Michelle Ray

Business and Leadership Keynote Speaker

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How leadership affected my past

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How would you describe some of the greatest leaders you have met or worked with? What characteristics did you admire the most? If you want to improve your leadership skills, leaders from your immediate or distant past are likely to have made an indelible impression. I still remember my first encounter with a great leader. He was able to inspire everyone and could remember the names of every employee in the company. (Approximately 150 people.)  Despite the fact that the company experienced many ups and downs, this individual remained positive, genuine, and accessible. As I reflect on my own leadership journey, I will always remember his enthusiasm and sincerity, and I hope to emulate many of his strengths while cultivating key team relationships. [Read more…] about How leadership affected my past

How Millennials are Reshaping Corporate Culture

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According to recent research, millennials would be willing to give up $7600 of their annual salary to find a job where they felt they were experiencing a better environment. Just think about that for a moment.

Think about the fact that this is a completely different mindset, and a different attitude in contrast to generations that preceded them. It also tells us something about the importance of culture to today’s workforce. So we often think about, is that person the right fit? But now I want you to be thinking about the fact that they are also considering whether your business, your organization, is the right fit for them.

So, culture is critical when it comes to talent retention, and keeping great people happy for the long-term, and attracting those people to make sure that they are the right fit for your organization, as much as they are considering you as their employer of choice.

This article is a transcript of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfoWITL2flU&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

Why humility is important in Leadership

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When I think back to my career and one of the most influential leaders in my history at work, it was an individual who practiced tremendous humility and I found it to be an incredibly attractive quality. This was a person who was very transparent and always willing to let us know when she had made a mistake and whenever she was successful, she also knew how to be humble and there wasn’t a lot of room for her ego in her leadership style and today people are still craving that humility for their leaders and from their leaders.

You see, humility is not humiliation. Humility is strength. Humility is a willingness to display that you are human and that you do make mistakes, so be the humble leader because when you are the humble leader, you are the authentic leader and that will add to your repertoire of skills that will make you successful for years to come.

One of the most decorated war veterans in Australia was a fellow by the name of Sir Edward Dunlop and he had this to say about humility. He says the ideal leader is the servant of all able to display humility without the loss of authority. Humility as a leader is one of the most desirable qualities that you can posses. It’s what makes you authentic, it’s what makes you attractive to your workforce.

So, remember, humility is something that all of us can tap into. All we need to do is show our true selves and show up in total integrity and honesty.

This article is a transcript of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIOtJBcnoww&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

Why Conflict Management is an Essential Interpersonal Skill

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Conflict management is the higher order of interpersonal skills. It is so important as a leader that you are able, that you that the ability, the competency, to be able to manage conflict. You may not always resolve it, but let’s make no mistake that as a leader if we do not address conflict it is an enormous cost to morale.

It is one of the key reasons to why people start thinking about leaving a job. And it actually is one of the biggest demotivators to individuals who were already performing well and were feeling good about what they’re doing, and they notice that their leader has not addressed an issue between their colleagues. So, your ability to manage and resolve conflict if possible, as I said, to be able to resolve it, is something that your individuals who are involved in the conflict are looking to you to manage. And also the rest of your team are expecting that you are able to do that.

Developing these skills is really important because to the individuals having the issue, as I said, if they feel that you aren’t able to address it then where are they going to go? Who are they going to turn to? They’re not able to manage it on their own. So that’s why they’re looking to you to be able to help them to deal with that concern, whatever it might be.

Time and again I’ve had people coming to me, whether it’s through my coaching services, or during a workshop session. I only had it happen the other day where someone said to me, you know what? There is an issue with another manager who is a bully and I know that my senior leadership aren’t addressing that. They aren’t addressing the conflict between us. And as a result of that I’m really at a point where I don’t think I can stay. And that is a really sad thing.

So, this really capable person is considering walking away from their position after 14 years because their management, their senior leadership, aren’t able to deal with this conflict. So, I’m urging you to think about developing your skills when it comes to managing conflict to the absolute best of your ability rather than risk losing great people.

This article is a transcript of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkvJZeSHmBA 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

The impact of a Stable Personal Life on Leadership Ability

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A key characteristic of great executive is to have a stable personal life, a balanced life. You may think to yourself, how realistic is that? Well, the best executives recognize that burnout is not the optimum state. They know how important it is to take time for themselves, to take care of themselves, to prioritize in their life the most important things: family, health, personal health, mental health, physical health, all the things that make them most productive. It’s not about working ourselves 14, 15 hours a day. It’s about realizing that the more balanced our lives are, the more effective we can be, the greater the difference we can make to our people at work and at home. So to be that great executive, we sometimes need to take an honest look in the mirror and see what needs to change, and if that’s you, the change can start right now.

This article is a transcript from The impact of a Stable Personal Life on Leadership Ability 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

What is Leadership Development?

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So what is leadership development, and why is it important to your organization and the success of your business? Some people might say, “We’ve got to get more customers, we’ve got to find the best talent, the best employees.” In my view, all that is critically important. However, nothing matters as much as who you decide to develop as a leader, because it is the leaders that create the atmosphere, that mentoring your team that are making ideally the best decisions that have incredible influence on whether or not people feel motivated to stay in a job.

If your leaders don’t have the essential competencies to be successful, it really does start with you to make the best decisions and the best choices in terms of who you decide to put in those roles, and how you develop them.If you put the wrong people into the wrong role especially, thinking that they have the ability to be a great leader, that is going to cost you down the line. It’s going to cost you in terms of talent retention. It’s going to cost you in terms of lose productivity. It’s going to cost you in terms of low morale. So you need to make sure that you understand that you have the right people in place, and that when you decide to develop them, you’re investing wisely in your time, in your energy and everything associated with creating the best leaders that you can.

This article is a transcript from What is Leadership Development? 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

Out Of Control: Three Reasons Why We Can’t (Or Won’t) Get Off The Work Treadmill

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“There aren’t enough hours in the day.” …The catchcry for the busy professional who laments the fact that if it were possible to cram more hours into a day, he or she would make it so. When will the “crazy busy” (workaholic) lifestyle give way to a more “sane” way of being? If you were to ask most people to answer this question, the likely response would be “perhaps never”. Or, you may hear complete denial regarding the reality of life spinning out of control. [Read more…] about Out Of Control: Three Reasons Why We Can’t (Or Won’t) Get Off The Work Treadmill

Workaholism – A Sanctioned Addiction: A Message For Dedicated Slaves…And Slave Drivers

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How do you extricate yourself from an unhealthy work situation? Is it more difficult to do when you relish a challenge? Can you tell the difference between being a workaholic and a hard worker? If you are an employer, are you treating your best people with respect, or are you rewarding hard work with more work? [Read more…] about Workaholism – A Sanctioned Addiction: A Message For Dedicated Slaves…And Slave Drivers

Understanding unconscious bias: Your perception becomes your truth

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Spanish philosopher George Santayana said in the Life of Reason: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” (1905-1906) If there is any truth to the notion that history repeats itself, then Santayana’s prophetic insights are as relevant today as they were more than 100 years ago. [Read more…] about Understanding unconscious bias: Your perception becomes your truth