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Know what you want to be known for. What skills? What values?

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Know what you want to be known for. What skills? What values?

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Module 7- I always live by in anything that I do my reputation means everything, i absolutely loved this article and have her book in my wish list in amazon.

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I recently spoke to Jill Geisler, who is the author of Work Happy: What Great Bosses Know. Her companion "Great Bosses" podcasts on iTunesU have been downloaded 8 million times - and counting. Jill heads the leadership and management faculty of the Poynter Institute. She teaches, writes and consults on critical issues for leaders and counts among her clients The Boston Globe, CNN, and the Washington Post. In recognition of her lifetime contributions to journalism, the University of Wisconsin honored her with its "Distinguished Service to Journalism" award, the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association named her to its Broadcast Hall of Fame, and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences inducted her into its prestigious Silver Circle.

In this interview, Jill talks about what it takes to be a happy manager despite the poor economy, how social media can create a happier work environment, and more.
What does it take be a happy manager in a bad economy?
It takes three things: strategic thinking, emotional intelligence and a passion for helping people do their best work, even in the face of diminished resources.

When managers think strategically, they are able to look at bigger picture goals and determine what of the many demands on their time they will make a priority.

With emotional intelligence, they can help their teams recover from setbacks and frustration while using targeted feedback to encourage their progress. (Remember, feedback is a renewable resource that costs managers nothing and pays great dividends.)

And that passion? It transforms them from yesterday's parental-type supervisors into what I believe today's best bosses must be: agents. Employees want to work for someone who approaches them as an agent would: "Sign on with me and I'll help you get to where you want to go. I'll be honest about your strengths and weaknesses. I'll guide you so you'll build a track record that serves you well here or wherever life takes you."
How can social media help build a happier work environment?
Social media is a game changer for internal relationships among colleagues and external relationships with customers. Some organizations view social media, first and foremost, as risk that must be managed. But it's wiser to think of social media as an invitation to creative communication. To instant feedback and problem solving. To putting a human face on people who once were only titles and offices. To building collaboration and relationships. The biggest risk is regulating it so tightly that people can't or won't engage.
What do you recommend for younger leaders as they develop their skills?
Don't worry about your age. Too many of the new managers I coach fear that have a neon sign over their heads that flashes "Untested-Green-Inexperienced."

But the word "new" has other meanings, including "Fresh-Innovative-Improved."

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How To Be A Great Manager That Employees Want To Work With

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Jill Geisler I recently spoke to Jill Geisler, who is the author of Work Happy: What Great Bosses Know. Her companion "Great Bosses" podcasts on iTunesU have been downloaded 8 million times - and counting. Jill heads the leadership and management faculty of the Poynter Institute.

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The importance of emotional intelligence.

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The importance of emotional intelligence.

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Module 6 - great read

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We learn a lot from our clients. Their insights and experiences are our primary lifeline to what is happening at every level in today's workplace.

And too often, what we hear isn't pretty.

Overworked, overburdened, stressed, exhausted, cynical, pessimistic, untrusting, disengaged, resentful, frustrated, fearful and angry are common descriptions too many people give us.

Since we began integrating Emotional Intelligence (EI) into our organizational consulting in the late '90's, we've watched it slowly grow to become a more accepted "best practice" in some business settings. Many leaders and HR professionals have come to understand and inform their organizations that all intelligence is not cognitive. Slowly but surely, more organizational leaders are seeking out EI training, coaching and interventions for their employees.
Why is that?
Countless surveys show trust and engagement at all time lows. Reports of bullying and escalated conflict (taking many different shapes and forms) are on the increase.

At a time when creativity, innovation and sustained engagement are urgently needed to restore and fuel new business, organizations cannot afford for their employees to be carrying so much emotional baggage. More than ever, employees need the tools to navigate interpersonal differences, manage change effectively and build strong relationships.
How Can EI Help?
While there are no magic formulas, increasing EI awareness - for people and organizations (yes, workplace cultures can be EI rich or deficient) can significantly contribute to healthier workplace environments. In our work, we are always hearing reports of how enhanced EI skills support personal and organizational efforts.

Let's take the example of Jim, a manager in a Midwest manufacturing plant. In his workplace conflicts have been the norm for a long time, but have gotten steadily worse. Jim reports that his company has tried everything to reduce arguments, lower turnover and absenteeism and implement changes.
"Initially, we never entertained the idea of Emotional Intelligence. I guess we thought of it as some California "love-in" kind of thing. When we heard about training people to develop their empathy competencies we thought it sounded like a real waste of time."
Now that his employees have developed and are using their emotional intelligence skills, Jim's perception about EI has completely shifted.
"We looked under every rock, used all the right language and people still couldn't deal with differences, their own issues and handling changes. Now we are starting to experience what respectful communication and collaborative thinking can do to turn those negative numbers around." What the Heck are EI Competencies Anyway?
There is no universal definition of EI. So let's begin with our favorite "definition." It's based on the work of Robert Cooper and Ayman Sawaf, authors of the book, Executive EQ.
"Emotional intelligence is the ability to sense, understand and effectively apply the power and acumen of emotions as a source for connection, collaboration, influence and inspiration."
This rich description captures the potential of using strong EI skills as a sustainable resource for self-motivation and healthy relationship management. Nearly everyone has the potential to build their capacity by developing the competencies identified as fundamental to the skillful use of emotional intelligence.

With some variation, most EI developers use the following competency clusters to organize skills.

The first two are considered to be intrapersonal skill sets.

Self- Awareness - Our success and accomplishments in the workplace rely on our ability to be aware of ourselves and our impact on our environment.
What's that mean?
First and foremost, what do we know about our mindsets - how we think, feel and act? Until we develop the skills of self-awareness - conscious thought, feeling and action - we often operate reactively, in auto-pilot mode. Unless we have a strong awareness of our intrapersonal process - we tend to look everywhere except inside for motivation, problem-solving and to meet our needs.
Self-Awareness is the "mother-ship" of EI competencies - the foundation on which all other skills sit.
- This critical competency addresses how we manage our internal processes. Everyone gets emotionally triggered, especially in the workplace. The question is how solid are our skills to honestly and clearly identify what we feel - and then to make a choice about how we are going to handle those feelings.

Without strong self-management skills we're often looking for something or someone else as the cause and remedy for our experience.

Poor self-management skills drain personal and organizational resources. Managers spend as much as a third of their time managing conflicts and dealing (often indirectly) with employees who lack skill in these competencies.

The second cluster of EI competencies centers on our relationship abilities:

Arguably, relationship building and the ability to collaborate effectively are among the most important skills for the 21 st century workplace. Some of us are naturally gifted in this area - but for most of us - it takes a great deal of "work" to maximize our people skills.

Social Intelligence - We'd single out two areas that we believe are the cornerstones of this competency - the ability to respond to others empathically - and the ability to develop trust in relationships. Both of these are worthy of multiple posts in themselves!

Although often misunderstood, empathy is not sympathy, coddling, indulgence, condoning, pampering, overlooking or conceding towards others. It is simply our ability to relate to others with care and consideration, even when we don't like them or disagree with their views or actions. Empathy is natural to us all, unless those channels have been shut down in some way. Consciously acting empathically requires that we be as in touch with our emotional brain as with our "rational" brain.

Trust, in seriously short supply these days, is the glue that binds relationships. Can we really be effective in our work without it? We certainly don't think so.

Trust is a personal and idiosyncratic experience. It stems from our values, beliefs and the experiences that have been shaped by them. The more that we know and understand about how trust works for us - and for others - the better. Without that knowledge, we largely act from past experience (not always an accurate barometer) or from unchecked assumptions and expectations.

Relationship Management - Clearly this competency is built on all the others. How capable and flexible are you in relating to others to maximize your personal and organizational goals? That's the challenge.

There is no question that people bring all kinds of emotional issues to the workplace. One reason (and there are too many to list in this post) is because most organizations don't hire for EI competencies. As a society, we are not at the point (yet) where we have fully realized the value of social and emotional skills to accomplish work more effectively.

The three skills we want to highlight within this competency group are:

Regardless of the professional or organizational goals - EVERYONE benefits from expanding their EI competency.

Better listening elicits greater understanding and rapport. Assertive vs. aggressive communication strengthens leadership and influence while respecting the boundaries of co-workers and colleagues. In workplaces burdened with unresolved conflict or conflict-averse climates, good conflict management skills contribute to creating "cultures of permission" where people can speak honestly and respectfully about their differences and disagreements - freeing up creativity in the process.

In the "new economy" organizational leaders must find new ways to increase engagement, retain talent and create climates where trust and resiliency are optimized. More satisfying emotional experiences and workplace relationships are a key to that future.
Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment, subscribe, share, like and tweet this article. It's appreciated. Louise Altman, Partner, Intentional Communication Consultants Join our mailing list and receive our monthly newsletter and occasional mailings!

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Why Today's Workplace Needs Emotional Intelligence More Than Ever!

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We learn a lot from our clients. Their insights and experiences are our primary lifeline to what is happening at every level in today's workplace. And too often, what we hear isn't pretty. Overworked, overburdened, stressed, exhausted, cynical, pessimistic, untrusting, disengaged, resentful, frustrated, fearful and angry are common descriptions too many people give us.

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Module 6- I always wondered why I had to do assessments and test before being consider an applicant for a position i applied for. I understood for banking reason the company wants to make sure I am up to date with regulations and can count accuretly besides reading information provided in the course here is an extra link that was easy for me to read and understand.

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Employee Selection Tests - What are They?

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Introduction to employee selection tests including personality questionnaires and aptitude tests.

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Module 4

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Module 3- I did not know how much Marriott helped the communities in Haiti after the earthquake, Marriott pledge 500,000 to help rebuild communities. WoW!

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This a good read, this article helped me better understand why Marriott merged

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International Management - duties, benefits

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Encyclopedia of Business, 2nd ed. International Management: Int-Jun

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Module 2 - I absolutely loved the articles provided in module 2, discussing what exactly females bring to the table and just how important we our in decision making.

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Module 2- A great read to better understand CSR, I enjoy reading Forbes articles you can always find a motivational quote to get you through the day.

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It's ten years into companies' efforts to engage in corporate social responsibility ( CSR) and the returns for business still aren't good enough.

On the one hand, CSR isn't going away anytime soon. It's an important business discipline that has become the equivalent of table stakes, especially for large public corporations. No matter what the industry, failing to be "responsible" is regarded as a business risk. On the other hand, although significant amounts of time and money are spent on an area that has the potential to increase competitive advantage, improve recruitment and retention, and increase sales, the results are often inconsistent and almost always difficult to measure.

As an aside, most corporations believe that being too responsible is also a risk. How many businesses are genuinely committed to taking a leadership role with respect to a social issue? In the end, most corporations practice what I call "CSR Lite." This is the space that falls between businesses that practice CSR because they need to and business that really want to make a difference.

I believe that every corporation has an overarching social purpose that transcends the operations of corporate social responsibility and, when well understood and effectively integrated, can have profound business and social results. It's tricky, however, to put your finger on exactly what corporate social purpose is. To learn more, I asked seven business leaders to describe corporate social purpose in their own words. Here's what I heard, what I think it means, and a new set of ideas about social purpose that I hope can act as a road map.

"I believe the social purpose of business is to enable all the world's people to live lives of dignity and comfort while preserving natural resources," says Aron Cramer, President and CEO of BSR, a sustainability consulting non-profit. BSR works with a network of nearly 300 member companies to build sustainable business strategies and solutions through consulting, research, and cross-sector collaboration. While Cramer's point of view goes beyond the comfort zone of what many business would say is their purpose, it raises the bar and is a crisp articulation of the societal role of businesses today.

"I believe the social purpose of Pfizer is to discover and develop new and innovative medicines that prevent and treat disease, allowing individuals to live longer and healthier at every stage of life," says Caroline Roan, Pfizer's Vice President of Corporate Responsibility and President of the Pfizer Foundation. Pfizer is the world's largest research-based pharmaceutical company and has a diversified global health care portfolio that includes human and animal biologic and small molecule medicines and vaccines, as well as nutritional products and many of the world's best-known consumer products. As articulated by Roan, the company's social purpose is indivisible from what it does as a business.

"I believe the social purpose of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters is to leverage the power of stronger relationships in service of social and environmental outcomes and a stronger business," says Michael Dupee, VP CSR, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. Founded in 1981 as a small café in Waitsfield, Vermont, today the company is recognized as a leader in specialty coffee and coffee makers, and acknowledged for its award-winning coffees, innovative brewing technology, and environmentally and socially responsible business practices. Dupee's vision of corporate social purpose at Green Mountain Coffee is helping the company to differentiate from its competitors and be seen as an advocate for social and environmental best practices.

"I believe the social purpose of the resource extraction industry is to generate returns for all shareholders and for the countries and communities where mining and metals companies operate," says Aidan Davy, Director of Community, International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM). Established in 2001 to improve sustainable development performance in the mining and metals industry, ICMM brings together 21 mining and metals companies as well as 31 national and regional mining associations and global commodity associations. Davy's acknowledgement that part of industry's purpose is to generate returns for "the countries and communities where mining and metals companies operate" is an important message for an industry that is widely regarded as failing to put a high priority on local communities. Davy's statement was recently echoed by Peter Munk, Founder and Chairman, Barrick Gold Corporation, who said, "Today, the single most critical factor in growing a mining company is a social consensus - a license to mine".

"I believe the social purpose of McKesson is to help organizations deliver better health to their patients while reducing costs in the healthcare system," says Carrie Varoquiers, President of the McKesson Foundation and Vice President of Corporate Citizenship at McKesson. As the leading health care services company in the United States, McKesson provides pharmaceuticals, medical supplies and health care information technologies that make health care safer while reducing costs. The company's vision is to help create a health care system where quality is higher, mistakes are fewer and costs are lower. Varoquiers' view of social purpose speaks to the company's value as a health enterprise that has the scale to foster systemic social change.

" Kashi 's company vision (which we call our dream) is: We Dream of a World Where Everyone Embraces Natural Health. So here's how I see our social purpose enabling that broader vision: At Kashi, we believe our social purpose is to catalyze positive change for people and planet health," say Jeff Johnson, Associate Director of Marketing (Jeff is also known as the company's "Surfing Nutritionist at Large"). Kashi was founded in 1984 and specializes in breakfast cereal, energy bars, crackers, and snack foods based on a blend of seven whole grains and sesame. The company puts a high priority on making positive change in the food system in part by advocating for more organic agriculture and increased availability of Non-GMO (genetically modified organism) Project Verified foods. Johnson's statement of social purpose reflects the company's commitment to social change in the food system.

"I believe the social purpose of Askinosie Chocolate is to not only compensate our farmers fairly and treat them like the business partners they are, but to connect those farmers with our customers to build relationships of mutual understanding and appreciation, which makes our chocolate better and our business better," says Shawn Askinosie, Founder, Askinosie Chocolate. After 20 years as a defense attorney known for winning murder cases on a national level, Shawn Askinosie realized that becoming a premium chocolate maker was his purpose and set up the Springfield, Mo. company in 2006. Since then Askinosie Chocolate has won numerous awards for its single-origin chocolates, gained 500 retail accounts and put social change at the heart of the company. As Founder, Askinosie's personal purpose is interwoven with his company's social purpose.

I've thought a lot about what I heard last week and developed seven ideas about the social purpose of business:

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It's ten years into companies' efforts to engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the returns for business still aren't good enough. On the one hand, CSR isn't going away anytime soon. It's an important business discipline that has become the equivalent of table stakes, especially for large public corporations.

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Module 2- I loved the assignment we completed in course two, this was a fun topic for me. I got to interview employees and read about other credit unions values and mission statements. At first I was stuck on finding each credit unions corporate governance, but was unable to find credit unions information online. Banks (for profit) were easy to find online, but those type of banks I like to stay away from.

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Who knew being a manager had a lot of details, on how to be a good manager.

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Who knew being a manager had a lot of details, on how to be a good manager.

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Module 1- Learning the four basic management functions, while learning the different levels and types of managers. I never knew this was a factor or even existed in management, It was eye opening to learn.