Carolyn Stern, CSP®

Addressing the feelings of others in the workplace can be a terrifying proposition. For many leaders, asking what lies behind the actions and reactions of their people is akin to opening Pandora’s box. They don’t want to find out what’s lurking inside. Many managers do not know how to deal with—and they fear—their employees’ emotions.

Leaders of these organizations have good reason to be scared. After all, few of us know how to handle emotions (let alone how to handle them at work)....

Senior employees typically possess superior technical abilities; however, this is only one-half of the equation required to increase the success of your organization. Management and senior leaders must focus on the skills necessary to work with others and get the best results from their teams. Real leadership is about inspiring, motivating and igniting passion in others. 

So, how do we teach people to inspire, motivate and ignite passion in others? We do this by teaching them...

Creating a culture of engagement seems simple, but the problem is many leaders go about engaging their employees the wrong way. Many try to create a fun workplace by bringing in free food or having a 'bring your dog to work policy. Some use inclusion strategies by involving people in all kinds of decision-making or promoting cross-departmental collaboration on projects. Some try the family-friendly approach, and provide on-site daycare, flex time, or allowing employees to work from home....

People in every workplace talk about building a team and working as a team, but few understand how to develop a high-performing team. Belonging to a team, in the broadest sense, is a result of feeling part of something larger than yourself.

Keeping employees engaged today requires staying in tune with what is most important to them, and finding ways to match their motivation to their work creatively.   To evoke any emotion for anything or anyone, a leader must leverage...

Coaching in the workplace is one of the many practices leaders need to learn and master to support their teams. It's not how good you are that matters; it's how good your employees can be, and how well you can unleash their potential, that counts. Coaching is increasingly relevant to developing people and to organizations as a whole. It can provide a new way to understand and assess people's behaviours, leadership styles, attitudes, social skills, and performance potential.