost is high — for you, for the rest of your team and even for the challenging team member — if you put off addressing the issue. Remind yourself that you are offering feedback out of genuine concern for everyone involved. Remember also that your team member probably wants the feedback because they know it’s important for their career development.

Focus on Impact

Once you’ve decided to offer feedback about a team member’s challenging behavior, the next step is thinking about how to present that feedback effectively. Help the employee understand their behavior by identifying it, providing information on when and where you’ve noticed it occurring, and sharing its impact. For example, maybe their habit of shooting down ideas surfaces primarily in meetings with a key stakeholder group. Talk about the effect, from what you see or what you’ve heard from others. “I know this isn’t what you intend, but I’ve heard others say that your communication style leaves them with the impression that you are resistant to their ideas.”

Next, offer ideas about what your team member should do more often or less often. Sometimes it can be very powerful to ask the employee to focus on how they want to show up in interactions with others. In other words, by helping them identify what they do want others to notice about them (for example, openness to ideas), they may stop engaging in the other limiting behavior.

You can supplement your own coaching and advice by connecting your team member with development resources like our award-winning New Lens® app. An assessment within the app helps them identify their developmental needs.

What to Say in 5 Challenging Situations

In addition to making a plan for giving feedback and providing development opportunities, you can also think about what to say when your team member engages in the problem behavior in a setting like a meeting. When others are present, it’s not appropriate to deliver the same kind of feedback you would one on one. But you can make statements that help your employee course correct and that keep the larger conversation on track. Here are a few examples.

• Challenging behavior: Naysaying. Your team member always seems to focus on why ideas will not work.

How to respond: "I understand your concerns and appreciate your perspective. What could we do to make this idea succeed?"

• Challenging behavior: Complaining. Your team member has a knack for seeing the glass as half empty and griping instead of resolving the problem.

How to respond: "Let’s take a few minutes to vent and then shift to finding a solution." 

• Challenging behavior: Derailing. Your team member distracts others from the core issue at hand.

How to respond: "I appreciate your comment. Just so I’m clear, please help me understand how it ties to what we’re trying to accomplish?"

• Challenging behavior: Taking on too much. Your team member has a habit of volunteering for tasks during a meeting, but then getting overwhelmed and creating a bottleneck.

How to respond: "If you take on this work, how much time will it entail? How does that fit in with other priorities you already have? What support might you need?"

• Challenging behavior: Getting lost in the weeds. Your team member gets bogged down in details and loses sight of what's really important.

How to respond: "Let's take a look at the bigger picture to make sure we’re considering the 'what' before we get into the 'how,’ and that we’re meeting our objectives."

This week, pay attention to your team members’ habitual behaviors and how they affect you and the rest of your team. Are there opportunities for feedback and coaching? And how do you want to respond when these behaviors surface?

Turning Our POWER into Action

How can you claim your personal power and put it into action? That was the question at the heart of Orchid Giving Circle’s annual POWER Leadership Forum earlier this month.

I was very honored to emcee and work with the planning committee to design this event for an organization I’m passionate about. Hosted and supported by Texas Women’s Foundation, OGC raises funds to support nonprofits serving the North Texas Asian community. The POWER Forum’s purpose is twofold. It advances OGC’s philanthropy. At the same time, the event develops and connects leaders within this community. POWER Forum 2023 succeeded in both of these missions. I came away inspired and energized, so I wanted to share with you some of my key takeaways.

Learning and Connection

The POWER Leadership Forum featured a high-caliber lineup of speakers. These AAPI women executives delivered insights on topics like confidence, purpose, imposter syndrome and being a “first” or an “only.” For those of us in the audience, hearing executives talk about issues that we have faced as well created a greater sense of connection and openness.

The speakers’ words left me thinking about questions like these:

• How can we better recognize the power that we have?

• When things don’t go our way, what roles do we take on (victim, aggressor, etc.)?

• As leaders, how can we better educate others about identifying their power and using it as a resource?

I also appreciated the chance to talk in small groups about the advice and stories we heard in the presentations and how to apply it to our own lives. To keep the momentum and learning going after the event, POWER Forum attendees received a subscription to Newberry Solutions' award-winning New Lens® app. New Lens® makes learning digestible through bite-sized lessons and small action steps to enhance your impact as a leader.

Coming Together for Change

In addition to providing inspirational content, this OGC event also drove home the power of people identifying a need and then coming together to address that need. In this case, the need was for more philanthropic dollars earmarked for the AAPI community. (Currently, only 0.4 percent of all U.S. philanthropic dollars go to Asian Americans.)

All of us members of Orchid Giving Circle are so grateful to the sponsors who joined with us to make this year’s POWER Forum a success. I’m proud to say that Newberry Solutions was a presenting sponsor and that several of our client organizations also backed this event. It was amazing to collaborate with them, especially Frito-Lay who generously hosted us at their beautiful campus.

This week, I encourage you to think about the power that you have, how you might use it and how you can amplify your power by joining with others. The New Lens app can be a valuable resource as you consider these questions. Schedule your demo now. I also invite you to learn more about Orchid Giving Circle and how to support our work.

How to Ease Your Team’s Stress (and Your Own)

Has the cumulative stress of the past few years taken a toll on you and your team? You aren’t alone. I’m hearing the same thing from many leaders I work with. As we created Newberry Solutions’ latest white paper, “Managers Under Pressure,” we learned that research backs up what we’ve all observed firsthand:

Photo by Pedro Figueras

• Employee engagement is at a seven-year low, which Gallup calls “one of the biggest threats to organizations and entire economies” in 2023. 

• On top of that, more than 40% of professionals report feeling burned out at work.

• For managers, the situation is even more dire. Their burnout rate is 43%. 

If you lead a team, it’s crucial right now to both prioritize your own wellbeing and support the people who report to you. You can make a big difference for them. A survey by The Workforce Institute at UKG found that managers impact people’s mental health just as much as their spouses do. 

I understand, though, that helping your team deal with stress (and managing your own) might feel like just one more thing to do when your schedule is already packed. So today I want to make this a little easier by passing along some unique, impactful tools that can supplement more traditional approaches to stress management. You can use these tools yourself and share them with your team members.

• The Living in Green Project. The website for the Living in Green Project provides information about stress management that’s great for sharing with your team. One valuable tool is the “Which State Is Your Nervous System In?” infographic, which can help you understand your stress levels. Be sure to check out their blog for more simple but powerful strategies grounded in neuroscience. 

• The Chopra App. If you are interested in meditation, but not sure how to get started, this app from wellness pioneer Deepak Chopra makes the practice more accessible. It includes meditations designed for a variety of situations. You can also find meditations as short as five minutes so that you can always fit a mindful pause into your day.

• Tapping. This is one of the quickest ways I know to reduce negative emotions and get your energy back to a calm and balanced state. Tapping is also easy to learn, affordable and can be used almost anytime. Think of it as a form of acupressure as a way to identify and release roadblocks. It is backed by science, and I can tell you from my own experience that it really works — and works fast.

Resources from Newberry Solutions

Our passion is creating solutions that address the challenges we see leaders experiencing. Earlier, I mentioned our white paper, “Managers Under Pressure,” which will help you learn more about both the magnitude of workplace stress in 2023 and how you can empower your managers to deal with their own stress and support their teams. We’re also thrilled to hear from users of our award-winning New Lens® app that they feel better equipped to handle any stressful situation. Schedule your demo today.

How to Strengthen Team Relationships with Collaborative Learning

As a firm that helps top organizations develop their leaders, we get a firsthand look at emerging trends in learning and development. Three years ago, the coronavirus pandemic caused a sudden and massive shift to remote learning options. But, in recent months, we’ve been seeing the pendulum swing the other way.

In-person learning programs are on the rise again. One reason? Remote work has decreased the sense of connection among employees. Two-thirds of remote workers report feeling isolated or lonely at least part of the time. More than half of hybrid and remote workers also report having fewer work friendships.

Photo by fauxels

We’re seeing especially strong interest in collaborative learning. This article will help you better understand collaborative learning, its benefits and how you can implement it in your organization.

What Is Collaborative Learning?

Collaborative learning is centered on employees sharing their knowledge and expertise with each other. It can take many forms. For example, if your organization has a program that pairs employees for mutual mentoring, that’s collaborative learning. Affinity groups or employee resource groups can also create opportunities for employees to learn together.

Embracing collaborative learning doesn’t mean that you solely rely on your employees’ expertise, though. For example, our New Lens® app delivers bite-sized lessons on key leadership skills and gives options for learning with a cohort. Our WOW! Program℠ also utilizes the power of collaborative learning by combining audio lessons with in-person meetings.

What Are the Benefits?

At Newberry Solutions, we’ve seen organizations that provide collaborative learning reap a number of benefits:

• First, relationships among employees get stronger, which is especially important in this new era of remote work. Even before the pandemic, I frequently advised clients to pay more attention to their peer relationships (not just relationships with their bosses or direct reports).

• Feelings of isolation decrease. Instead of feeling alone in dealing with an issue, employees feel like their challenges are shared and that they can lean on each other.

• Collaborative learning can feel more relevant. Both employees and employers are tired of training programs that fail to address what they experience at work. Whether you are using outside content (such as the New Lens® app) or not (as with an internal mentoring program), collaborative learning focuses on effective solutions for your organization,

• Learning becomes more accessible. With how busy everyone is, it can be hard to get away for a conference, offsite or other event. Collaborative learning sets the stage for what The Josh Bersin Company calls “growth in the flow of work.” This kind of learning can happen every single workday.

Put Collaborative Learning into Action

This week, I want to challenge you to look for ways to drive collaborative learning for your team. Could you put them together in small groups to share their expertise? Or perhaps you could team up with other department heads to help your teams get to know each other and learn about each other’s work. We’re also happy to tell you more about our New Lens® app or WOW! Program℠. Just reach out for more info.

Five Things Employees Want from Their Leaders

Have you heard the old saying that “employees leave managers, not companies”? As turnover rates remain elevated (one in five employees said they were extremely or very likely to leave their companies this year), the stakes are high for developing the kind of leaders that employees don’t want to leave. But what do employees actually want from their leaders? This list will give you some insight and aligns with what I see as an executive coach time and again.

Photo by Rebrand Cities

Appreciation

According to a survey by McKinsey & Company, employers underestimate how much employees want to feel valued by both their manager and their organization. They also underestimate how much feeling valued affects whether employees stay with the company. Providing the appreciation that employees crave doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming. Here’s one idea you can start using right away: Start your next team meeting by asking people to share their recent successes or what’s been going well so that you can all celebrate your wins together. This doesn’t take long, and it makes people feel good as they start noticing what they’re actually getting done. Bonus: Besides giving your team members a lift, this appreciation exercise also gives you more information and insight about what is working well with your team.

Clarity

A survey of 1,000 U.S. workers about communication issues that hamper leadership found something striking: 57% of respondents complained that their leaders do not give clear directions. That was the second-most-cited issue in the whole survey. As an executive coach, I have also personally observed this. I frequently hear from employees who get frustrated because their bosses don’t set clear expectations for their work or define what success looks like for their roles. In addition to sharing this information, it also important to “connect the dots”: Explain the reasons behind your actions, questions, or decisions so that others understand what you are thinking. As Brene Brown says, “Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind.”

Feedback

Employees want to know how they are doing and expect their leaders to tell them. Even if it might be hard to hear in the moment, most of us value getting practical, actionable feedback. However, a Gallup survey found that only about one in four employees strongly agrees that the feedback they get helps them be better at their job. If you always dread offering performance feedback, it can help to reframe how you think about it. Approach feedback with a spirit of generosity. You're not being the "bad guy" by criticizing. Instead, you're giving the employee valuable information to help them be successful. Wouldn't you be grateful if someone took the time to tell you what you should know?

Learning and Growth

Employees want leaders to care about their growth and development. Providing feedback is part of that, but so are recommending employees for training opportunities, delegating with growth in mind and exploring new ways your organization can promote ongoing learning. These efforts will pay off in engagement and retention. In a 2019 survey, 94% of employees said they would stay at their company longer if it invested in helping them learn. A study that year by Sitel Group found that 92% of U.S. employees said that learning increases their engagement and motivation at work.

Respect

There’s one critical factor that trumps everything else: respect. If you remember just one thing from this article, remember that employees want their leaders’ respect. In her research, Christine Porath, an associate professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, found that treating employees with respect outweighs all else when it comes to making a leader successful. “No other leadership behavior had a bigger effect on employees across the outcomes we measured,” she wrote in Harvard Business Review.

What Can You Do?

As a leader, how are you doing across these areas? How is your organization’s leadership doing as a whole? What are the top one or two biggest opportunities to improve? Remember that Newberry Solutions has resources that can help you, including the award-winning New Lens app, our program to develop effective leaders at all levels in a way that is affordable and scalable. We would love to help you determine if it’s a fit. Schedule a demo now.

One of the Fastest Ways to Have a Bigger Impact

Most of the go-getters I work with rarely celebrate success – and I’ve been just as guilty over the years. I remember the first time I was honored by the Dallas Business Journal with a Women in Business Award. I barely told anyone, let alone invite them to celebrate with me at the awards luncheon. 

Photo by Anna Shvets

As someone who belongs to a family of overachievers with tremendous resilience, I got so used to expecting a lot of myself. And my career choices continued to reinforce this. In my 14 years working at Deloitte, I was surrounded by smart, competitive, capable people. So, it was easy to say, “What’s the big deal?” when I accomplished something significant.  Like many of my high-performing clients, my definition of “average” performance became skewed. 

So, what’s at stake if I (or you) let a “check-the-box-and-move-on” approach continue? Simply put, others can’t fully tap into the power of your strengths, and you miss the opportunity to have a bigger impact. In other words, there is tremendous value for others when you truly notice and “own” your strengths. When you begin to see what you do well and how you consistently do it, you can be more intentional about leveraging your strengths and can teach others the same skills. 

Noticing your strengths is key to creating a bigger ripple effect.  In fact, that is why we make it easy for you to identify them in New Lens®, our online leadership development solution. 

How to Notice Your Accomplishments

A simple way to start noticing the value you bring is by tracking your accomplishments. The process doesn’t have to be time-consuming or complicated. Simply take five to 10 minutes per week to write down any accomplishments. For each one, list its impact (i.e., the “So what?”). And remember not to judge yourself too harshly; include the smaller things, too.

For example, you might include an introductory meeting that you had with someone who is important to a project you are working on. On the surface, it may seem insignificant. But when you really think about the impact, that one meeting may have set the stage for smooth collaboration with a department critical to your project’s success. 

As you continue to capture your accomplishments day after day, you will start to see how much you are getting done and what you do well. This will not only affect your confidence but also make it easier to share your results with others to build more visibility and credibility. And don’t forget to celebrate your successes to take it one step further.

For more strategies to help you or your employees be successful, schedule a demo of New Lens.. It makes learning digestible through bite-sized lessons that you can access anytime anywhere and a collaborative approach to foster deeper learning and stronger relationships.

Newberry Solutions Turns 14

If you had asked me in early 2008 whether I would have my own business later that year, I would have called you crazy. Fourteen years later, I have to say that entrepreneurship has been challenging and rewarding. This month marks a major milestone because Newberry Solutions has been in business for the same amount of time that I worked at Deloitte!

A lot has changed during this timeframe, but our focus on passion and purpose remains constant. And I’m confident those two things will carry us forward as we build the next generation of high-impact, high-performing leaders — especially women. 

Coming from an Indian family full of high expectations and overachievers, it’s been a lifelong journey to take time to notice and celebrate accomplishments. If you struggle with celebrating your own successes, it might be a good exercise for you to make a list of them and notice what you’ve learned along the way. 

Here are a few bits of advice from my personal experience.

Tap Into the Power of Your Passion

When I founded this company, I knew I loved to develop high performers and that I needed a change. The intensity of the travel and work made it hard for me to show up in my life in the way that I wanted to, especially with my 2-year-old son. So, I decided to pursue my passion in a different way.

Starting Newberry Solutions was a mixed bag of excitement and unexpected twists and turns, such as the Great Recession and Hurricane Ike (I was Houston-based at the time). Reminding myself of the purpose and passion behind my business fueled me then and continues to do so today. In fact, it helped me work through two major challenges in 2020: the pandemic and a breast cancer diagnosis. 

Find Ways to Increase Your Impact

In my first few years in business, I underestimated the power of my strengths – which is ironic since I constantly coach leaders on how to tap into theirs. Once you notice what you do well and how you consistently do it, you can leverage your strengths to create a bigger ripple effect. 

We’ve figured out what helps us develop strong leaders, and more than 75% of our clients get promoted. Now if that isn’t motivation to have a broader reach, I don’t know what is! 

That type of impact has led us down a path I never expected – developing software. In this challenging business environment, we want to provide creative solutions. Coaching is a powerful solution but not easy to scale affordably. But through technology you can scale what makes coaching work. That’s the secret sauce behind New Lens®, our online platform designed to bring the benefits of coaching to more leaders and make leadership development more affordable and accessible to all levels.  

We’re on the path to success with several Fortune 500 clients, so please reach out if you want to see if New Lens can help your company.

Be Intentional

At Newberry Solutions, we focus on what gives us positive energy and have used that to guide our evolution. What brings you joy? If you’ve lost sight of it, it may be time to recharge and reflect. 

One thing that brings me joy is to make a difference by thinking and playing big. This is reflected in the Fortune 500 and global brands we serve and the platforms like the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and Fast Company that we use to share leadership strategies and tools. 

But our success at Newberry Solutions isn’t all about us. We are all about using our skills and experience to elevate others and give back. As a member of the board and the Orchid Giving Circle at Texas Women’s Foundation, I’m so proud of the POWER Leadership Forum we hosted to develop the next generation of AAPI women and support nonprofits (engaging over 800 women and raising almost $600,000 in grants since 2021). My passion also extends to United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, the Jane Nelson Institute for Women's Leadership at Texas Woman’s University, and the George W. Bush Presidential Center Women’s Initiative Fellowship Program.

Smell the Roses

While I’ve learned from the challenges over the past 14 years, the high points —including the invitation to join the Forbes Coaches Council and multiple awards (from the Stevie Awards for Women in Business and Dallas Business Journal, among others) — continue to motivate me to reach higher because they signal that something is working.

Today, it seems even harder to predict what lies ahead. But I do know this: If we continue to move toward our vision one step at a time, we will see big results. I believe that for my business. And I believe that for you, too. 

Newberry Solutions in the News

In case you missed it, I’ve recently been featured in several top media outlets about pressing workplace issues, and we have published a new white paper. Read on for a roundup of our recent publications.

Fast Company: Starting a New Job

Are you one of the many people who have changed jobs during the Great Resignation? I wrote the article “6 simple but crucial things you must do in your first 3 months on the job” for Fast Company to help you hit the ground running in your new role. The article covers topics including building your brand as a leader, defining success and building relationships.

Forbes: Burnout, Conflict and Micromanaging

In addition to my collaboration with Fast Company, I’m excited to be a member of the Forbes Coaches Council. As part of the council, I’ve been featured with other inspiring coaches to provide strategies to address challenges that leaders are facing:

• Feeling Burned Out At Work? 13 Ways To Diagnose And Address It

• 16 Tips To Help Leaders Facilitate Virtual Conflict Resolution

• 16 Ways For New Leaders To Avoid Micromanaging Their Teams

Wall Street Journal: Asking for a Raise

What are the most important things to remember when you are asking for a raise? In the Wall Street Journal’s Women In newsletter, I shared the tactics that work for my coaching clients when they seek a pay increase. 

White Paper: Leadership Development for a Changing World

Over the past couple of years, Newberry Solutions has helped organizations develop their leaders in a business environment that’s full of upheaval and uncertainty. Through it all, we’ve seen how leadership development must evolve to keep up with these challenges. We distilled everything we learned into the white paper “Leadership Development for a Changing World.” In this free download, we explore today’s rapid changes, how they affect your organization’s leaders, and how to provide the training that your leaders need now.

I hope that these resources will support your own work as a leader. I’d love to hear your feedback and questions, and I invite you to join the conversation on LinkedIn.

Add Some Zen to Your Leadership Style

These days, it might feel like the only certain thing in our lives is uncertainty. In this atmosphere, how you show up as a leader can make all the difference for your team.  

I’m coaching a couple of leaders who excel in showing up in a calm, positive way. Very Zen indeed. Their presence works wonders to help ground and center others. I’ve seen it in action, and it’s powerful. It not only benefits their organizations, but also differentiates them as leaders.

Image by Schäferle from Pixabay

So, I want to do my part to help you notice how you are showing up. Your presence as a leader matters even more right now in the midst of work environments full of stress and change.

Take a quick look at the list below and rate yourself from 1 (for things you never or almost never do) to 10 (for the things you always or almost always do).

_____ My tone of voice reflects positive energy.

_____ The pace of my speech is evenly paced and calm.

_____ I take a moment to personally connect with others before discussing the topic at hand.

_____ I let others finish speaking without interrupting.

_____ When I respond, my response reflects that I heard what the other person said.

_____ I am fully engaged and present during in-person or virtual meetings; I don’t multi-task.

_____ I notice the stress level of others around me and adjust my style accordingly.

_____ I thank others and recognize them for their contributions.

Now that you’ve assessed how you’re doing, identify one area to prioritize for the next week. For example, to minimize distractions during meetings you might turn off email and instant message notifications. If you need to look at something urgent on your device during a meeting, consider letting other attendees know. (“It looks like Greg just emailed me the report we were waiting for, so I have to take a quick look.”)

To help you address any root causes that keep you from feeling grounded and centered, take a look at some of my past blog articles below. After all, it’s a lot easier to exude calm and Zen when you feel calm yourself!

• How to Stop the Loop of Negative Self-Talk

• Maintaining Focus in the Midst of Chaos

• Crazy Day? Here’s How to Get Centered

• How to Overcome Negative Feelings

• 4 Ways to Keep Your Busy Life from Taking Over

And if you’re ready to take the next steps in building your leadership presence, I invite you to consider executive coaching with me or explore my self-paced tools, including the award-winning New Lens app.

How to Focus on Your Well-Being in 2022

Before your schedule fills back up again after the holidays, it’s a good time to check in on your well-being. If you’re a regular reader, you know that I’ve always taught that the quality of your leadership (i.e., how you “show up”) depends on your physical and mental well-being.  In demanding times like these, that’s even more true. 

In the current environment, self-care is a critical strategy rather than something to get to when you have a spare moment. You and I both know that those spare moments may never come. So how can you start the year with a focus on you and your well-being?

3 Questions to Ask Yourself

First, let’s get a sense of how you’re doing right now. Life often gets so busy that we lose sight of this. This is why it helps to reflect before you take action.

1. How would you rate your energy level on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 is high)?

2. What one or two derailing behaviors do you want to eliminate from your daily routine? 

3. What are one or two simple changes you can make right now to support your well-being in 2022? Keep in mind the strategies that energize you and have already proven effective.

How I’m Making Shifts

To help you think about these questions, I want to share what answering them brought up for me.

I know from experience that I’m happier and more productive when I go to bed on time and exercise or meditate first thing in the morning. Leading up to the holidays, I had let this personal best practice fall by the wayside. I had gotten into the habit of working too late and then staying up even later doing something to decompress, like watching TV. Instead of jumping out of bed well-rested, I started hitting the snooze button each morning. This put a damper on my energy level. On top of that, I got drawn into reading the depressing news notifications on my phone when I finally woke up.

As I start off this year, I’m being much more intentional about my sleeping and waking habits. I have set more realistic expectations for myself, especially when I know I’ll be really busy, and have let go of all-or-nothing thinking. If I can’t do a full workout in the morning, a 10-minute walk or run still has benefits. I’ve adjusted the notifications on my phone and read the news when it’s less likely to affect my mindset. 

Another way I support my well-being is by proactively managing my calendar. This is a work-in-progress. I’ve been experimenting with blocking out time on my calendar for different kinds of work and then evaluating whether I used those blocks as planned. Over the past six months, I’ve tweaked my system three times to align with when I have the most energy, my clients’ needs, and the work I actually need to get done. 

What Steps Can You Commit to?

As you think about how to better support your own well-being, remember that it’s not about perfection or having everything all figured out before you take action. It is a process of continuous improvement. Commit to just one or two small changes right now and then see how they affect your energy and well-being. Use what you learn to help you continue to refine your approach. And remember that small steps lead to big results.

If you’re looking for even more actionable strategies to start your year on the right foot, check out my award-winning New Lens app. It features bite-size lessons like the ones in this article that you can quickly absorb and apply.

Retain Women Amid ‘the Great Resignation’

I’ve written before about “the Great Resignation” — the record number of people who have been leaving their jobs this year. Now we’re seeing more and more headlines that women are driving this phenomenon.

Photo by Alexander Suhorucov from Pexels

The Women in the Workplace 2021 report from McKinsey & Company and Lean In highlighted the growing crisis:

One in three women says that they have considered downshifting their career or leaving the workforce this year, compared with one in four who said this a few months into the pandemic. Additionally, four in ten women have considered leaving their company or switching jobs—and high employee turnover in recent months suggests that many of them are following through. … The risk to women, and to the companies that depend on their contributions, remains very real.

As we look toward the new year, I wanted to share some ideas about how organizations can turn this situation around in 2022. Hopefully, you’ll find at least one strategy on this list that you can bring to your own workplace.

Offer More Flexibility

Remote work and flexible schedules skyrocketed during the pandemic. Now some companies, including tech giants, are making those changes permanent. For example, Microsoft now allows employees to work from anywhere for half of their work week, and even 100% remotely with manager approval.

Flexibility is especially important to women. That makes sense, considering that women make up 75% of caregivers. However, simply offering remote or hybrid work options is not a cure-all when it comes to retaining women. Such changes must be implemented thoughtfully to ensure that women who are working remotely are not penalized for being less visible at the office

Promote Mentorship and Sponsorship

Understandably, women are leaving their jobs when they don’t see opportunities for advancement. And one reason that women don’t move up the ladder at the same rate as men do is that men are sponsored more often. 

What’s the difference between a mentor and a sponsor? While both provide valuable career advice, sponsors also connect you to opportunities and advocate for you.

A program that connects women to mentors and sponsors sends a powerful message. That’s what companies like HERE Technologies have found.

Emphasize Wellbeing

During the pandemic, more organizations began to embrace the idea that employee wellbeing isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s essential for sustainable success. Because women are more stressed and burned out than men are, wellbeing initiatives are a powerful tool for retaining women employees. 

Your company can support employees by offering wellness subsidies, as Deloitte and DocuSign do. Or you could help employees access mental health services, as Starbucks and Target do.

Resources You Can Use

At Newberry Executive Solutions, our focus is providing resources that organizations can use to engage and retain the women leaders that are so crucial to their future. As your company makes plans for 2022, I invite you to explore our programs, books, New Lens app and other offerings that can help you invest in women.

Leadership Advice on the Go

This time of year, you might be spending more time traveling, whether for errands around town or holiday visits across the country. As you do, I wanted to share some of my interviews and presentations on leadership that you can take along with you. Just follow the links to listen.

Image by Markus Winkler from Pixabay

‘Beyond Barriers’

I recently joined Monica Marquez on the “Beyond Barriers” podcast. We discussed how to gain clarity on your career path and make decisions with confidence in the midst of uncertainty, risk-taking strategies, codifying your unique value proposition, and promoting your value without bragging. 

‘Be a Wave Maker’

2020 was epic with lessons of a lifetime from my unexpected battle with cancer (I won), navigating through a pandemic and running a business. Don’t underestimate the power of one step at a time or any of the simple but powerful resilience strategies I mention here. They will lead you to big results. I talk more about "Building a Change Mindset" with Patti Johnson on the "Be a Wave Maker: Conversations on Change" podcast.  

‘The STaR Coach Show’

With tight schedules and budgets, how can you get the coaching that you need or provide coaching to your team? Our New Lens app gives you access to what has helped over 75% of our clients get promoted. Learn about it in this episode of “The STaR Coach Show” podcast with Meg Rentschler.

TWU Commencement Speech

In May 2019, I gave the commencement speech for the College of Business at Texas Woman's University. As a big fan of TWU and an inaugural advisory council member of its Institute for Women's Leadership, this opportunity meant a lot to me. Listen for a powerful, timeless message about how to achieve your goals in tough circumstances. I hope will give you a little inspiration and remind you of what is possible.

More Leadership Development Resources

Ready to hear more? My WOW! Program℠ is for high-performing women who want to elevate their careers and leadership skills, in a way that works for them. It contains six audio modules designed to take you from gaining insight to taking action. And you can access the information when, where, and as often as you like.