generic.png

Latest "Employee Engagement" 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.

Unleashing Your Leadership Presence …

Even Before You Speak

 

In 1987, I flew to LA to a women’s leadership conference for one reason only.  To meet Anita Roddick, founder and “then” CEO of multi-billion dollar franchise,

winning strategies

Photo by David Niblack

The Body Shop, and asked her to write the forward of my book (to which she did say yes).

When I met her, I was stunned how amazingly small she was (even smaller than myself J).  Yet her commanding presence was so powerful, 30 years later, that memory is still vivid in my mind.

Leadership presence includes character, charisma and self-confidence YET is much more.

Posted by Denise Corcoran on April 14, 2015 in Emotional Mastery, Employee Engagement, Influence, Leadership Performance, Mindset, Motivation.

How to Unlock Your Leadership Influence Instantly

5 Power Words That Persuade

Influence is not something tangible, physical or material.  Yet it’s real.  You know when you are in the presence of it.  Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Steve Jobs just to name a few.

The Power of Words

The Power of Words

There is no leadership without influence. You can have a leadership title, yet have no  influence.  How influential are you?  Does your team listen to your every word with attention, openness and trust?  Is your team inspired to take action simply by what you say and do?

Influence comes from the latin root “influere” meaning to flow in. 

Posted by Denise Corcoran on March 11, 2015 in Employee Engagement, Goal Achievement, Influence, Leadership Development, Leadership Performance, Mindset, Motivation.

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.

Recommended Business Book: “It’s My Company Too!”

When was the last time you heard employees taking “ownership” and responsibility for the success and sustainability of the company?

The likelihood is, maybe, 1 in a million.

While I have always been a strong proponent of the concept of employee engagement, few authors rarely go into any specific nuts and bolts about how to achieve it.  Not only do I love the fact that this book is based on actual case studies of companies who have achieved a high level of employee engagement.

The authors take engagement to a whole new level — calling it employee entanglement — with a philosophy and system for cultivating employee responsibility, accountability and a leadership mindset that drives exceptional company performance.

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

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 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 2)

In this second part of a 3 part article series, you will learn the last 3 critical internal factors that either strengthen or prevent you, as a leader, in developing a strong accountability mindset.  Namely, your identity, motivation and attitudinal patterns and emotional state.

 

Leadership accountabilityLet’s first summarize what you learned in Part 1Part 1 addressed:

  • The top 3 reasons why your leaders are struggling with accountability and under-performing teams
  • Why and how your “mindset” drives as much as 90% of your thoughts, feelings, behaviors, communications and, ultimately, results… in all areas of your leadership role, including accountability.

Posted by Denise Corcoran on August 23, 2013 in Accountability, Company Culture, Emotional Mastery, Employee Engagement, Leadership Development, Leadership Performance, Mindset, Organizational Performance, Organizational Transformation.