Month: January 2022

Transition Hurdles for Leaders

Posted on by Jan Hovrud

Transition Hurdles for LeadersTransition Image

Building a career in leadership involves having critical abilities to adapt and flourish in new work environments.

In a study at the Harvard Business School General Business Program, leaders had an average of 16 years of business experience, had experienced 5.5 promotions, changed bosses an average of every 1.5 years, worked for 2.4 companies, and made 1.5 international moves.

In other words, change is a constant in the quest for higher level leadership.

In the article, The Eight Toughest Transitions for Leaders, Michael D. Watkins, outlines the types of career moves that most executives face.

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The Flames of Burnout

Posted on by Jan Hovrud

The Flames of BurnoutBurnout Image

“37% of full time employees say that they are now doing the work of two people; 30% say they are burned out.”

Careerbuilders.com, October 2009, based on a survey of 4,435 full time employees

Burnout is a state of emotional, mental and physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. As stress continues, burnout seems to take on a life of its own.

People feel pulled from all angles of their lives in an increasingly complex, fast paced world. The negative effects may spill over into every area of life – work, social and personal.

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Understanding Your Approach to Conflict

Posted on by Jan Hovrud

Understanding Your Approach to Conflict

  Thumbs Up / Thumbs Down Conflict Image

People make critical decisions and choices during conflict. Taking responsibility means acknowledging how you may have contributed through actions, words and behaviors.

The Conflict Dynamics Profile® is an instrument that provides people with a honest appraisal of constructive and destructive behaviors, as well as, conflict hot buttons. The CDP® has been developed based on the concept of conflict as “dynamic” – with a beginning, middle and end – an active process.

Some behaviors heighten the process and cause it to escalate and erupt; other behaviors can interrupt the process, reduce the conflict and transform it into a problem-solving mode.

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Lessons Learned from the Undercover Boss

Posted on by Jan Hovrud

Lessons Learned from the Undercover Boss

  Undercover Boss Image

Do you know what your employees are thinking?

Do you have a pulse of what is going on in your organization?

You review employee surveys, conduct brown bag lunches, have your Human Resource Department facilitate focus groups, but how much do you really know?

This was the question that motivated Stephen Martin, a CEO in a medium sized civil engineering group in the U.K. to go undercover as an employee, to find out what was going on in the Clugston Group (Financial Times newspaper, June 9, 2009).

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