Michelle Ray

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The power of relationships in the digital age

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When you take care of relationships, you take care of everything. A powerful statement from Peter, a leader in a professional services organization I just met. He was on a mission to help his Gen Z staff engage with their clients in person. His challenge: The majority worked remotely and were swamped with administrative, routine activities of their day-to-day responsibilities that kept them confined to their desks and away from in-person interactions with colleagues and clients.

It is critical to mentor the next generation so that they “understand how business works” (in Peter’s words). Creating relationship-building opportunities while managing hybrid work environments is a primary leadership responsibility, no matter how high-tech our business world becomes.

Relationships are what keep the world turning. [Read more…] about The power of relationships in the digital age

Transformational leadership: Inspirational Motivation

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By definition, inspirational motivation involves two key components. First, a leader must be clear about his or her vision. Secondly, a leader needs to express his or her vision in a manner that excites and drives higher levels of performance.  Over the course of my career, many leaders have asked “How do I inspire and motivate my team?” It is a burning question that never grows old and preoccupies the minds of many leaders in every market sector. The capacity to motivate others is a talent and an art.So, where to start? [Read more…] about Transformational leadership: Inspirational Motivation

How to Enhance the Perception of Your Organization’s Reputation

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Reputation management has become increasingly important in the social media age. This pertains to the reputation of individual leaders as well as corporations. What does your workforce say about your brand and your business? Are you able to effectively leverage goodwill that you have worked to establish with customers and staff? These are key questions for all employers because of this simple truth: Perception is reality. [Read more…] about How to Enhance the Perception of Your Organization’s Reputation

Is Change Management Really That Hard?

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Why is it that so many change management initiatives fail?  In order to achieve buy-in, the first step involves understanding the impact of change.  Individual perceptions regarding change are based on experiences; both personal and professional. As Newton’s law states: A body at rest stays at rest. A body in motion keeps moving. Change is a choice. The adage: Nothing changes if nothing changes is highly relevant for today’s leaders. When a person discovers his or her “pain point”  then he or she is ready to move forward. The same principles apply for organizations. Change is a visceral, emotional experience. [Read more…] about Is Change Management Really That Hard?

Biggest challenges in Non-Profits

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Not-for-profit organizations are facing similar challenges to many for-profits. There are parallels in terms of failing to attracting new members and resisting new imperatives such as letting go of the old to embrace the new. Many not-for-profits are steadfastly adhering to practices that have been in place for decades. Some are adopting a defeatist mentality by accepting membership attrition as a natural consequence of changing times. However, nothing can be gained by “shooting oneself in the foot.” By allowing negative mindsets to prevail, some not-for-profits (as well as corporations) will continue setting themselves up for failure. The good news is that examples abound of successful not-for-profit groups that are engaging their communities in new ways. One of my clients recently adopted podcasts as one of their content-sharing tools. The results have been extraordinary, evidenced by the highest levels of membership engagement when podcast downloads were tracked and analyzed. In addition, committees that produce the podcasts have a renewed sense of enthusiasm. The content creators are eagerly seeking out guests and are committed to growing their followings as well as expanding their programming.

Organizations that choose to embrace change, use new technologies, and incorporate social media in their marketing strategies are experiencing heightened interest in their member offerings and benefits. By emulating the success of innovative organizations as well as looking in your own backyard for examples of chapters and community groups that are thriving, it IS possible for your not-for-profit association to grow…and indeed, to flourish in the future.

This article is a partial transcript of a video on YouTube.

Michelle Ray (Twitter) is one of the best international leadership keynote speakers in Vancouver. She helps you discover your potential through presentations, coaching and consulting. With over 20 years of experience Michelle has worked with hundreds of companies around the world. She is taking bookings for speaking engagements and can be contacted at MichelleRay.com

Can you teach an old dog new tricks?

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We’re all familiar with the adage: “Can’t teach an old job new tricks?” Well, I beg to differ for this reason:  If we don’t teach those old dogs new tricks, they simply won’t survive. And if you’re one of those “old dogs”, maybe that’s you as a leader…struggling with the idea of embracing new realities; evidenced by the way that you have been leading your organization.

Like dogs, many humans find it difficult to learn something new when the context changes. In our current business landscape where disruption has become the norm, it is easy to understand why leaders struggle in a “change in context” environment. Humans are also creatures of habit. We become uncomfortable with the unfamiliar and find it difficult when the context in which we are doing business changes. The adage “repeated discomfort generates comfort” is one solution that can be applied in the face of change and uncertainty. However, if we are to accept new realities, we first need to address our mindset.

Thoughts are driven by our deeply held beliefs, which manifest as attitudes that dictate outcomes. The manner in which we interpret situations and events and subsequently make decisions is evidence of mindset in action. It takes years to form habits and may take even longer to break them. For this reason, the idea of altering perspectives may seem overwhelming. Unlike dogs, humans possess a higher level of consciousness and larger cerebral cortex with space for complex abstract reasoning. We have the capacity to shift our thinking in order to embrace and adapt to a new order of things. The difficulty lies in overcoming internal pre-programmed messaging regarding our fears and consequently, our mental roadblocks when faced with the need to do things differently.

Remember that you have invested a certain amount of time choosing to view your enterprise in a particular light. If you suspect that you are resisting the need to move forward and “learn new tricks”, it may be helpful to ask yourself: “How accurate is my perspective? “ Or “Is my fear real or imagined?” You may discover that your frame of reference regarding how you view the business landscape is no longer serving you, and it’s time to muster the courage to take the lead and welcome new possibilities.

Can your organization afford to get stuck in the old ways of doing things? It isn’t unusual for leaders and teams to buy into the chorus of voices that say: “Why do we need to change if everything’s working? We’ve always done it that way so why should we change now? “ There is a new imperative requiring you to be that “new dog” who is willing to practice new tricks.  Are you holding back your organization by accepting the default “we’ve always done it that way.” position?

Change is possible when you decide to let go and to be willing to constantly improve and to try new methods and new ways of doing things. The most successful organizations are embracing innovation and new thinking as part of the normal way of going about their business.

Now, and in the future, learning “new tricks” is essential to not only survive, but thrive. By letting go and changing your habits and the habits of your business,  you will see what is possible… and amaze yourself in the process.

 

This article is a partial transcript of https://youtu.be/nZrtPgctx5k on YouTube.

Michelle Ray (Twitter) is one of the best international leadership keynote speakers in Vancouver. She helps you discover your potential through presentations, coaching and consulting. With over 20 years of experience Michelle has worked with hundreds of companies around the world. She is taking bookings for speaking engagements and can be contacted at MichelleRay.com

Business and Cognitive Bias

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Imagine a workplace where managers and coworkers viewed one another through a purely objective lens. Or where customer concerns were resolved without blame, judgment, or misunderstanding, 100 percent of the time.

Sounds pretty far-fetched, right?

[Read more…] about Business and Cognitive Bias

Corporate Social Responsibility means you can’t ignore the Millennial Generation

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Cone Communications have found that 70% of millennials will spend more on a brand that they care about, and let’s remember that this is a generation that represents 2.5 trillion dollars worth of spending power.

So when you hear those numbers, think about what this means in terms of corporate social responsibility and how your brand needs to be connected to a purpose because this is very attractive to millennials, and it’s as attractive to the new generation entering the workforce, Generation Zed.

So what this means for you as an organization is to be cognizant of what we’re putting out there and realizing that this is an enormous opportunity and that when we go about creating a brand that is attractive to this upcoming generation who want to put their dollars into something that’s important to them, that is important for you to see it as a market to tap into but not just merely to tap into it but to show that you genuinely care about the brand and genuinely care about the fact that this is important to your workforce.

Remember, everything is under the microscope. Your reputation matters as an employer and also for your customers. We need to be able to have a customer-centric approach and an employee-centric approach to our brand.

This article is a transcript of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aSbrfrF8-k&feature=youtu.be on YouTube.

(Twitter) is one of the best international leadership keynote speakers in Vancouver. She helps you discover your potential through presentations, coaching and consulting. With over 20 years of experience Michelle has worked with hundreds of companies around the world. She is taking bookings for speaking engagements and can be contacted at MichelleRay.com

“Dead Wood” Employees

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This article was originally posted on November 9, 2016, and has been updated.

“I’m done.” If an employee is telling you this, it means she has reached her limit. For one reason or another.

It could have nothing to do with low morale, lack of opportunity, or a dislike of her job.

She may be ready to move up, move on or begin a new chapter in her life.

All perfectly reasonable reasons to leave a position.

However, she may have shut down or become apathetic. Or maybe she is sucking the life out of her co-workers by being negative day in and day out.

Also known as a “dead wood employee”.

[Read more…] about “Dead Wood” Employees

Passionate Leadership: 12 Key Traits That Distinguish The Best From The Rest

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This article was originally published on September 7, 2016, and has been updated.

Do you remember your first encounter with a passionate leader?

The reality is that any leader can be passionate…if they know what to do.

But first, let’s look at why this is so important. [Read more…] about Passionate Leadership: 12 Key Traits That Distinguish The Best From The Rest