Company leaders are tasked with not only steering the ship, but also cultivating an environment where all team members can thrive. Even with organizational efforts and human resources initiatives aimed at engaging employees, sometimes the most basic actions on the part of executive leaders have the biggest impact.

The moment someone sees you, on camera or in person, they begin to form an impression. The way you look and carry yourself sets the foundation well before you begin to tell your story. Understanding the science of body language is worth your time: It’s so much easier to begin from a positive first impression than to rebuild from a negative start.

Executive coaching has become big business. In 2022, experts predicted the market size would reach $20 billion USD, making the coaching industry one of the fastest-growing sectors in the world. Given further anticipated growth, it’s important that more professionals know how to collaborate with a coach and make the most of the experience.

Despite being roughly half of the workforce, women made up only 24% of C-suite positions in America in 2022 and even fewer, worldwide. No doubt employers need to continue to make changes to promote gender equality. I also believe we can each make strides to maximize our own success. What can women do to empower themselves for greater career advancement?

Have you ever found yourself in a situation that just wasn't working? At first, you might continue to try, and then without success, you might adapt to the reality rather than continue to push, push, push. Sometimes the push is just too draining. This is especially true for women at work.

Running a peer-to-peer coaching group can be a rewarding experience for both the coach and the participants. However, successful peer-to-peer coaching requires coaches to have a strong grasp of important tactics that can be used in a variety of situations, depending on the group and the session’s objectives.

Being in leadership is a demanding and challenging role that requires you to navigate complex situations full of uncertainty on a regular basis. Despite your best decision-making efforts, you may not always see the results you desire in every scenario. This is why developing resilience is so essential for leaders—to cope with stress, overcome setbacks and maintain your effectiveness.

If one thing can make or break your impact at work, it would be confidence. Without a doubt, work will include challenging assignments, unclear decisions and personal trials; confidence is the strength to see you through. With greater workplace attention on strengthening diversity, equity and inclusion, it is important to recognize the gender-based confidence gap that invisibly drains the advancement of women at work.

Developing a strong employee culture can be a difficult feat, but it is especially vital for leaders to do so in today’s remote and hybrid workplaces. No matter where they are located, team members need to build positive relationships with each other so that they can collaborate well both in person and in virtual meetings to achieve strategic business goals together.

Too often we unconsciously fuel an underlying assumption that work and wellness are an either/or situation. Historically, corporate culture may have reinforced this notion, but current shifts in work practices are debunking this old mindset, and helping us all—individuals, peer groups, managers and leaders—build careers that also make us better, happier people. It starts with confidence.

Knowing how and when to end a conversation at work can be challenging for some people. It’s a situation that many don’t often consider how to handle until they’re in the midst of it. Finding the right time to wrap things up during a discussion with someone depends largely on with whom you’re speaking, when and about what.

Even before the age of digital influencers, becoming influential was a major challenge for anyone. Now, in spite of an ever-growing number of online outlets through which authority, credibility and influence can be developed, it’s exceedingly difficult to carve out a space and a name for oneself that will stand out and earn recognition and respect from the masses.

The effects of the pandemic run deep for all of us, and we’ve been harboring the effects for more than two years now. We’ve accumulated new mindsets and habits, both good and bad, that will again be tested as we return to our offices. We’ve all been changed, and those who can empathize with a wide variety of perspectives will be best positioned for personal resilience and effectiveness.

As the leaves fall and the weather chills, the U.S. prepares for Thanksgiving. Our tradition is a good reminder to take a closer look at the benefits of gratitude. Sure, nothing is perfect, but in all the messiness of our busy lives, there are things to be grateful for if we take a closer look — and that mindset has plenty of embedded benefits. Let’s investigate why gratitude is important for you personally, and how it also extends to your colleagues and team. 

When any business launches, one of the first things company leaders need to work on to ensure success is creating a strong online presence for it. The same goes for solopreneurs and business leaders seeking to advance professionally; a big key to building their careers lies in how they craft their personal brand and show up online. 

Open executive positions can be few and far between. While most executive job openings are due to someone leaving the firm, outsiders with executive experience are often selected to fill them. However, there are ways for a manager within an organization to get a foot in the C-suite door from the inside.

Many of us are afraid of public speaking and often this personal fear trickles into everyday conversation, preventing us from being our best at work. Have you ever been in a meeting with an idea to add, but the voice in your head is making you spin? You wonder: “Is this really important?” “What phrasing would be best?” “Will they think this is stupid?” As the group’s conversation continues, you’re distracted from the content while your internal gremlins are still whispering doubts. “Does it matter now?” “It seems they’ve moved on...” “Perhaps it wasn’t really important anyway.” And the meeting ends with you still in silence. 

Starting a business is one of the riskiest and most complicated things a person can do in their life. Even if someone has an endless amount of money and an extraordinary number of influential contacts, there still isn’t any guarantee of success. Every move a new business owner makes has to be carefully considered and calculated, as each action or decision sets the stage for their future growth and success. 

For an organization to succeed, its employees need to feel well-supported, fulfilled by meaningful work and motivated to reach their maximum potential in terms of performance and productivity. Much of this depends on the emotional intelligence, or EQ, of their manager. To achieve this level of employee engagement, managers must learn to demonstrate genuine empathy for their team members.

First-time founders of companies are some of the most highly motivated people out there. Most are hyper-focused on succeeding and have big ambitions for their business. Some new founders may overlook critical aspects of their business plan, however, which could result in issues that are difficult to resolve later.