Source: entrepreneur.com When you’re a leader, you’re the one in charge of your company’s mission and vision. But you can’t realize that vision alone. In a recent team meeting, something became undeniably clear to me: Although I’ve got a bold, clear vision for my PR firm, not everyone on my team felt confident about stepping into it, either when I first hired them or even later, once they were an established staffer.
Source: personneltoday.com With reports suggesting a tough jobs market for graduates, how can employers ensure early careers entrants have the right soft skills to succeed? Mark Griffith, founder and CEO of FourthWall, looks at why there’s a need to approach soft skills differently. Despite the AI revolution in the workplace, soft skills still dominate the most in-demand skill set on today’s employer wish list. As LinkedIn’s inaugural Skills on the Rise list found, soft skills such as relationship building, communication and adaptability, are – more than ever – what sets candidates apart.
Source: fastcompany.com Effective leadership goes well beyond bright ideas; it revolves around exciting people about those ideas and helping them bring everything to life. I’ve spent decades in business, starting technology companies and helping organizations transform their IT infrastructure. What I’ve learned over time is that effective leadership goes well beyond bright ideas; it revolves around exciting people about those ideas and helping them bring everything to life.
Source: hcamag.com Focusing on personalised solutions ‘enables HR leaders to deliver timely, impactful support and build more resilient teams’ Canadians’ well-being is on the decline, and employers are being urged to take a more active role in supporting employee wellness. The overall state of well-being among Canadians is rated at 43.7 out of 100—on a scale where anything below 50 indicates poor mental health—according to a new report from Dialogue Health Technologies.
Source: catalyst.org From breakthrough innovation to talent retention, centering fairness and belonging in the workplace drives measurable results. Companies that prioritize an inclusive workplace culture are better prepared for the future, with more growth, resilience, and long-term success than their competitors.
Source: ey.com HR leaders need to plan for the challenges tariffs will create by balancing short‑term action with long‑term strategy. In brief: As a trade war threatens Canadian exports, supply chains, growth, investments and productivity, businesses here must manage workforces with purposeful strategy. Proactively considering headcount, engagement and business sustainability helps organizations build flexible plans to overcome today’s uncertainty — without abandoning future goals.
Source: inc.com Talent retention is one of the primary concerns for CEOs and leadership teams. Every leader has been there — the moment of dread when a top performer, a member of your A-team, enters your office bearing a sheepishly regretful expression with a resignation letter in hand.
Source: thegratifiedblog.com Psychology tells us there are certain traits that highlight natural leaders. You see, being a leader isn’t about having some fancy title or a corner office. It’s about the choices you make, your attitude and your ability to inspire others.
Source: hcamag.com ‘They legitimately have concerns we’ve not seen for many, many years’: McGill’s Karl Moore discusses study showing benefits of cohort-based hiring A new study from the the U.S. has found that cohort-based hiring — where groups of employees are brought in and trained together — can significantly shape whether new hires stay or go.
Source: fastcompany.com The four main traps and how to avoid them “Who am I to tell them how to make decisions?” This anxiety-induced thought played like a broken record in my head as my first leadership training event approached in my new role as a training director. Talking in front of 40 leaders, most of whom were older than my ripe old age of 30 at the time felt like the perfect opportunity for them to see right through my lack of expertise and expose me as the fraud I was.
Source: forbes.com Leadership used to be about climbing the corporate ladder, where a person’s title signaled whether they were part of the company’s elite. The loudest voice at the table typically got what they wanted. The environment felt rigid and formal, authority often meant making tough decisions behind closed doors and leaders were expected to command, not listen.
Source: www.forbes.com Imagination is a powerful force—it can transport you to the most wondrous places or lead you into the depths of the unknown. The ability to see beyond the present separates great leaders from the rest. However, imagination can also be a double-edged sword—if not balanced with pragmatism, it can lead to unrealistic expectations or impractical strategies.
Source: www.inc.com Here’s how to cultivate confidence, credibility, and impact. Gravitas. You know it when you see it. Think Oprah Winfrey commanding a stage with empathy and authority. Remember Tim Cook leading Apple’s global innovation with steady composure. Yes, they’re all incredibly successful. But what else do they share? They radiate gravitas.
Source: entrepreneur.com Here’s the ultimate guide to structuring, training and retaining a winning team. Key Takeaways Success in business depends on building a high-performing team that aligns with your vision, works efficiently and delivers results. To build a high-performing team, you must hire with purpose, implement proper training and onboarding, set clear expectations, create a culture of ownership, address underperformance proactively and reinforce team culture through regular training. You must also recognize and reward excellence. Companies that implement employee recognition programs see higher retention rates and an increase in profitability. Success in business is never a solo act. Behind every thriving company is a high-performing team that understands its mission, works efficiently and delivers results. Just like in sports, where a well-coordinated team wins championships, in business, the right team determines whether a company scales or stagnates. I’ve built and managed teams at Coworking Smart, and one thing became clear: The best companies don’t just hire employees; they build teams with purpose. As Jim Collins famously wrote in Good to Great, “First, get the right people on the bus, and then figure out where to drive it.” Your team must align with your vision before you can achieve great things….
Source: www.inc.com Uncomfortable? Great. It’s the first step toward your eventual success. The traditional image of a great leader is someone with absolute confidence who moves effortlessly through even the most difficult challenges. At its heart, exceptional leadership is demonstrated by mastering storms rather than avoiding them, which requires navigating discomfort. In short, they become comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Source: www.catalyst.org As Canadian businesses navigate economic shifts and global challenges, the role of inclusive leadership has never been more critical. Leaders set the tone and have the most direct impact on employees’ experiences, with inclusive leaders accounting for 45% of employees’ experiences of inclusion.
Source: www.forbes.com Employee motivation is critical to performance, engagement, and overall well-being. But many leaders continue to rely on traditional motivation strategies, such as financial incentives, performance-based rewards, employee perks or fear of negative consequences while ignoring a more effective and sustainable approach. While short-term tactics can generate immediate results, they often fail to build long-term commitment and satisfaction.
Source: www.ctvnews.ca A Halifax business is helping Canadian employees build healthy habits at work. David Howe is the CEO of Bright Breaks, a company that develops wellness programs for the modern workplace. He said they help employees take short wellness breaks throughout the week.
Source: www.forbes.com One of our deepest human needs is to feel cared for. As babies, without others’ care, we would not survive. Because of the energy necessary to develop a human brain, humans evolve more slowly than other animals. We are not capable of being independent until adolescence, and even then, our brains aren’t fully formed until our mid-20s. Because human beings are social beings meant to survive in groups, not as individuals, showing that you care about someone helps them feel included in a group that could be vital for their very survival. At work, inclusive leadership is about showing you care. It helps people feel seen, heard, respected and feel a sense of belonging. Inclusive leadership cannot work if people don’t feel cared for. Feeling cared for is the basis for inclusive leadership.
Source: peoplematters.in The role of HR has evolved significantly in an environment characterized by rapid transformation and increasing complexity. It has shifted from solely an administrative function to a driving force ensuring organizational success.
Source: www.forbes.com Workplace dynamics are shifting, and two opposing forces are shaping the future of work: “quiet quitters” and “loud leaders.” On one side, employees are disengaging without leaving—doing just enough to meet expectations but withholding full commitment. On the other, leaders are overcompensating for this disengagement, dominating conversations, micromanaging, and overloading communication channels. Together, they create a workplace culture that feels more like a battleground than a collaboration.