If you have been lucky enough to have a great leader in your life, you’ve seen first-hand how they inspire, guide and support everyone on their team — in both big and small ways.

The most successful leaders will go to bat for you in the boardroom — or they invite you into the boardroom with them. They check in regularly to see how you’re doing, in work and in life. They actually follow up with the support you need to excel in your work. Through their communication and actions, these leaders build and support teams that drive organizational results and set the standard for upcoming leaders at every level.

For emerging leaders, learning from the people who’ve been there and done that is an invaluable part of development. Read on for some nuggets of wisdom from senior executives who have forged paths, overcome challenges, and set the stage for the next generation of people-centered leaders.

Compassionate leadership isn’t about being “too soft,” letting work slide, or being a push-over. A strong leader knows that when you act with compassion, it communicates to your team that they are valued and respected. Cultivating compassion is an important step to building a healthy and productive workplace. Read on for a few People Strategy tips from Gloria on how to elevate your leadership through effectively demonstrating compassion for your team members.

If you want to maintain any healthy relationship, there are a few recommended best practices: let your loved ones know that you see them and appreciate them, communicate openly with them, and show that you are invested in the future of the relationship.

This is the usual advice for building healthy relationships with your family and friends, but what about your valued employees? The truth is, if you want to maintain and retain your important working relationships, many of the same principles apply. In order to build a healthy organization with satisfied, high-functioning employees, you need to let your people know that they’re important to you through your actions as a leader.

Organizations aren’t static entities. They need to grow and change, and that can only happen when the people at the center of the work have opportunities to grow and achieve their goals. That’s why good leaders are intentional about helping their people develop — because they know that developing people puts the whole organization on the path to success. Read on for tips from Devin on practical, effective ways to help your people develop and achieve success within your organization.

Over the past few weeks I’ve been thinking a lot about what 2023 will have in store for our teams, organizations, and overall business environment. While we can’t foresee every curveball 2023 will throw at us, I do have a few predictions that I’m confident will play a big role in how businesses operate over the coming year. These predictions are all based on one undeniable fact: the past few years have brought many changes to the culture of work, and we can expect those changes to continue to impact our people strategies — while presenting new opportunities to cultivate more resilient, agile, and people-focused organizations.In order to seize these opportunities, organizations must be prepared to JUST DO IT: build a people strategy for the future by understanding and acting on the key issues affecting your people and teams. Here are my 2023 people strategy predictions, with my advice on how to positively act on the opportunities that these key areas present.

This is the time of year to set intentions, choose mantras, and make plans for our next trip around the sun. During times of transition, it’s important to reflect on what you want to accomplish and carry with you moving forward — and potentially, what you DON’T want to carry anymore.That is why now is the perfect time to start reflecting on your career development goals for 2023. Just like with any resolution, it’s helpful to get specific, personal, and actionable about where you’re heading — in your role, your organization, and your long term career. I’ve developed a few questions to help you kickstart this reflection, and in the process, establish a strong strategy for accomplishing your 2023 development goals. Read on to learn more.

Sure, some people seem like they have creativity and innovative ideas bursting out of their fingertips… but there’s actually no such thing as someone who’s just “not creative.” Creativity can be developed just like any other skill, and it’s important in the workplace. Read on for a few tips from Gloria that will help you cultivate a mindset and a workplace that supports creative thinking and innovative ideas.  

With holiday season in full swing, our calendars are filling up with soirees, long lunches, after work drinks, and a host of other merrymaking events. This is a wonderful time of year to reconnect with colleagues and touch base with the folks who are further out in our circles, because paths tend to cross as the year winds down. That’s part of what makes this season so special.

As I reflect on 2022, and think about the challenges and opportunities our clients have faced this year, I keep coming back to one thing: despite all of the changes that have taken place around workplace norms and practices, particularly since the pandemic, a strong #PeopleStrategy equals a strong organization. Period.

Team surveys are an under-utilized tool for informing your people strategy. In this era of data-informed businesses and sophisticated methodologies for surveying your customer base, employers often forget about a rich source of valuable information right under their noses — their people. A good survey helps you gather information about the state of your workforce, gives people an outlet for expressing perspectives, and can be an excellent basis for kickstarting a strategic planning or team building process. Here are a few of the important benefits that team surveys can bring to your team and organization:

Strategic Plans are a key tool for advancing your teams’ effectiveness, and building competitive advantage for your organization. However, a strong strategy doesn’t just emerge from thin air. It needs to be cultivated with intention and buy-in from all stakeholders. Read on for tips from Devin on how to cultivate strategic thinking in a VUCA (Volatile/Uncertain/Complex/Ambiguous) business environment.