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Everyone goes through tough times at work and everyone faces road blocks in their career, and this is especially true for those who have high aspirations and high expectations for themselves. However, how do you distinguish between a mere inconvenience or pet peeve at work, and a real road block? And then, how do you actually overcome that road block?

An article about how to make sure 2018 is your best year yet. Are you questioning your career? Are you happy with your lot in life? Could things be better? If the answer to any of these is yes, then this article may offer you something.

This article is about how to use an inspirational style of influence to bring people along on a journey and get buy in.

If you want to become a good leader in your workplace, you’ll need the skill of influence on your side. After all, a good leader is never a dictator; instead, good leaders inspire those under their leadership to follow them to the ends of the earth, all of their own free will

Let’s talk about Bill, one of my clients who came to me extremely frustrated. Even though Bill is a top thinker in his field, with years of technical experience and the unwavering trust of his superiors to get the job done, he’s been passed up for a promotion for several years now. He came to me with one big question — why? He does excellent work. He’s an extremely bright guy. He’s been loyal to his company and rarely takes a day off. He volunteers for overtime when it’s needed and he does whatever he’s told without question. To Bill, he’s been the perfect employee. So what’s happened? Why does he keep missing out, while his colleagues who really aren’t as technically brilliant as him, or even as loyal, keep moving up the ladder?

Let’s talk about Bill, one of my clients who came to me extremely frustrated. Even though Bill is a top thinker in his field, with years of technical experience and the unwavering trust of his superiors to get the job done, he’s been passed up for a promotion for several years now. He came to me with one big question — why? He does excellent work. He’s an extremely bright guy. He’s been loyal to his company and rarely takes a day off. He volunteers for overtime when it’s needed and he does whatever he’s told without question. To Bill, he’s been the perfect employee. So what’s happened? Why does he keep missing out, while his colleagues who really aren’t as technically brilliant as him, or even as loyal, keep moving up the ladder?

What you do when first meeting someone in the first five minutes matters — big time. For better or worse, humans are hardwired to automatically make assumptions about the people we meet. Maybe it’s a primal habit that makes us feel somewhat safer. After all, if we can fit someone into a box and categorise them nicely, then they’re no threat to us. We know what to expect of them. While first impressions can often be wrong, and we may end up being surprised by many, many people throughout our lives, one thing about first impressions is hardly surprising at all — how we create them. In most cases, the way you, your coworkers, celebrities, millionaires, executives and everyone in-between introduces themselves, is much the same. How so? Let’s take a look at the first five minutes of most conversations, between two people that have never met. What are the questions that are going to be asked?

The coaching method can be very difficult for some individuals in leadership positions, because it’s so far away from their typical methods of communicating with those on their team. Let’s look at the example of one of my clients, who we’ll call Adam. Adam had risen to the top of his team because of his great technical skills. He was more knowledgeable than anyone in his department, and it could truly be said that
he knew what he was doing, and could be trusted with nearly any challenge. However, when put into a leadership position, he found himself unable to relinquish tasks to his lesser skilled (but still extremely talented) colleagues.

Coaching is not just for sports teams. From teachers in the high school classroom, to group leaders in the office, coaching is an alternative to delegating or merely instructing — and the results are noteworthy. The primary reason? Coaching allows your team to learn something for themselves, rather than you just handing them the answers and telling them to now “just do it.”

You’ve heard all through your career, and probably even your life, that first impressions matter. It’s why eager students take extra care to get ready before the first day of school. It’s why the first date is the most nerve-wracking of all, as you determine whether or not there actually will be a second date. However, first impressions in the workplace can be the most rewarding or detrimental, whether you’re interviewing for a new position, starting a new career or just being brought on to a new project.