How to influence and impact others virtually. In the past year, I’ve shared plenty of content about how to lead remote teams. It was an important topic before 2020, but the pandemic made it mandatory. What I haven’t talked much about is how remote team members can stand out from their counterparts and become more [...]
In 2018, we made the decision to remodel our kitchen. Now we’re in the middle of another renovation…but not by choice. As I’m sure you know, Mother Nature was not kind to those of us in Texas last month. Ice. Snow. Prolonged periods of subfreezing temperatures. (I’m trying to avoid the word “unprecedented,” but it [...]
I’ve always believed that challenging experiences help us to grow. From that perspective, 2020 offered us a learning opportunity like no other. I don’t know about you, but I really hope 2021 involves a little less learning. So now what? While it’s tempting to block out the whole year and focus on the future, I [...]
It’s safe to say that leadership training and professional development look very different today than they did in February. (Apparently pandemics have that effect.) But as I switched my keynotes and presentations to a remote format during the last six months, I have made some important discoveries. Here are a few things I’ve found that [...]
It happens all the time. I introduce myself in a social setting and share my name. Seems pretty straightforward, right? Unfortunately, no. Here’s how the exchange usually goes: "Hi, I’m Sara Canaday.” “Sara Kennedy?” “It’s Canaday with a C.” “Are you from Canada?” (usually accompanied by a chuckle and a wink) “Well, no. But it’s [...]
I recently listened to a Harvard Business Review podcast called “The Anxious Achievers.” (Wow, there’s a phrase I can relate to!) Besides loving the title of that program, I have been drawn to the idea that we need to change the way we think about managing our stress and anxiety. Steve Cuss, author of “Managing [...]
Avid gardeners know from experience that accelerating the growth of a tree…requires pruning it. To make it grow bigger, you have to cut it back. That counterintuitive principle also applies to professionals. If we want remarkable business growth, we need the courage to prune things back, our schedules, our projects, and our commitments. We must [...]
We can make every effort to be objective, rational, and open-minded when making decisions or contemplating new ideas, but there are several roadblocks that may get in the way. The first one is cognitive bias. We simply can’t escape its effects. I’ll give you an example. You’re presented with a new business opportunity. Naturally, you’ll [...]
Every day we generate 2.5 quintillion bytes of data. This information has led to some tremendous breakthroughs with the potential to improve thousands of lives. As leaders, we also have mountains of data available to us—honestly, more than we can assimilate or make sense of. Yet huge decisions are made every day based solely on [...]
Leaders have a powerful influence on an organization’s culture. They set the tone for how employees perceive their work experience, so leadership and culture go hand in hand. In many ways, leaders’ success depends on their ability to help shape and uphold organizational culture. That’s a formidable task—and one that requires selflessness, conviction and strong [...]