Tag: personal development

Barbie the Leader

Posted on by Ella Bates

While Barbie is a fictional doll (and a REALLY funny movie) her journey, attributes, and evolution over time can provide symbolic parallels to leadership qualities and strategies. Here's why you might consider comparing leadership and Barbie, humor me

THE AGILE DOLL Barbie effortlessly takes on various roles and professions, showcasing adaptability and a willingness to learn new skills. This versatility is a key trait of effective leaders.

SHE HAS CONFIDENCE Barbie exudes confidence in every situation, inspiring those around her to believe in their own abilities and take on challenges with self-assurance.

BARBIE THE INNOVATOR With her ever-evolving styles, careers, and adventures, Barbie encourages creativity and embraces change, mirroring the qualities of innovative leaders.

BARBIE & COLLABORATION Barbie often engages in group activities with her friends and family, emphasizing the importance of teamwork and collaboration in leadership, fostering strong relationships and mutual support.

SHE EMPOWERS OTHERS Barbie's diverse range of occupations and achievements promotes empowerment, showing that leaders can break boundaries and inspire others to do the same.

How is this knowledge useful?  Use it as talking points in your next team meeting, use as an icebreaker.

Ella Bates is your Employee Learning Specialist, specializing in Leadership Skills, take a look at our Leadership Toolkit

Vacation Burnout

Posted on by Ella Bates

As the temperature rises and the days got longer, your staff easily anticipated the summer break for relaxation, vacations, and a chance to recharge.

However, the concept of summer burnout among employees is a real phenomenon, read why it happens and how you can support your teams.

Understanding Summer Burnout

While summer is all fun and leisure, it can also bring its share of stress and exhaustion. So many reasons for this:  

Workload Management: Pressure to complete tasks/frenzied working leaves them drained.

Unrealistic Expectations: Some employees might struggle with balancing work commitments and personal plans, leading to feelings of overwhelm.

Team Dynamics: Staffing shortages, shouldering extra responsibilities.  

Fear of Falling Behind: Many employees fear missing out or falling behind during their absence. This can drive them to stay connected even during their time off, disrupting the benefits of vacation.

FOMO:  Social media can contribute to feelings of inadequacy as employees see peers sharing their seemingly perfect vacations. 

So how do you support them in the transition to this new season?

As leaders, you have the power to create a work environment that acknowledges and addresses summer burnout. Here are five actionable strategies to support your team:

  1. Set Realistic Expectations for their next vacation: Communicate clearly about work expectations during the summer months. Allow your team members to plan their workload effectively and avoid overloading them before their vacations. Encourage open discussions about priorities.
  2. Encourage Disconnecting the rest of the year: Vacations are NOT just for summer!  Lead by example and emphasize the importance of unplugging during vacations. Remind your team that taking a break is not only acceptable but also essential for maintaining their well-being and long-term productivity.
  3. Recognize and Celebrate Accomplishments: Highlight your team's achievements, no matter how small. Positive reinforcement can boost morale and help combat feelings of inadequacy. Create a culture where employees feel valued for their efforts.
  4. Plan Team-Building Activities: Engage your team with an outing or event planned.  Foster a sense of community and give employees something to look forward to outside of their daily tasks.
  5. Boost their Skills: Plan a  motivational skills building workshop. Engaging with external training providers like us will boost their skills, deepen motivation and give them a chance to grow.  

Summer burnout is a reality that must be addressed to make sure your staff's well being is being nurtured and productivity is sustained.  Create an environment where there is always a time for relaxation, growth, and re invigoration. As the temperature rises, let your leadership shine brighter by providing the guidance and empathy your team needs to thrive during the summer months and beyond, we are ready to help you within this transition.

Ella Bates is your Workplace Learning Trainer, specializing in high impact learning experiences from cruise ships to aircraft hangers from fortune 500 companies to manufacturing plants and unions.  You are promised a dynamic experience!  Sign up for tips (no spam just tips) for how to engage your staff and keep them growing here.

Time to Manage the Boss

Posted on by Ella Bates

Managing your boss may sound like a daunting task, but it's a skill that can take your career to new heights! Knowing how to manage upwards means being able to communicate effectively, anticipate your boss's needs, and align your work with their goals. It's all about building a strong relationship with your boss and ensuring mutual success. So, don't underestimate the power of managing upwards - it could be the key to unlocking your full potential in the workplace.

Our TOP 5 Ways to Manage Upwards Effectively

  • Communicate really well with each other Communication is key to any successful relationship, and this is especially true when managing upwards. Make sure you are communicating clearly and regularly with your boss. Keep them updated on your projects and progress, and ask for feedback and guidance when necessary.
  • Understand their mission: What are your boss's goals, what are they prioritizing?  Align YOUR work with what they are prioritizing.  
  • Get proactive: Are you sat waiting to be delegated to?  I invite you to take initiative and identify projects/opportunities that align and WORK ON THEM proactively.
  • Have your Solution Hat On:  Focus on solutions when challenges arise, take ownership of finding a solution and suggestions/ideas.  
  • Build relationships with key players: There are politics in organizations, its time to build relationships with people such as other departments, senior leaders.  Things get done a whole lot quicker!

Make it your mission to manage upwards and you will see significant impact in your career growth and success. By building a strong, productive relationship with your boss based on trust, communication, and mutual respect, you can better understand their expectations, provide value, build trust, navigate organizational politics, and ultimately, achieve greater success which brings more joy at work!  

Ella Bates - Skills Trainer

The one who knows, no-one deserves a bad work day.  We help organizations from Fortune 500 companies to Manufacturing plants bringing high-impact learning experiences that create more joy and better results at work.  Connect with us

Why cant you just tell people what to do?

Posted on by Ella Bates

Thankfully we aren't in an autocratic society, nor is it 1965, but it would be easier if we could just tell our staff what to do.  We know 100% that this doesn't

  • maintain motivation
  • inspire hard work
  • retain staff
  • create an enjoyable workspace

So we can you do instead?  

As a manager, there are many ways to help your team members grow and develop their skills. Teaching and telling is certainly one approach, coaching can be a more effective way to support your employees in achieving their goals and improving their performance. Here are a few reasons why you might consider this for you as a leader:

More PERSON Focused We often assume everyone learns the same way, coaching is more personalized to be able to identify together their strengths and weaknesses and make any task/goal/plan individualized.  

It builds RELATIONSHIPS Coaching is more collaborative: Teaching can often feel like a one-way transfer of knowledge, with the manager being the expert and the employee being the student.  When you ask great question in a collaborative way, you work together which creates more commitment and accountability.  

Its hugely empowering, if you give someone the answers they need to take action/solve a problem, it creates dependence on you!  Help your employees develop their own problem-solving skills so they can grow and improve on their own.  

If you are ready to use this powerful tool  and be a leader that coaches (you can learn how here)  you can support your teams to achieve the goals and improve their own performance with simple questions.  Download your FREE guide to asking great questions here.  

Ella Bates - Skills Trainer

The one who knows, no-one deserves a bad work day.  We help organizations from Fortune 500 companies to Manufacturing plants bringing high-impact learning experiences that create more joy and better results at work.  Connect with us below!

Forget Balance – Try Harmony Instead

Posted on by Ella Bates

Who has heard of the term Work-life balance? What do you think of when you hear this?

People use it as a measuring stick as to how happy they are feeling, but there are many ways you can play in your life and enjoy work too. 

Since the world of time management became “fashionable” in the late 80’s (do you remember palm pilots and trench coats?) People have been trying so very hard to gain Work Life Balance, a perceived switch off from work into home and vice versa.

But its time to address, that this, simply put, is NOT POSSIBLE!

Person Wearing Black Low-top Sneakers Standing on Railing

Firstly, the illusion of balance is an impossible goal of perfection.

Secondly, I’d like to give you the perspective that you should be looking for harmony instead and that is a harmonization that works for YOU only.

Some people gain their socialization from work, therefore putting all the stress on “life” being the place to get your socialization would be challenging. Some may get all their feelings of accomplishment from the workplace, does that mean that we have to strive for it in both places?

We are under such extreme pressure to have this illusive balance.

We are under such extreme pressure to have this illusive balance. Please know that MORE THAN EVER, our lives are intertwined, babies are appearing on laps during meetings, medical appointments CAN be held during work hours as we can balance that with working a little more in the evenings, we CAN gain our need for personal development through conversations at the workplace, HEALTH can be taken care of during the work day (a short walk in between meetings).

Time to recalibrate the balance card. Use our FREE Balance Wheel exercise to guide you in the areas that you may want to develop to create that harmony.

Learning Expert, Master Trainer & Growth Coach

Ella Bates Helping busy people since 1998, create the best day possible with our high impact learning experiences at ebacademyonline and creating the best day at work at ellabates.com

Can’t do it? Then you Won’t

Posted on by Ella Bates
Self Fulfilling Prophecy, what does it mean?

Simply put into laymens terms, it’s when you believe something so much to be true, that you act in that way as if it WAS true and then it becomes true. For example. As a child you say I cant ride a bike I will fall off, you believe it so much that you get nervous and fall off your bike. TaDa you were right! (your brain LOVES to predict that it’s right!)

As an adult this can disable you in your future success. What I mean by that is you are taking on the feelings of your CAN’T’s to be true, therefore you wont be able to do it! Did you do the same thing when learning to walk? Did you give up? No. Did you do the same when you got nervous going into your job interview? No, you believed so hard that the job was yours, you aced the interview and the job was yours!

The same works for LEADING other people and inspiring them. You have heard the phrase. “Be who you needed when you were growing up”? Allow your peers, your community, your team to know that they CAN do anything!

Believe you can and you are half way there!

Creating high-impact workplace learning experiences since 1998 at www.ellabates.com
Ella Bates creating inspiring online learning experiences www.ebacdemyonline.com Connect with us on LinkedIn

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Plan to succeed

What is your Plan to Succeed In your Career?

Posted on by Ella Bates

 

Write your Map, YOU are the driver! Would you go on a journey without knowing how you are going to get to your destination? Having goals is not enough, do you know the resources you need, the first steps, your strengths to capitalize on, your potential threats? Do you have your map ready for next year?

Person Writing On A Notebook Beside Macbook

Your growth is not STATIC Your Development Plan isn’t a single document you can check off and be done with. Do you want growth? Your career is dynamic, it changes and grows! When was the last time you revisited your latest plan and did a re-write?

Discover NEW opportunities When you get into the mindset of brainstorming your path in your career, new ideas will flows. When was the last time you gave your career path a brainstorming session?

White Paper With NoteFull Accountability When creating your year long vision and strategy, this will be your guide to tracking your progress, helping keep yourself accountable for the future. Without a measuring stick, how can you manage your goals? How are you measuring your performance?

Better fulfilment in your Success Creating your year ahead forces you to analyze.  Having a  plan to gain more impact in what you do and deeper fulfilment is critical to grow in life.  How are you going to have more impact on those who you lead/customers you support?  What is your mission?  How will you get there?  What knowledge gaps do you have?

Did you know that 77% of people don’t plan year to year?……Be the elite 23% of people who plan their year ahead!  We have a goal setting package for that!  Check out:  https://ellabates.com/goalsettingpackage

Learning Expert, Master Trainer & Growth Coach

Ella Bates Helping busy people since 1998, create the best day possible with our high impact learning experiences at ebacademyonline and creating the best day at work at ellabates.com