Kit Prendergast, PCC
Kit brings you a wealth of expertise and experience as well as a wonderful spirit, energy, and a gift for inspiring you to create the life you truly want for yourself.Kit's Tips & Books
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Tag Archives: Leadership
Emotional Intelligence 2.0
Emotional Intelligence 2.0, 2009, Travis Bradberry & Jean Greaves, Talent Smart, San Diego, California.
This book is a bit different. Although, I have a whole library of books on social & emotional intelligence very few offer concrete action steps on how to improve the various elements of emotional intelligence. The Talent Smart team has done that nicely in this small purse sized book. It is filled with great and very practical suggestions on what each of us can do on a daily basis to practice these competencies. Pick it up and just select one area for yourself per day to practice. You will be delightfully surprised how well you begin mastering these skills.
Posted in Kit's Resources & Book Reviews
Tagged communication, Emotional Intelligence, Leadership, strengths
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The Business Case for “Happiness”
So which comes first? Success or “happiness”? It’s ingrained in our American culture that if we work hard, we will become successful and once we are successful, then we will be happy. But is this really true? As we learn more about what really motivates people and how positive emotions influence all facets of our lives we see that this formula is actually backward.
Don’t believe me? Think about it . . . if success brings happiness, then each time we get that new job, new promotion, find that ideal husband, new house, new car or lose that five pounds we would be happy. But often something very different happens. We start thinking that this isn’t enough – we push out the criteria for our happiness even further. We are always waiting, waiting, waiting to really be happy.
So this is what the hard science tells us . . . in the last 10 – 15 years there has been an abundance of research in the area of positive psychology or “happiness”. And the results are clear . . . positive emotions engage and motivate us to stretch, grow and perform at our very best. We see the world clearer, especially the possibilities that we could tap into. And from that foundation of personal confidence, resiliency and creativity, we make ourselves available for opportunity. Success then seems to find us – almost falls in our laps.
So here’s the ROI of happiness . . . People do business with people they know, like and trust. We all like to be around positive, energetic and optimistic friends, family and work colleagues. We even do business with companies that project that positivity – think of highly successful Southwest Airlines. And we have total control over our own emotions – negative and positive. I vote for putting my time and energy into where I’m going to benefit the most and that is in my own “happiness”.
Posted in Kit's Tips
Tagged happiness, Leadership, optimism, Positive Psychology, resiliency
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How to Develop Self-Confidence & Influence People by Public Speaking
How to Develop Self-Confidence & Influence People by Public Speaking, Dale Carnegie, Simon & Schuster, New York, NY, 2011 Edition.
This book was originally written in 1926! It was titled Public Speaking and Influencing Men in Business and, interestingly, was actually Dale Carnegie’s first book. Of course, Carnegie later became best known for his book How to Win Friends and Influence People. But this first book (edited by his wife, Dorothy Carnegie, for today’s audience) is a gem. It contains many wonderful references to the world of business in the mid-1920’s but also excellent tips on how to master the art of public speaking. I loved the chapters on developing courage & confidence; how to improve your memory and tried & true ways to open and close your presentations. Pick it up!
What Are You Really Saying?
The Power of Non-Verbal Communication
Did you ever wonder why you and your boss, colleagues or direct reports Horse seem to misunderstand each other so often? Everyone thinks they are being perfectly clear in their communication but still there are disconnects. We find ourselves saying “But I thought you meant . . .”
Often these disconnects arise from a misunderstanding between what we say verbally and what we are saying non-verbally. And research has always shown that our non-verbal body language is far more important to effective communication than our verbal words – about 93%!
Here’s where we can learn a lot from horses. Annette Miller helps us understand that horses are acutely aware of their surroundings because they are prey animals. Since humans are perceived as predators, horses react to our attitudes, behaviors and feelings immediately. By instinct they are very accurate in reading our body language and therefore able to give us immediate feedback to what we are actually communicating to one another.
Now most of us don’t have a horse easily available to us to practice on . . . so if you think that your non-verbal body language has gotten a bit sloppy over the years practice these three simple tried and true behaviors every day all day. They are magic!
- Maintain friendly eye contact – this connects you with the other person.
- Stop talking and really listen – this is the only way to really understand.
- Smile – it says more than any words.
Don’t Wait to Learn From Each Other
It’s the end of June and retirement parties are happening all over town. They are festive events for the pending “retiree” (who can’t stop smiling) but not everyone feels the same way. Often, the managers, department heads and team leaders are suddenly realizing that a wealth of expertise, experience and history is walking right out their door. As leaders tell me, “it’s a tsunami” of baby boomers retiring and for the most part the remaining leadership is totally unprepared to fill these gaps in the short or long run.
So what can you as a leader do? Build relationships now! Don’t wait. The single most effective initiative you can take in your organization is to ensure that the four generations (Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X and Millennials) have regular opportunities to connect with one another, to collaborate on projects and therefore to learn “up & down” the generations. Challenge your employees/colleagues to tap into each other’s wisdom, knowing that each generation is bringing different strengths and gifts to the workplace and ultimately for the benefit of your company. After all, they were hired by your company to do just that.
It’s tempting to stay with what we are most comfortable with – to work in silos. You as a leader have the responsibility and opportunity to create a “multi-generational learning environment” for the benefit of all. Give them an opportunity to work and learn from each other. Try it!
Posted in Kit's Tips
Tagged change, communication, Leadership, Multigenerational, Relationships
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