The business world has arguably seen more disruption in the last nine months than in the last nine years, bringing new and urgent demand for change. Initiatives are being launched by the dozen, adoption can’t happen fast enough, and the stakes are higher than ever. In the midst of a Covid-induced recession, and with some industries on the brink of extinction, change isn’t about fine-tuning — it’s existential.

Microsoft’s chief executive officer, Satya Nadella, often speaks of how his career — and his company — have been shaped by empathy. Nadella views empathy as a quality to be consciously cultivated, practiced and applied — “not just as something nice to have but (it) is core to (the) innovation agenda in the company,” according to a Quartz India article. In addition, he believes empathy can be a differentiator when working with clients.

There is no doubt that coaching is an effective tool for developing people and teams. Research shows that training and coaching can lead to an 88% increase in productivity, versus 23% from training alone, and an organization’s return on investment (ROI) in training increases from 22% to 88% when supported with coaching. The question is, how do you use coaching in your organization to really make a difference?

From time to time, I help clients recruit for key roles. Unlike recruiters, I don't work on a contingency because I take responsibility for the entire recruiting process from soup to nuts and then the client makes the decisions on who to hire. They pay a fee for services. I specify the requirements, write the job postings, attract and source candidates, take the initial application, get them through Objective Management Group's (OMG) accurate and predictive candidate assessments, review resumes, conduct the first interview and then recommend candidates who are perfect fits for the roles.

According to our 2020-21 Sales Performance Study, only 53% of salespeople are achieving their quota. The reason it’s so tough to sell? It’s harder than ever for sellers to please buyers. And most sellers aren’t approaching buyers in the right way, which means they’re facing more challenges than ever as they try to make a sale.

In October 2021, Korn Ferry released a global report showcasing the pressure on talent acquisition in the year ahead. More than half of the professionals surveyed believe employee turnover will continue to grow in 2022 – and almost a third would quit their current job even if they didn’t have another one lined up.

A Cognitive Scientist at Seattle University, Therese Huston’s passion is straightforward, “I try to help smart people be smarter at work. It’s that simple.”

Huston is also a public speaker, consultant, and author, having just published her latest book Let’s Talk: Make Effective Feedback Your Superpower in early 2021.

For generations, the standard way to learn how to ride a bicycle was with training wheels or a tricycle. But in recent years, many parents have opted to train their kids with balance bikes, pedalless two-wheelers that enable children to develop the coordination needed for bicycling—a skill that is not as easily acquired with an extra set of wheels.

Many companies find it hard to prioritize ideation. Here are five ways to break the pattern and gather a wealth of ideas for your organization.

In today’s rapidly changing world, it’s easy to think that most companies are innovation factories—full of ideas for new products, services, and processes.

With the last 18 months changing the sales landscape in ways no-one could have predicted, it’s time to pause and think about the future. A successful sales organisation needs a defined vision, a skilled team, and an obsession with the customer.

Pre-pandemic sales people used personal contact (a firm handshake, wining and dining, etc.) to build customer relationships. Now that it looks likely we'll be living with some form of Covid for the next few years (and maybe forever), a winning face-to-face personality will get you absolutely nowhere. Ditto with the "I'm successful so you should buy from me" personal semiotics, like the tailored suit and the Rolex.

One of the biggest challenges for a sales organization is moving upmarket. For example, if an organization targets the small- and medium-sized business market (SMB) and now want to target enterprise customers — that’s where the money is — they need to rethink how their representatives sell.

Recent transformations in the market have put power squarely in the hands of buyers. As a result, the world revolves around buyers and their needs.

That means sellers have to work harder than ever to attract buyers and convince them to purchase — not just once but every time. To forge these lasting customer relationships, sellers must create a world-class customer experience that engages customers and keeps them coming back.

Before I became a business school professor, I worked as a management consultant. One engagement in particular had a profound influence on my career. The project involved working with the Asia-based sales force of a global consumer products company. This company practiced “route sales,” which meant reps spent their days visiting mom-and-pop convenience stores, servicing accounts.

Is your LinkedIn social selling strategy based on FOMO (the fear of missing out)? FOMO is rarely a good reason to do anything in business. Especially if we are talking about social selling on LinkedIn. We all agree exposure on LinkedIn is important, but there can be a negative impact without a clear social selling strategy.

The pandemic has ratcheted up the level of uncertainty for almost every aspect of business including staffing levels, budgets, buyer engagement, supply chain management and more. Many companies are also operating in a hybrid situation, with employees working both remotely and in the office.

From kids to adults, there is something exciting about fear. For many, it’s the unknown. For others, it’s the loss of control. Either way, the exhilaration of fear increases our heart rates, stimulates our senses, and tingles the tiny hairs on our necks and arms. No doubt, this accounts for the popularity of ghost stories, the proliferation of true-crime podcasts, and the endless sequels and remakes of classic horror films. It’s also why the anticipation of Halloween starts in late August.

A few years ago, my team at Inventium completed a strengths finder assessment. I expected my report to tell me that my top strength was something like ‘time optimisation’ (as a similar test had revealed many years ago) or ‘creativity’ - or some other skill that I utilise every day. But no, apparently my number one strength was ‘competitiveness’ (although this would come as no surprise to anyone who has played Settlers of Catan against me).

Leadership broken down into its most basic and practical form can be defined as meeting the needs of people and developing them to their fullest potential.

When employees don’t develop and have their needs met to do their jobs well, they experience low morale, they stop caring, and they stop trying.

Let's all collectively acknowledge that the last 20 months have not been a walk in the park. A global pandemic, loss of jobs, social and racial unrest, political division, vaccine mandates, our own personal tragedies, and the list goes on and on.