Are You Underutilizing These Powerful Ways to Close the Leadership Gap?

I have some bad news and some good news about mentorship and sponsorship at work. First, the bad news: These two strategies are extremely underused. According to Gallup, only 40% of employees have workplace mentors, and 23% have sponsors. The good news? Improving these numbers is low-hanging fruit and holds huge potential for increasing the number of women in senior leadership, enhancing engagement and retention and even bolstering the bottom line at your organization.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this topic after serving as one of the mentors at the Dallas Business Journal’s recent Mentoring Monday, a nationwide event sponsored by The Business Journals that brings together successful female business leaders and women who want to tap into their advice and insights.

Image by Sue Styles from Pixabay

As a longtime advocate for advancing women, I’m excited that we’re learning more about how to create meaningful results for individuals and their employers through relationships with mentors and sponsors. In honor of Women’s History Month, let’s take a deeper dive into this topic and make the case for your organization to invest in programs that integrate the power of both mentorship and sponsorship.

What Is the Difference Between Mentors and Sponsors?

Mentors and sponsors serve valuable, but not identical, roles in your network. Mentors typically serve as role models, providing advice and perspective to help you develop your skills and navigate challenging situations. Mentors can be at any level in the organization, with peer and reverse mentoring becoming more frequently used approaches. 

Sponsors, on the other hand, have clout and yield considerable influence on key decision-makers. Sponsors also give you critical exposure to opportunities and visibility to other influential leaders, and advocate on your behalf. 

As a longtime executive coach and the creator of a leadership development platform, I’m not surprised by how underutilized mentorship and sponsorship are. I’ve had many clients fall into the trap of thinking their good work is enough. It often takes people a while to realize that who they know is just as important as the quality of their work. They overlook how much their relationships give them access to resources, information and influence that they need to get work done and to advance their careers.

The Power of Support at Work

While mentorship and sponsorship are good for everyone, I’m especially intrigued by their potential to address an issue that many organizations struggle with: the leadership gap between men and women.

According to the Women in the Workplace 2023 report  from McKinsey in partnership with LeanIn.org, women are underrepresented at all stages of the leadership pipeline. While 48% of all entry-level employees are women, only 40% of managers are. The gap keeps getting broader all the way to the C-Suite, where men outnumber women by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

That’s a problem on many levels. Researchers have found that companies with more female leaders make more money, are more socially responsible and have better customer service. Female CEOs can even drive stock prices. Companies recognize these benefits, and many are increasing their efforts around leadership development for women.

These programs must include opportunities to develop relationships with mentors and sponsors. When you look at data from Gallup, the Women in the Workplace report and other recent research, it becomes clear why these relationships can be so beneficial for women’s careers:

• Women are more ambitious now than they were before the pandemic. In 2019, about 70% of women wanted to get promoted to the next level. Today, that figure is 81%. (For women under 30 — your organization’s rising generation of leaders —93% want promotions.) In other words, high-potential women want to know that they have a future at your organization. Gallup found that when an employee has a mentor or sponsor, they’re much more likely to feel that they have a clear path forward.

• Learning and growth are deeply important to your workforce. More than 9 out of 10 employees said they would stay at their company longer if it invested in helping them learn. Mentorship and sponsorship help address that demand. According to Gallup, employees with mentors are twice as likely to say they’ve had recent opportunities to learn and grow.

• Perhaps the greatest potential for mentorship and sponsorship programs lies in helping more women find sponsors. Currently, 25% of men have a sponsor at work, while only 22% of women do. According to Herminia Ibarra of London Business School:

Too few women are reaching the top of their organizations, and a big reason is that they are not getting the high-stakes assignments that are prerequisite for a shot at the C-suite. Often, this is due to a lack of powerful sponsors demanding and ensuring that they get these stepping-stone jobs.

Ibarra has also found that men and women describe their relationships with supporters differently: Women talk about how these relationships increase their self-understanding, while men talk about others endorsing them and helping them plan their career advancement.

How to Improve Mentorship and Sponsorship

So how can your organization maximize the power of mentorship and sponsorship to advance women leaders?

• Examine how the rise of hybrid work has affected who receives mentorship or sponsorship in your organization. For example, men are more likely than women to receive mentorship and sponsorship when they work onsite, according to the Women in the Workplace report.

• Start thinking about how to weave elements of mentorship or sponsorship into existing programs without overburdening participants or executives. While support relationships that develop on their own are great, formal programs can create even more impressive results, Gallup found.

• Whether or not you have a formal program, make sure your organization is teaching coaching skills. Potential mentors and sponsors are more likely to help when they have the right tools to do so.

• Consider a tool like the New Lens® platform that facilitates mentoring conversations. Our app leverages the power of both peer learning and manager feedback.

Finally, remember that we understand the power of mentorship and sponsorship at Newberry Solutions and we welcome the chance to answer your questions and share how New Lens and our other tools can empower you to support women leaders. Schedule a New Lens demo now, or get in touch with us for more information.

How to Make Hybrid Schedules Work for Men AND Women

Women, Men and Hybrid Work

Have you been thinking of hybrid work as just a “women’s issue”? The recent Women in the Workplace report from McKinsey and LeanIn.org debunks that narrative — but it also finds  some inequity between women’s and men’s experiences with hybrid work schedules. Based on the report, as well as my own conversations with clients and other business leaders, I want to share some ideas that will help you maximize the benefits of hybrid work for everyone in your organization, as well as make return-to-office initiatives less contentious and more productive.

Image by fancycrave1 from Pixabay

Flexibility Benefits Everyone

First, some good news. In large numbers, both men and women said that hybrid work has improved their work-life balance and reduced feelings of fatigue and burnout. Additionally, 83% of all respondents said one of the biggest reasons that they like hybrid work is that it helps them be more productive. 

It’s great to see this confirmation that it isn’t just women who value hybrid schedules. All too often, there’s a perception that women want to work remotely, while men prefer going back to the office. But, in reality,  women and men want control over where and when they work. Flexibility is one of the key benefits that attracts an employee to a company and keeps them there.

I was also happy to see the report address a trend I see playing out every day with the high-performing women I work with. In our new hybrid world, women are more likely to feel set up to succeed than they did in the past. Hybrid work has taken away a barrier to their ambition by making it easier to balance their career with other priorities, such as childcare and eldercare (both of which are still disproportionately handled by women).

Men Benefit More from In-Person Work

The Women in the Workplace report also points to some areas for improvement when it comes to how organizations are handling hybrid work.

It is disappointing to learn that men are still more likely than women to receive mentorship and sponsorship, to be looped in on information, and to be praised and rewarded when they work onsite. However, I wasn’t surprised, especially when it comes to sponsorship. While both mentors and sponsors give you advice, sponsors also advocate for you within your organization. They’re vital to career advancement, but there’s a long-term trend of more men than women having sponsorships.

The report also points out that women — especially women with traditionally marginalized identities  —  experience microaggressions at the office  more often than men do. Women are a little more likely than men (29% vs. 25%) to like hybrid work because it cuts down on unpleasant interactions with their coworkers. Another finding hints at what may be driving those interactions: There’s a big difference (53% vs. 36%) in how many women over men said that hybrid work reduces the pressure they experience about managing their personal style or appearance.

Recommendations for Organizations

So what actions should organizations take based on the Women in the Workplace report? As a firm that has a long track record of helping high-performing women succeed, we offer these ideas:

Right now, both men and women who work flexibly aren’t worried that it will affect their careers. However, as we see more news articles reporting that remote employees are more likely to be laid off, concerns could start rising. Make sure that your managers are trained to evaluate remote workers. For example, face time at the office should not be a key performance metric. You can also look at your performance review process to make sure it treats all employees fairly, whether they work onsite, remotely, or on a hybrid schedule.

While workplace conflict is unavoidable, keep in mind that employees may also be experiencing microaggressions, such as comments on their appearance. If your organization is pushing for more in-person work, consider offering some refreshers on microaggressions. When employees, especially women and other marginalized groups, feel more welcome and accepted, it’s only natural that they will want to be in the office more often.

Level the playing field for men and women, remote workers and onsite workers. Everyone should feel that they have access to the information, relationships, recognition and training that will benefit them. This was one of our big motivators in creating our New Lens® learning platform, which can be accessed 24/7, no matter where an employee is. (Go here to see it in action.) Also consider implementing programs that pair women with mentors and sponsors.

Hybrid work is here to stay. To reap its benefits and minimize disadvantages, organizations must be deliberate about shaping policies to promote equity and inclusivity. What is going well — and what isn’t — with hybrid work at your organization? What else can you do to make sure that hybrid schedules work for everyone?

Fixing the ‘Broken Rung’ for Women at Work

You’ve probably heard of the glass ceiling for women at work. But what we really should be focusing on is the broken rung.

That’s according to the Women in the Workplace 2023 report, from McKinsey in partnership with LeanIn.org. The report debunks workplace myths about women (I wrote about its findings regarding women and ambition recently.) One of the biggest myths is that the glass ceiling is the biggest obstacle women face in reaching senior leadership. But what McKinsey and LeanIn found — and what we’ve observed firsthand here at Newberry Solutions — is that the barriers to women start far earlier in their careers.

Photo by RDNE Stock project

The broken rung discussed in the report is the fact that fewer women than men get that first key promotion to manager. That puts fewer women in the leadership pipeline, which ultimately leads to a shortage of female candidates for senior leadership positions. As the report states:

Because of the gender disparity in early promotions, men end up holding 60 percent of manager-level positions in a typical company, while women occupy 40 percent. Since men significantly outnumber women, there are fewer women to promote to director, and the number of women decreases at every subsequent level.

How big of a problem is the broken rung? McKinsey and LeanIn found that for every 100 men promoted to manager, only 87 women were. The gap is even bigger for women of color: 73 were promoted to manager for every 100 men who were. This problem is not new. The Women in the Workplace report has flagged it for nine consecutive years. But we clearly need to do more to address it. As a firm that’s passionate about helping women succeed — and that has a strong track record of helping them get promoted — this is one of our top priorities. So we want to highlight McKinsey and LeanIn’s recommendations on fixing the broken rung — and add some of our own.

How to Help Women Get Promoted

• Realize that the problem is not with women and their ambition. Some leaders may brush off the broken rung by claiming that women don’t want promotions and are more likely to step away from work. But that’s outdated — and inaccurate — thinking. The Women in the Workplace report shows that women are actually more ambitious now than they were before the Covid-19 pandemic. (We’ve seen the same thing in our work with high-performing women.) Roughly equal numbers of women and men want promotions. That’s even true for women who work remotely or on a hybrid schedule.

• Address performance bias. All too often, women are hired or promoted based on what they’ve done, while men are hired or promoted based on potential. In their report, McKinsey and LeanIn recommend taking “de-biasing” steps. For example, require that managers give their rationale behind performance evaluations and recommendations for promotions.

• Make development more equitable. Do the current learning and development programs at your organization include enough women who have the potential to be promoted? And does the content of those programs focus on what women need to get promoted? For some inspiration, check out our case study “Empowering Women to Reach Their Leadership Potential.” It tells the story of how a Fortune 50 company used our New Lens® learning platform to prepare more women for promotions.

Research is clear that companies benefit from having women in senior leadership roles. But to accomplish this goal, you have to take action much earlier in the leadership pipeline. This is one of the reasons we created New Lens, and we’re excited that it’s becoming part of the solution for the broken-rung problem. To learn more and set up a demonstration, visit newlensleadership.com.

3 Key Challenges Managers At Top Organizations Are Facing: White Paper

At Newberry Solutions, we collaborate with some of the world's most successful companies. Our work gives us a firsthand perspective on the challenges that organizations are currently grappling with and how effectively they are tackling these challenges.

Across diverse industries, a clear trend has come to the forefront. The role of managers has become more pivotal than ever in guiding organizations through issues like workplace disruptions, the transition to hybrid work, and the cumulative impact of years of change and stress.

If you think that sounds like a lot of pressure on managers, you are absolutely right. Amid all of these new expectations, managers are more susceptible to burnout compared with both higher-level leaders and individual contributors. The stark truth is that the very people your company relies on right now are at a heightened risk of disengagement or even departure.

These trends prompted the creation of our special report, "3 Key Challenges for Managers." Our goals are to provide insight into the demands placed on managers, along with advice on giving managers the support they need to navigate these challenges. Here’s just a sampling of what this white paper covers:

• How the 305,000+ layoffs that happened in 2023 have affected teams and managers.

• The emerging gap between organizations and employees in their support for DEI initiatives.

• How hybrid work is changing managers’ jobs.

• The burnout crisis among managers.

• Proven strategies to help your managers thrive.

We are eager to hear your thoughts and questions, so feel free to tag me in your LinkedIn posts about this report or reach out via email at info@newlensleadership.com. At the core of everything we do lies the passionate belief that leaders can change the world when their full potential is nurtured. This white paper is designed to empower you to do just that.

Get access to  "3 Key Challenges for Managers."

The Truth About Women and Ambition

True or false? During the Covid-19 pandemic, women have become less ambitious than men are.

False. Very false.

But if you answered “true,” I can understand why. Perhaps you’ve seen news articles about the “lazy girl jobs” trend or women leaving the workforce.

Photo by Jopwell

Those headlines, however, tell only part of the story. The Women in the Workplace 2023 report, from McKinsey in partnership with LeanIn.org, fills in some gaps in the narrative. This report debunks myths about women at work, including the one that they lack ambition.

Because we’re a firm with a special passion for developing women leaders, the Women in the Workplace report is always required reading for us. We believe it should be for your organization as well. Over the next few weeks, we’ll take a closer look at the report’s findings, compare them with what we see firsthand through our work, and share recommendations on cultivating women leaders in your organization. And we’ll start with the myth of women’s declining ambitions.

8 Out of 10 Women Want Promotions

The pandemic was an enormous blow to women at work. More women than men lost their jobs, and women experienced more stress and burnout than men did. But the Women in the Workplace report found that women are actually more ambitious now than they were before the pandemic. In 2019, about 70% of women wanted to get promoted to the next level. Today, that figure is 81% — identical to the percentage of men who want to get promoted. Younger women and women of color are even more ambitious. Among women under thirty, 93% are aiming for a promotion, while 88% of women of color are.

The report also refutes the perception that women who work remotely or on a hybrid schedule are less ambitious. In fact, they’re a little more likely to want promotions than women who work fully on-site. Furthermore, across all types of work schedules (remote, hybrid, on-site), women are just as likely to want a promotion as men in comparable arrangements.

What We’re Hearing from Women

The Women in the Workplace report’s findings on ambition track closely with what we’ve observed firsthand. Our work frequently involves helping top organizations cultivate women leaders. (For some examples, check out our case studies on how companies are using our New Lens® app to invest in women’s development.) We’ve coached countless women and spoken at events for women (such as the D CEO Emerging Women Leadership Network Program). Beyond  Newbery Solutions, I’m also involved with nonprofits and other entities that focus on elevating women, including Texas Women’s Foundation, the Senator Jane Nelson Institute for Women's Leadership at Texas Woman’s University, the United Way Fund for Women and Children, and 50/50 Women on Boards. So I have a lot of conversations with women about what’s happening in their careers and in their workplaces.

And what I hear from them echoes what McKinsey and LeanIn.org found. Women care deeply about their work and are constantly looking for ways they can make a bigger impact. They’re excited about flexible schedules that help them manage their personal lives without shortchanging their careers. The McKinsey/Lean In statistics aren’t the only findings that demonstrate women’s ambition. Women are starting more businesses than they did before the pandemic. Women are also more likely to attend college and obtain their degrees than men are.

Build a Pipeline of Women Leaders

As we celebrate women’s growing ambitions, we must also look for ways to translate these ambitions into gains for women at the top levels of leadership. While we’ve made some progress in closing the C-suite gender gap, women still hold less than one-third of these roles

The problem, according to the Women in the Workplace report, is a broken leadership pipeline. Women are less likely to get that first promotion to manager than men are. (And the gap is even bigger for women of color.) With fewer women than men rising through the ranks, it only makes sense that fewer women reach the highest levels of leadership.

 This discrepancy ultimately hurts organizations. We see in the McKinsey/Lean In report that there are great numbers of ambitious women out there who are eager to lead. When these women don’t get promoted, their employers miss out on untold potential. 

So how can we make our workplaces more equitable and help women get the promotions they aspire to?

• Talk about the Women in the Workplace report with your team. This discussion can help surface any misconceptions about women and ambition that your employees may have.

• Make leadership development training accessible to more employees. Companies rarely have budgets to provide coaching to everyone who wants it. It’s more likely to be reserved for senior leaders. That leaves out vast numbers of high-potential employees who could benefit. This was one of our main motivations for creating New Lens.

• Implement employee resource groups (ERGs) for women and women of color. According to the McKinsey/Lean In report, 93% of companies with strong pipelines of women leaders had ERGs with content tailored for women. That’s compared with 83% for companies overall. For women of color, the difference is even more dramatic: 61% of companies with strong pipelines have targeted ERGs, compared with 44% of companies overall.

Increasing the ranks of women leaders is a big topic, and one we’ll continue to explore in upcoming articles. Got questions? Please share them with me on LinkedIn. You could help shape our future content. In the meantime, check out the full Women in the Workplace 2023 report and explore how New Lens® democratizes access to leadership development.

Finding Your Theme Word for 2024: Join the Challenge

As we embark on the fresh canvas of 2024, I invite you to join me in a thought-provoking and potentially transformative challenge: choosing your theme word for the year. This isn't just any word, but a guiding star that encapsulates your hopes, ambitions and what you want to cultivate more of in your life. I find this activity much more impactful than setting resolutions for the year.

My chosen word for 2024 is "Joy." This simple yet profound word holds a special meaning and a promise to myself. It's a commitment to making time for things that truly bring me happiness, an oath to steer clear of activities that drain my joy, and a dedication to spreading joy to others.

Photo by Bekka Mongeau

Why Choose a Theme Word?

A theme word acts as a compass throughout the year, guiding your decisions, influencing your reactions and shaping your experiences. It's more than a resolution; it's a mindset that permeates every aspect of life. The beauty of this concept lies in its simplicity and adaptability.

 Why ‘Joy’?

1. Making Time for Joy: In the hustle of daily life, it's easy to neglect what makes us truly happy. This year, I'm committed to carving out time for activities that light up my soul. Whether it's enjoying time being active in nature, listening to live music, or spending time with friends and family, I'm making joy a priority.

2. Doing Less of What Takes Away Joy: Equally important is the conscious effort to reduce activities that sap my happiness. This might mean setting boundaries, saying no to overcommitments or stepping away from draining people or experiences.

3. Sharing Joy with Others: Joy is contagious. By embodying joy, I aim to be a source of positive energy and inspiration for people around me. Whether through acts of kindness, being a supportive friend or simply smiling at a stranger, spreading joy can make a world of difference.

How to Choose Your Word

1. Reflect: Think about what you want more of in your life. Is it peace, adventure, growth, balance or something else?

2. Visualize: Imagine how your life would look if it were shaped by this word. How does it make you feel?

3. Test: Say it out loud; write it down. Does it resonate with you?

4. Commit: Once you've chosen your word, embrace it fully. Let it guide your choices and actions throughout the year.

Join the Challenge

I encourage you to share your theme word with friends, family and on social media. Let's inspire each other and create a community of individuals striving towards our chosen themes. What will your word be? Adventure? Resilience? Love? Creativity?

Remember, there's no right or wrong choice. It's about what speaks to your heart and aligns with your aspirations for 2024. 

Let's make 2024 a year of intentional living, guided by our theme words. May your word lead you to unexplored paths and a year filled with exactly what you wish for.

Reflecting on 2023 and Welcoming 2024

It's that time of year again – the season of reflection and renewal. For those who've been following this blog for a while, you know this article is a holiday tradition for us. Each year, as the calendar turns, we share a set of thought-provoking questions designed to help you process the past year's experiences and look ahead to the opportunities and challenges that the new year brings.

Image by Annette Meyer from Pixabay

Dedicating just a few distraction-free minutes (as little as 10 will do the trick) to reflect can help you walk away with substantial insights. We've heard from both our coaching clients and dedicated readers that these end-of-year questions help build momentum and set a positive tone for the year to come.

Ready to get started? Just grab a pen and paper. (Yes, you can use your computer if you want, but you'll get the most out of this exercise if you write your answers out by hand because it engages your brain differently.) Remember, the goal isn't perfection; it's simply capturing your initial thoughts as they arise. There's immense value in slowing down and listening to your own insights.

What Did You Learn About Your Leadership in 2023?

What did you observe about yourself as a leader over the past year? What recurring themes or patterns did you notice?

One thing I realized this year was that I really benefited from putting myself in different settings with different people. These experiences exposed me to new ideas, shifted my thinking and added some new relationships to my network. I’ll maintain this focus as a way to continue to broaden my thinking in 2024.

What Did You Learn from Other Leaders?

Our growth as leaders often hinges on the wisdom and experiences of those around us. What lessons did you glean from your interactions with other leaders? Reflecting on those experiences can illuminate your path forward.

In 2023, I saw more leaders who embody the idea that vulnerability is strength. (Or maybe I’m spending my time with bolder leaders!) They remind us that everything doesn’t have to look perfect and that it’s OK to share your ups and downs because it gives others permission to be more authentic about their own experiences.

What Do You Want to Take Forward Into 2024?

Successful leaders recognize the importance of self-awareness. Do you pause often enough to acknowledge your accomplishments and how you achieved them? Identifying your 2023 wins and the strategies that fueled them will help you be more deliberate in using those strategies.

For me, 2023 was the first year without physical constraints since my surgeries in 2020. I got back to exercising regularly and was able to take some adventurous trips. Both things helped me keep my energy level high, and I plan to tap into the power of being in nature, exercising  and traveling in 2024.

What Do You Want to Leave Behind?

Have you experienced any setbacks, conflicts, limiting beliefs or lingering thoughts about changes you've been through this year? Resilience is not merely about powering through; it involves proactive introspection and learning. Reflecting on setbacks allows you to identify what may have impeded your progress and empowers you to make more informed choices in 2024.

When I thought about this question, I realized that in my eagerness to get New Lens® out to a broader audience and democratize access leadership development, I was spending too much time focusing on the gaps instead of my progress. We had some huge wins this year that I allowed to be clouded by my giant goals. Next year, I plan to focus on my passion and progress and celebrate our successes a bit more. 

As you prepare for 2024, equip yourself and your team with powerful tools designed to drive high performance and advance careers. If you haven't explored it yet, checkout our award-winning New Lens app which is designed to do just that. Schedule a demo now, and let's explore how New Lens can elevate you and your team in the coming year.

Finally, I so appreciate you being part of our community in 2023. This marks our final article for the year, but we're excited to return in the first week of 2024 with more resources to help you achieve your goals. All of us at Newberry Solutions wish you a joyous holiday season, a reflective close to 2023 and a prosperous start to 2024!

Leaders, Are You Ready for 2024?

In my last article, we explored how your team performed in 2023 and what they might need to thrive in 2024. Today, I'd like to focus on you. These five thoughtful questions are designed to help you conclude this year on a positive note and set the stage for a successful 2024.

Photo by Rebrand Cities

1. What Can You Do for Yourself?

As the year winds down and we look toward 2024, consider what changes could simplify your life. If constant distractions and interruptions are a challenge, discussing ways to streamline communication with your team could be beneficial. Alternatively, if you find coaching your team challenging due to time constraints, our New Lens® app might offer the supplementary support you need.

2. Are You Getting the Support You Need?

In our fast-paced lives, it's easy to neglect our personal connections. These relationships, however, are crucial, especially during busy or stressful periods. Don't hesitate to reach out proactively for support. For instance, you might ask a partner to encourage you to start your day with a walk or run if they notice you're overworking and becoming irritable.

3. How Will You Balance Results and Relationships?

As high performers, it's common to focus intensely on results, sometimes at the expense of nurturing relationships. Remember, effective leadership is about achieving goals through and with others. To build stronger relationships in 2024, consider setting aside 15 minutes each week for relationship-building activities, such as sharing articles or making introductions.

4. How Much Did Your Behavior Reflect Your Intentions?

It's important to realize that others assess not only your accomplishments but also the experiences others have working with you. Your intentions are vital, but if they are not reflected in your interactions, they may fall short. Regular feedback from peers can be invaluable in ensuring your behavior aligns with your intentions.

5. What Team Issues Did You Play a Role in?

Every team faces challenges, such as conflict, low performance, or stress. To prevent these issues from spilling into 2024, it's helpful to reflect on your contribution to your team's dynamics. For example, I advised a leader who was inadvertently enabling a problematic dynamic by taking over urgent tasks. By helping her team reprioritize instead, she made a positive change.

What insights did you gain from these questions? Were there any surprises? As you continue to develop your leadership skills, consider exploring our range of products and services, including the innovative New Lens® app, designed to make leadership coaching more accessible.

Here’s to being intentional in shaping what your leadership journey looks like in 2024!

4 Questions for Team Leaders as 2023 Ends

As 2023 draws to a close, you might find yourself in a whirlwind of year-end tasks, deadlines and holiday preparations. In the middle of all that, you might not have had the chance to take a step back and assess the broader picture of how your team is faring. But as we approach the new year, it's crucial to set aside time to reflect. Taking a pause to evaluate the collective journey of your team over the past year can provide invaluable insights on the path you should take going forward. Use these questions to help you take the pulse of your team and identify what they might need from you.

Image by Alexa from Pixabay

What does your team’s stress level look like? As a leader, it’s crucial to recognize the symptoms of burnout on your team and to address them quickly. The effects of long-term stress (which we’ve all been experiencing!) can show up in different ways. For example, you may have noticed that your team members don’t seem as focused as they used to, or that communication feels strained. If your team members are showing signs of burnout, affirm your commitment to their well-being and look for ways to address the situation. Do you need to adjust workloads, deadlines, or the pace of work? Do team members need more support to navigate any changes or uncertainty? 

How can you help team members manage their energy? To address stress and burnout, you can also ensure that team members have the resources they need to maintain balance and sustain high performance. Leaders play a pivotal role in fostering a supportive environment that encourages overall well-being. Encourage healthy habits like regular breaks, setting boundaries between work and personal time, and actually using vacation days. And don’t forget to lead by example: If you work around the clock or don’t take breaks or vacations, your team members will assume that’s what you expect of them (no matter what you say).

How clear is your team on what success looks like? Since the beginning of 2023, a lot may have changed in your organization. Priorities and expectations have shifted; new challenges and opportunities have emerged. You may assume that your team knows what’s most important now. But, in times of rapid change, sometimes key messages about priorities get lost in the busyness of our day-to-day work. So, take some time with your team before year-end to talk about priorities going into 2024. Connect the dots for your team members about how their roles fit in and affect those priorities. Make sure each team member knows the top areas where they should focus to have the biggest impact on the business and empower them to focus on those “big three.”

Is there a need to upskill your team? If you have observed performance issues in your team in 2023, ask yourself whether they have the skills and training necessary to succeed. Over the past few years, so many organizations have gone through resignations, layoffs and restructuring, leaving their employees grappling with new roles or evolving responsibilities. Beyond that, if staffing is lean and workloads are heavy, your newer team members may have received little to no onboarding. But even your seasoned employees may need additional training if they’re taking on different types of projects. We’ve definitely seen these struggles and created the New Lens® app to address them while making it easy to fit development into busy schedules and tight budgets.

This week, I challenge you to identify one area to focus on with your team in 2024, and one or two initial steps you will take. This small investment of time will yield big payoffs in the coming year.

Tap into the Power of Gratitude

As Thanksgiving draws near, it's a wonderful time to pause and reflect on this year's journey. 

Sometimes in the rush toward our next objectives, we might overlook the importance of celebrating our successes. This season, I encourage us all to take a step back and appreciate important milestones and positive experiences.

Image by Deborah Hudson from Pixabay

Acknowledging and being thankful for what is going well in our lives isn't just a feel-good exercise; it's a powerful catalyst for continuous growth and success. In this spirit, at Newberry Solutions, we've taken a moment to pause and reflect. Here are some things we are particularly thankful for:

Our clients. Their passion for and dedication to leadership development inspires us daily. We deeply value their trust and partnership — and their feedback, which led to us being recognized as an Inc. Power Partner this year.

Our support network. The people who have consistently supported us over the years have been the key to this company’s 15 years of success. We’re so fortunate to have them in our corner as a constant source of inspiration.

Our community. We're grateful that this year has brought us many opportunities to join with others through nonprofit organizations and other initiatives to make a real difference in the community in which we live and work.

Our platform. We have made great strides in our commitment to democratizing access to leadership development:

• Our New Lens® app has been implemented at several large enterprises with fantastic results this year, making leadership development more affordable and scalable

• Our recent Micro Summit: 4 Core Strategies for Success delivered insights from four phenomenal business and HR leaders.

• We’re sharing leadership strategies to an even wider audience through our articles in Forbes and Fast Company and speaking engagements for our clients and at events for D CEO, Ascend North Texas and AICPA & CIMA, among others.

Time and space. Personally, I am so thankful for the moments that have allowed me to recharge and reconnect with what truly matters. That has included hiking in Sedona and Whistler, adventures in Turks & Caicos, and celebrating several college admissions with my son.

As Thanksgiving approaches, I invite you to join me in reflecting. 

• What are you grateful for right now, personally and professionally?  

• What experiences have enriched your year, even if they were challenging ones? 

• Who do you want to express gratitude to as Thanksgiving approaches?

At Newberry Solutions, we're committed to your success through New Lens and other resources, and always in your corner cheering you on. Let's embrace this season of thanksgiving with a heart full of appreciation and commitment to make a positive impact.

12 Key Takeaways from the New Lens Micro Summit

What an amazing event we had last week! Of course, that's thanks to our wonderful speakers and to all of you, our engaged New Lens® Micro Summit: 4 Core Strategies for Success attendees. I’m still soaking in all the insights that were shared and am so grateful to each of you who joined us.

Reflecting on the summit, it's clear that each speaker brought a unique perspective, shedding light on critical areas of leadership, teamwork, networking, and resilience. I've taken a moment to recap a few of the takeaways that stood out to me. Whether you attended the summit or are catching up now, I believe these insights will resonate and offer actionable strategies for your own leadership journey. Let's dive in.

Michol Ecklund

Michol, Chief Sustainability Officer and General Counsel at Callon Petroleum, has navigated change throughout her career. So who better to speak on the topic “Focus on the Right Work: The Great Resignation Compounded Workloads”?

In her comments, Michol highlighted the emerging challenges post-pandemic where workers are increasingly unhappy, burnt out, and seeking new job opportunities, often attributed to amplified workloads from organizational restructuring. Here are some highlight from the advice she shared:

• Create space to connect in a genuine way. Remember, everyone has a life outside work. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable with your team. “By checking in with others and sharing more about your own situation, I think you ultimately build deeper relationships,” Michol said. “You build even more motivated employees and even more committed employees that want to be part of your organization.”  

• Balance your personal productivity with that of the team. You may be more productive working from home, but your team may be more productive if everyone spends more time at the office. Find an approach that considers both sets of needs.

• Get back to the basics to avoid burnout. Getting enough sleep is critical. It affects how you show up personally and professionally, your energy, and your ability to be productive.

Mark Benton

Mark, Vice President of HR Corporate Functions at McKesson, also talked about navigating the shift to hybrid work when tackling his topic, “Develop a High Performing Team: How Unprepared Leaders Impact the Workplace.” I so admire Mark's ability to surface important topics that need attention. 

One theme that stood out was the challenge of staying connected when working remotely. In this context, building trust and understanding your own strengths and weaknesses are vital for good leadership. Other highlights:

• Empathy is more important than ever in the world of hybrid work. Your team members want to know that you care about them as people, that you recognize what they are contributing and that you are willing to help them.

• Managers today have to help distributed teams stay connected. One way to do this: be very intentional about checking in with each other.

• Be more of an "ask person" than a "tell person". You can help your team members grow by asking coaching questions.

Hilda Galvan

Hilda, Partner-in-Charge at Jones Day Dallas, spoke on the topic “Build a Powerful Network: How Remote Work Affects Relationships & Productivity.” Hilda is gifted at cultivating relationships both professionally and in her community involvement, so I was thrilled that she could share her advice with us. 

She advised leaders not to favor in-office workers over remote ones and to communicate clearly. Building relationships, even when remote, is key to good leadership. A few key takeaways:

• To get people back to the office, talk about why it’s so important. For example, remind veteran team members how much they learned by being around colleagues who were senior to them. Today, they can do the same thing for younger employees. By broadening their perspective,

• Engaging with issues you care about will energize you and can help counteract any feelings of loneliness from remote work. Connecting with others who share your passion can also lead to meaningful relationships.

• Treat small pockets of time in your day as opportunities to maintain relationships. For example, call an old friend while you’re driving to a meeting across town.

Tina Bigalke

As Global Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at PepsiCo and someone with a wealth of leadership experience in business and HR, Tina was the perfect speaker to talk about the topic “Build Leadership Courage & Resilience: Strategies to Navigate Uncertainty”. 

She also gave us insight into how PepsiCo has been a training ground for so many Fortune 500 CEOs and shared PepsiCo’s holistic resilence model which has helped its staff navigate these challenging times.

Some key insights:

• Identify the capabilities and skills your organization will need for the future (not just for today) and assess your employees against those skills.

• Don’t be afraid to have honest conversations with employees about how they’re doing and their path forward in your organization. 

• Have a variety of development tools in place for employees, especially younger ones, who truly want to gain new skills.

More Micro Learning

A huge thanks to Michol, Mark, Hilda and Tina for packing so much valuable information into just a couple of hours. It was so important to us that this event fit into busy schedules and deliver a powerful payoff for just a short investment of time. That’s the same philosophy that drives Newberry Solutions’ award-winning New Lens® app. With “snack size” lessons combined with collaborative learning, New Lens makes leadership development affordable and scalable. I invite you to learn more and schedule a demo for your organization.

Don’t Miss Out on This Leadership Event

We’re counting down the hours now! Newberry Solutions’ Micro Summit: 4 Core Leadership Strategies for Success happens on Wednesday, October 25. If you haven’t registered yet, please take a moment and do so now, because I don’t want you to miss this unique opportunity.

During the Micro Summit, I’ll be talking about vital leadership strategies for today’s world with four incredible business and HR leaders:

• ​Focus on the Right Work: The Great Resignation Compounded Workloads | With Michol Ecklund, Chief Sustainability Officer and General Counsel, Callon Petroleum.

• ​Develop a High Performing Team: How Unprepared Leaders Impact the Workplace | With Mark Benton, Vice President, HR Corporate Functions, McKesson.

• ​Build a Powerful Network: How Remote Work Affects Relationships & Productivity | With Hilda Galvan, Partner-In-Charge, Jones Day Dallas.

• ​Build Leadership Courage & Resilience: Strategies to Navigate Uncertainty | With Tina Bigalke, Global Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, PepsiCo.

I’m so excited that Michol, Mark, Hilda and Tina will be joining us. They have been successful in their own right, but each of them also does so much to give back to the community and elevate others. Having just one of them on our program would be amazing, but the fact that all four have agreed to share their expertise fills me with gratitude.

Can you take a couple of hours out of your day on Wednesday to make a powerful investment in yourself? Then register here. Know a leader you want to encourage? Share the link with them, too. I’ll see you there on the 25th!

What Does It Mean to Coach Your Team?

Over the past year, we have been delivering a coaching workshop globally to help leaders build critical thinking skills of their teams. We’re seeing a huge demand for this topic, and it’s no mystery why. A survey by the Association for Talent Development found that 90% of organizations expect managers to coach direct reports. At the same time, though, more than half said that a lack of coaching skills stood in the way of their goals.

To become a better coach to your team members, the first step is understanding what coaching really is — and isn’t. And that’s what I want to explore with you today.

Photo by Christina Morillo

Coaching ISN’T Advice or Feedback

I’ve found that many leaders think they’re coaching when they are actually advising or giving feedback. Developing your team members involves all of these activities at one time or another. But they aren’t the same thing.

Advising is defining or directing the action an employee should take to solve a particular problem or issue. Advising is the best option sometimes — for example, in a high-stakes or crisis situation under a tight deadline. But it’s also easy to overuse, since solving an issue for your team member is often the quickest way to get it off your plate.

Delivering feedback is describing past performance with a focus on acknowledging strengths and ways to improve. Meaningful feedback is crucial to keeping your team members engaged. Like coaching, delivering feedback can fall by the wayside when things get busy. But it doesn’t have to be time-consuming. Get in the habit of sharing what you noticed a team member doing as soon as possible after you observe it. Even a couple of minutes after a meeting to point out what worked well and what would have been more effective can go a long way.

Coaching involves listening, asking thought-provoking questions and acknowledging the employee’s perspective, which empowers them to problem-solve and take action. Each part of that definition is important:

• Active listening helps you understand what’s really happening with your team member and the situation.

• Asking questions helps your team member develop their own solutions. A common mistake here is asking leading questions that nudge the employee toward what you would do. Leading questions negate the benefits of coaching.

• Empowering your team member means that you are laying the groundwork for them to handle situations on their own in the future instead of coming to you for answers.

Empowerment is at the heart of why coaching is so important. Your team members will never develop to their full potential without coaching that challenges their thinking, broadens their perspective and helps them get unstuck. Learning and growth enhance performance and engagement, which is good for employees themselves and for the organization.

But coaching also benefits you. As we touched on earlier, giving employees solutions when they come to you with a question or issue might save time in the short run. But, in the long run, you’re setting yourself up for spending yet more time “putting out fires.”

This week, think about how often you are taking advantage of coaching moments with your team members and start looking for more opportunities. I also invite you to check out our New Lens® app, which we designed to arm your team members with high-impact strategies and facilitate manager coaching. Bimonthly one-on-one meetings between managers and participants are part of the program, and we make it easy by providing a discussion guide for managers to use.

Free Leadership Development Event

Since we’re talking about ways to develop your team members, I wanted to remind you about our upcoming Micro Summit: 4 Core Leadership Strategies for Success. This is a rare opportunity to get insights from four dynamic and accomplished business and HR leaders, all in just a couple of hours and for free. The Micro Summit happens 11 a.m.-1 p.m. CST on Wednesday, October 25. Please sign up while we still have open spots. You can register here and share this link with your team members and other colleagues. I’m looking forward to seeing you there!

Are You Using These 3 Types of Coaching?

Coaching is becoming a bigger and bigger part of the job for leaders. As someone who is all about helping companies and leaders achieve high performance, it’s exciting to see in Harvard Business Review that employees want more coaching, and organizations want managers to spend more time providing it. 

As a Master Certified Coach and creator of a leadership development app, I’ve seen the powerful benefits of different types of coaching. That’s why we integrated three types into our New Lens® app. Read on to learn about the different forms that coaching can take, and how each one can benefit you and your team.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Individually Working with a Certified Coach 

This is what many people picture when they hear the word coaching. If you are looking for a coach, whether for yourself or for others in your organization, research candidates carefully. Look for a coach who has formal training and certifications. The International Coach Federation advances the coaching profession by setting high professional standards, providing independent certifications and building a network of credentialed coaches. There are three levels of ICF certifications: Associate Certified Coach (ACC), Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and Master Certified Coach (MCC).

I also recommend asking a coach these types of questions before engaging them:

• What is their coaching philosophy and approach?

• What types of clients do they work best with? 

• What kind of results can you expect?

• What examples of success do they have from past clients?

To learn more about our approach, check out the executive coaching page of our website.

While one-on-one coaching delivers powerful benefits, it may not be affordable or accessible to all the employees in an organization who want or need it. New Lens addresses this by providing targeted coaching within the app that focuses on some of the most impactful tools, exercises and strategies to drive high performance. 

Peer Coaching

Even if working one-on-one with a coach isn’t within reach right now, there are other ways you or your team can experience the benefits of coaching. One of those ways is peer coaching. Through our work with client companies that have used New Lens and our other programs, I’ve seen firsthand how effective peer coaching can be.

Peer coaching can take many forms. For example, in the New Lens Program, participants meet monthly with a cohort. The experience is designed to strengthen relationships, create a safe place to share challenges, amplify the power of the content, and promote sharing of best practices. Recent research by Rob Cross shows that peer relationships have a bigger impact on inclusion, advancement, and retention than relationships with managers.

Remember that you can also create your own methods to take advantage of peer coaching — for example, setting up coaching partnerships or small groups.

Peer coaching has its own set of advantages. It’s less expensive than working with an executive coach, so more people in your organization can benefit. Peer coaching is also usually easy to implement. 

Manager Coaching

Of course, your team members also need coaching from you. This can feel difficult sometimes. I don’t have to tell you how busy leaders’ schedules are these days. On top of that, many leaders have not been trained on how to coach effectively.

However, giving your team more coaching is probably easier than you might think. A great first step is looking for coachable moments as they arise during your day. When you identify good opportunities for coaching, remember to practice active listening. Pay attention to what your direct report is really communicating and don’t just wait for your chance to talk. By listening deeply, you can identify questions that can help employees develop their own solutions.

We designed New Lens to facilitate manager coaching. Bimonthly one-on-one meetings between managers and participants are part of the program, and we make it easy by providing a discussion guide for managers to use.

A Powerful (and Free) Event to Share with Your Team

At Newberry Solutions, we’re always looking for new ways we can help you steer your team’s growth and development. That’s why I’m so excited about our upcoming Micro Summit: 4 Core Leadership Strategies for Success. This virtual event is easy to fit into busy schedules. In just a couple of hours, you’ll gain valuable, actionable strategies for success from four incredible business and HR leaders. It all happens 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. CST on Wednesday, October 25. Please join us while we still have open seats. You can register here and share this link with your team members and other colleagues.

How to Develop Your Team When Time, Budgets Are Tight

As a leader, one of your most important responsibilities is helping your team members develop to their full potential. But that raises a big question: How are you supposed to accomplish this when all of you are busy and your training budget is small? Today I want to give you some quick, affordable and easy ideas to encourage your team members’ learning and growth. Be sure to read to the end of the article, where I’ll tell you about a free leadership development event you can share with your team.

Photo by Christina Morillo

Leverage What You Already Have

It’s easy to forget about the existing learning and development opportunities at your organization, especially when your schedule is full. But this is a great place to start when you’re looking for ways to develop your team. For example, does your workplace have a cross-training program? Are there affinity groups? What about tuition reimbursement? If you’re drawing a blank, get together with other leaders so you can pool your knowledge about current resources.

Help Team Members Learn from Each Other

So what’s your #1 existing resource? Your people themselves. Take a moment to think about the strengths of each of your team members. You’ll probably be impressed by the depth and breadth of knowledge and experience on your team! Now consider how you can tap into each person’s expertise. Some options include lunch-and-learn events and peer-to-peer coaching.

Build Learning into Every Day

All too often, we think of learning as something that happens in addition to our regular jobs. But some of the most powerful learning actually happens through our work experiences.  Leadership expert Josh Bersin calls this “growth in the flow of work,” and research has shown it delivers real results. According to Camille Preston, a business psychologist and leadership expert: “The most innovative leaders and organizations are seeking ways to integrate leadership development into everything they do.” You can help your direct reports grow by helping them join a cross-functional team, present in front of senior leaders or take on a special project, just to name a few examples.

Coach and Give Feedback

I get it: You’re really busy. But you can provide more coaching and feedback without taking too much time out of your day. Get in the habit of sharing what you noticed about your team members’ behavior right after you observe it. Even a couple of minutes after a meeting to point out what worked well and what would have been more effective can go a long way. If you want to start coaching more but aren’t sure how to begin, I contributed to an article for Forbes Coaches Council that provides some “baby steps.”

Our Free Leadership Development Event

I hope the ideas in this article will help you create more development opportunities for your team members. Making learning more accessible is one of our key values at Newberry Solutions. That’s why we created our award-winning New Lens® app. And it’s why I’m so excited about our upcoming Micro Summit: 4 Core Leadership Strategies for Success. Like New Lens, this virtual event is easy to fit into busy schedules. In just a couple of hours, you’ll gain valuable, actionable strategies for success from four incredible business and HR leaders. It all happens 11 a.m.-1 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, October 25. I invite you to register here, and to share this link with your team members and other colleagues. 

Meet Our Micro Summit Speakers

I am thrilled to have four incredible business and HR leaders speak at our Micro Summit: 4 Core Leadership Strategies for Success, which is just one month away.

It is not easy to get on their calendars, let alone have all four speaking at one event! They have so much collective leadership insight to share, and we’re going to tap into it through conversations about core strategies that drive high performance. 

The design of the summit is all micro, modeled after our New Lens app, so that you can fit it into your schedule and get the most value from the event. 

In just a couple of hours, this virtual event will give you valuable, actionable strategies for success.

Let me introduce you to our incredible lineup of powerful, hand-picked senior leaders from top companies:

• Tina Bigalke is Global Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at PepsiCo. Her work focuses on increasing diverse representation, empowering courageous conversations and investing strategically in communities. Tina leads the development of programs and partnerships that drive diversity, inclusion and engagement as part of the business strategy, as well as internally and externally. This includes PepsiCo’s commitment to racial equality and gender parity. Tina is a 20-year PepsiCo veteran. Prior to her current role, Tina was Senior Vice President, Commercial Human Resources for PepsiCo Foods North America division, where she shaped strategy for customer sales, marketing and transformation. 

• Mark Benton is Vice President of HR Corporate Functions at McKesson Corp. In this role, he partners with executive leaders to identify simple, yet effective ways to implement talent strategies that accelerate employee development and drive engagement and culture within the organization. With over 28 years in the HR/Talent space, Mark has a reputation for balancing straight talk with humor and empathy. He has used this approach to partner with hundreds of leaders at all levels to link business strategy to people-focused solutions.  

• Michol Ecklund is Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Callon Petroleum Company. She oversees the legal, sustainability and human resources activities of the company. Since joining Callon in 2017, Michol has supported the company’s growth through a series of corporate- and asset-acquisitions, resulting in 500% production growth and doubling of the employee base. Before joining Callon, Michol was Deputy General Counsel for Operations & Commercial Law at Marathon Oil Company. During her 15 years at Marathon Oil, she served in progressive positions within and outside the law organization including compliance, litigation, human resources, investor relations, corporate communications and tax. She began her legal career at Baker Botts LLP.

• Hilda Galvan is Partner-in-Charge at Jones Day Dallas. A nationally recognized trial lawyer, Hilda has been recognized as one of DFW's Top Defense Attorneys. She was also named 2019 Lawyer of the Year: Litigation-Patent by “The Best Lawyers in America.” Hilda has served as lead counsel in the enforcement of patent portfolios as well as defense of infringement allegations. Her cases have involved various technologies, including electronics, software wireless communication and semiconductor processes.

I’m looking forward to the insights each speaker will share. Want to join us for this event? The Micro Summit happens Wednesday, October 25, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT. Reserve your spot now. Know others at your company who might be interested? Please share the registration link with them.

Big Insights from One Little Question [One Thing Video Series]

Sometimes the wisdom you need in a particular moment comes from a surprising source. For me recently, that source was a note I wrote myself a couple of years ago. That note consisted of just a single question. But it’s been helping me anytime I’m feeling frustrated or if something isn't going my way. In my latest One Thing You Can Do video, I talk about the simple but effective message of that note and how you can use it, too.

For more practical leadership strategies you can start using immediately, I invite you to check out our award-winning New Lens® app. It’s designed to make leadership development more accessible than ever through bite-sized lessons and small action steps. Ready to learn more? Request a demo now.

Micro Summit: 4 Core Leadership Strategies for Success

Have you registered for our online micro summit coming up on October 25? In just a couple of hours, this event will give you actionable insights into some of Newbery Solutions’ core strategies for success. We developed these strategies over 15 years of executive coaching and leadership development and incorporated them into the New Lens™ app.

This virtual event is geared toward executives, professionals in areas like human resources and talent development, and other business leaders who want to make a bigger impact and get results they couldn’t before. Don’t miss this chance to learn from powerful leaders who’ve been there and know the ropes. 

It all happens from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, October 25, and registration is open now.

Transcript

Hi, I am Neena Newberry with Newberry Solutions, and I'm excited to share the next installment of our One Thing You Can Do video series, which is all based on New Lens, which is our leadership development app that focuses on micro learning, giving you valuable strategies in two to seven minutes. This video is going to be under two minutes, and today I want to share with you a note that I just came across from a couple of years ago. This was a note that I wrote to myself and I had completely forgotten about it, but it has a really important question on it, which is, what meaning are you assigning to this?

So when I am in a position of feeling frustrated or if something isn't going my way, or if someone's behaving in a way that I don't necessarily expect, the question is what meaning am I assigning to this? And we all have a tendency to personalize things, and this question will prompt you to pause and really think about what you're doing in the situation. And it's very empowering when you realize you can make a different choice than the one that you're making. So I want to arm you with that question today. And for more leadership tools and strategies, visit newberrysolutions.com.

Micro Summit: 4 Core Leadership Strategies for Success

Over the past 25 years, I've seen employees struggle with the same types of issues over and over as they underestimate the importance of certain leadership strategies and skills or fail to recognize unwritten rules or adapt their approaches as they move up.  And unfortunately, their managers often lack the skills to help them. After all, many were promoted for being good individual contributors.

All of this has shaped our work, from executive coaching to leadership development programs and now our New Lens® app.  As we developed New Lens, we identified eight core strategies for success at any level. We got excited when our Fortune 500 clients validated them – and even more excited when we thought about the impact we could have by making leadership development more widely available through a technology-based solution!

Today, I'm excited to invite you to join other business and HR leaders to our online micro summit, which is inspired by these core strategies. Four powerful, hand-picked senior leaders from top companies will each share their insights into one of these core strategies in the context of the world today:

• Focus on the Right Work is all about focusing on where you can have the biggest impact on the business, while working in a way that is sustainable.

• Develop a High-Performing Team can help you whether you’re a member of a team or the leader of it.

• Build a Powerful Network helps you develop lasting, authentic relationships that will support you in delivering business results and advancing your career.

• Building Leadership Courage and Resilience helps you notice your thinking traps and arms you with tools to navigate challenges, change, and uncertainty.

Just like New Lens, which is full of powerful microlearning, our micro summit will pack valuable, actionable strategies into a short timeframe. I can’t wait to see you there. Secure your spot now—and please share this invitation with other leaders and team members who would benefit too. 

When:
Wednesday, October 25, 11 a.m.—1 p.m. CDT

Stress vs. Empathy [One Thing Video Series]

Organizations today want leaders who can demonstrate empathy. So what can you do if you’re not feeling very empathetic lately? The answer I share in my new One Thing You Can Do video might surprise you.

Want more practical leadership strategies you can start using immediately? Reach out to me about New Lens® .

Transcript

Hi, I am Neena Newberry, and in today's One Thing You Can Do video series, I want to share a quick tip with you in under two minutes. This is modeled after New Lens®, which is our app full of micro-learning and intended to help you develop your leadership skills.

In today's video, I want to talk to you about stress vs. empathy. When we are operating in a place of high stress, it is really difficult for us to hear what other people are saying. It's much more challenging for us to communicate as effectively — especially if you're moving from thing to thing to thing. And when you are under a lot of stress, you cannot be empathetic.

I have the benefit of having a sister who is a psychologist, and so we have lots of fun conversations around leadership and how people show up in the workplace, but this is a really important thing. If empathy is something that is absolutely important to you, remember that your stress level works against that. And sometimes we also need to be applying some empathy toward ourselves, so keep that in mind. And for other tools, resources and strategies, please visit our website, newberrysolutions.com and check out our app, New Lens.

Do You Have the Relationships You Need to Succeed? [One Thing Video Series]

If you believe the secret of success is keeping your head down and working hard, then it’s time to update your thinking.

Especially as you move up the leadership ranks, your effectiveness depends on your relationships.

In the wake of layoffs, the Great Resignation and the rise of hybrid work, now is a great time to check in on the state of your key relationships.

In my latest One Thing You Can Do video, I’ll show you how to do just that.

Want more practical leadership strategies you can start using immediately? Reach out to me about New Lens® .

Transcript

Hi, I'm Neena Newberry, and in today's One Thing You Can Do video series, I'm going to share a tip with you in under two minutes. And this is modeled after our app, New Lens®, which is full of micro-learning and is focused on helping you develop your leadership skills.

Today I want to talk to you about how relationships have changed in this hybrid workplace that we are functioning in. And on top of that, I will also say there's been a lot of restructuring, reorganizing. Some of those people who were big fans of yours, and advocates, and key stakeholders that could help you get stuff done, may no longer be with the organization, or may be in totally different roles. If you are someone who tends to have your head down working, I really want you to pause and think about whom you should be prioritizing. Even if you're just taking 15 minutes a week to focus on this, that can make a huge difference if you're consistent about it.

So identify who has the most influence over your success, and then how much of a supporter are they of yours. And by thinking about it across these two dimensions, it can be really, really helpful for you to identify two or three people that you need to start developing some authentic relationships with. And the keyword is “authentic” here. No one likes to work with someone who seems like they're focused on their own agenda. So authenticity is key, and that also means thinking about what they need and how you can support them in that process.

For other tools, resources and strategies, visit newberrysolutions.com and check out our app, New Lens.