generic.png

Latest "Alignment" Posts

Top Leaders Communicate Authority Through Body Language.

Do You?

 

obama

 

Can your body language …

  • Make a difference in commanding leadership authority?
  • Create trust or mistrust within an organization?
  • Change your emotions after a stressful day?

Absolutely!!

Leadership authority is a by-product of 2 related aspects of yourself your physiology and your emotional state. Call them the yin and yang of leadership authority.

The purpose of this article is NOT to give you a list of gestures, postures or leadership do’s and don’ts to communicate authority. Your emotions and your body language are both driven by your mind. And your mind is too complex for such generalizations.

Posted by Denise Corcoran on May 20, 2015 in Alignment, Emotional Mastery, Employee Engagement, Influence, Leadership Development, Leadership Performance, Mindset.

When Great Company Cultures Go to the Dark Side

7 Signs Your Organization Is Headed in the Wrong Direction

Has the obsession to create a happy, engaged workforce gone toxic in your company?

shadow sideIs over-emphasizing positive thinking in your company’s culture, actually creating negativity without you even knowing it?

Is having 0% employee turnover actually a good thing to sing high praises about, or is it overshadowing another truth?

These are just a few examples of how companies, even with great cultures, can go to the dark side.

The REAL Truth About Your Company Culture & Its Hidden Shadow Side

Most great cultures are driven by handful of sacred values. 

Posted by Denise Corcoran on January 2, 2014 in Alignment, Assessments, Change Management, Company Culture, Employee Engagement, Leadership Development, Leadership Performance, Organizational Performance, Organizational Transformation.

Leading the Way to Greatness and Growth

Secrets of a Seasoned CEO


In July of this past year, I had the honor of meeting Mike Gustafsen, CEO, Virident Systems Technology with seasoned experience in growth driven companies/divsions at the C-level.
  His story as part of a panel discussion at a veteran CEOnetworking event – The Path to the C-Level – left such a strong impression that I asked him for an interview to share his secrets.

In my view, Mike embodies the essence of a great leader – a visionary, strategist, big thinker, leader of leaders, great team and culture builder, global thinker yet down to earth, authentic and the list goes on. 

Posted by Denise Corcoran on in Alignment, Company Culture, Employee Engagement, Fast Growth, Leadership Development, Leadership Performance, Mindset, Motivation, Teams, Vision.

Creating a Vision That Pulls Your Company Forward

Re-Imagining New Leadership Possibilities in 2014

possibilitiesIt’s that time of the year!  Most business leaders are preparing for an executive off-site to define their company’s future direction for the new year.

Yet, in my 30 years experience of working with leadership teams and companies, the terms “vision,” “mission” and “values” are THE most overused, misunderstood and abused words in the business community today.

Vision statements, mission statements and strategic plans in many companies reduce to mere academic exercises with no real value in driving an organization forward.  Why?  Let’s take a look.

Why Most Company Visions Get an “F”:  The Big 3

  1. Your company’s vision lacks the necessary specificity and inspiration to pull your company forward.

Posted by Denise Corcoran on December 3, 2013 in Alignment, Employee Engagement, Goal Achievement, Leadership Development, Leadership Performance, Mindset, Motivation, Organizational Performance, Organizational Transformation, Vision.

The Accountable Leader: Developing the Right Practices That Ignite Performance (Part 3)

Photo Credit: David Niblack

This final part of our accountable leader series addresses my top 10 leadership and culture practices for a strong accountability organization.

Keep in mind that the 6 internal drivers, addressed in parts 1 and parts 2, account for as much as 90% of your performance and results, including accountability.  Practices by themselves, can’t drive accountability.  They can only reinforce and support a healthy accountability mindset.

From Accountability to High Performance: Top 10 Leadership and Culture Practices To Make That Giant Leap

To build a high performance organization, a strong accountability mindset and practices must be embedded into your company’s DNA.  

Posted by Denise Corcoran on October 1, 2013 in Accountability, Alignment, Company Culture, Employee Engagement, Leadership Development, Leadership Performance, Organizational Performance, Organizational Transformation.

Catalyzing Company Performance With Purpose

This past week I have been preparing for a business trip in which I will be working with their leadership team on 4 core areas to drive their compelling future:  purpose, vision, identity and culture.

Purpose — different than a company’s mission — is the single most important factor driving intrinsic motivation in companies.  When your employees understand and align with THE reason why your business exists … your rallying cause … your contribution to the world that — above all else including salary, bonuses and perks — will catalyze top performance.

One of the best exercises I have seen for uncovering purpose, comes from Daniel Pink’s book, “Drive:  The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us,”  called “What’s Your One Sentence?”  Watch this 2 minute video from Daniel Pink himself, offering sample “one sentence” purpose statements from grammar school kids to adults.  

Posted by Denise Corcoran on September 4, 2013 in Alignment, Company Culture, Daniel Pink, Employee Engagement, Mindset, Motivation, Organizational Performance, Organizational Transformation, Vision.

The Accountable Leader: Developing the Right Mindset That Ignite Performance (Part 1)

  • Are your leaders struggling to get strong performance from your people?
  • Are your leaders driving results through their own efforts, not their team?
  • Is your company suffering from operational breakdowns, late deliveries, low employee motivation and more?

accountability mindset

Accountable Leader

Today’s most successful companies all have one trait in common.  Their high performance organizations are driven by a strong accountability culture.  Yet despite many companies’ well-intentioned efforts to create strong accountability, leaders still struggle to make it a reality.  Mediocrity, lack of execution and operational breakdowns are hallmarks of poor accountability and an out of control, under-performing organization.

The REAL Truth Why Your Leaders are Struggling with Accountability and Under-performing Teams:

  • As a leader, you can’t develop strong results-driven accountability with your team unless you have strong personal accountability with YOURSELF. 

Posted by Denise Corcoran on December 7, 2012 in Accountability, Alignment, Company Culture, Employee Engagement, Leadership Development, Leadership Performance, Mindset, Organizational Performance.