Balance.

It's what so many people strive to reach in their lives, but very few master. One's own personal life and relationships are often sacrificed for career success, and that pattern has to stop.

We as leaders have to set the example of a proper work/life balance and prioritize our team doing the same. If we lead a life of hustle and burnout, our organization will follow and it won't be sustainable. Success requires a work/life balance.

Now more than ever, leaders are feeling fatigued, getting less quality time with loved ones, and struggling to detach from work. They are doing everything they can to keep their business strong, but their personal lives are suffering as a result.

If you aren't sure if you are someone who struggles in this area, ask yourself the following questions:

• have your responsibilities at work increased?
• are you working longer hours?
• do you have a healthy separation between work and home life?
• do you have children who are needing more...

Being a leader comes with many challenges, and managing a team during a pandemic brings on even more. It can be difficult to guide remote employees, find success during unstable economic times, and also meet your personal and professional goals. Despite the difficulties, it is possible to successfully manage the many pressures that come along with being a leader right now. 

Keep reading to identify common obstacles and to learn how to power through.

1. Loneliness

A common struggle we hear from our executive leaders is that it feels lonely at the top. Now especially, loneliness has hit hard for those working remotely with limited interaction with their teams. Not only can it be physically lonely since you aren’t coming face-to-face with colleagues and team members, but you can feel emotionally lonesome as well.

To overcome loneliness, set up regular check-ins with your employees to keep the lines of communication open. Chances are, if you’re...

More than ever, companies are shifting their business models to include more remote employees. Whether it’s the pandemic, a cost effective method, or to increase job satisfaction, a remote workforce is here for the long haul.

It’s one thing to be a remote worker, it’s another to manage them! So how do you effectively lead from a distance, while still supporting growth and success? Keep reading to see how.

1. Communicate daily and often.

One of the top challenges of working remotely is a feeling of isolation, especially if the switch out of the office is recent. To encourage connection and morale, managers should have regular check-ins with each employee every day. So what does that look like?

It can be as simple as a quick phone call, a regular video meeting or even a chat on your company’s app to let your staff know you are there for them.

Depending on the size of the company, pick a communication method that is sustainable. For example, if you have hundreds...

In this day and age, everyone needs to get creative when it comes to hiring the best talent. Not only are more workplaces going remote, but the interview process is also going virtual as well. A desire to attract the best employees for your workforce hasn’t fallen by the wayside just because the methods are changing. 

So how do you attract top talent through your interview techniques? Keep reading to see how.

Talk Openly

A main goal of the interview process should always be to get to know your candidate, and that starts with an actual, open conversation. Interviewing isn’t just about seeing if someone is the right fit for your organization but if your organization is a good fit for them. The only way to determine both of those things is to be open and honest.

The last thing you want is for a candidate to be excited about the job only to find out later it wasn’t the right fit. Then, you are back at square one in the hiring process. An honest and open...

4 Simple Ways to Invest In Your Employees

It’s been said that employees are a company’s most valuable asset and the last thing any business wants is to lose one. Taking time and resources to invest in an employee not only demonstrates a commitment to growing your employees, but it serves as an investment in your company, too.

Enhancing your workplace culture and reducing turnover are just a few benefits of investing in your employees. So how do you do that? Keep reading to see a few simple ways.

1. Make Work/Life Balance a Priority

Top-level management is known for putting in long hours, but that shouldn’t be the expectation for all employees (or you, for that matter). Having a balanced work and life culture will go far when it comes to investing in employees.

Ensure that employees’ time-off requests are honored within reason, encourage annual vacation time and avoid frequent requests for overtime if possible. 

When you honor your employees as a whole...

3 Surprising Mentorship Tips to Influence Future Leaders

Think back on a positive mentorship experience you have had.

What stands out to you?

If you’ve worked with a great mentor, you know that mentors can be a huge asset to one’s success when you find the right fit! This post will share with you mentorship tips as well as advice for finding a great mentor!

But first...what is a mentor?

Mentors are trusted advisors who readily offer their knowledge and support to someone seeking them out. Mentors are usually experts or senior-level executives in their given field. 

If you are a mentor, it’s likely because you have experiences that are useful to those just starting out in their careers who could use your knowledge. 

Though there isn’t exactly a manual to follow when becoming a mentor, there are essential actions of building an effective mentor and mentee relationship. 

Keep reading to discover three actionable mentorship tips:

1. Clearly Define...

Inclusion in the Workplace: How to Cultivate a Better Work Environment

Working to cultivate inclusion in the workplace isn't about checking off boxes to be able to say you did the “right thing.” It's about truly caring about inclusion and supporting your business and team of employees with different backgrounds, worldviews, and experiences.

To create a well-rounded team, you should work to hire with inclusivity in mind. You should also make sure you're cultivating a workplace culture that inspires diversity. 

If you're looking for guidance on how to generate a diverse workforce, keep reading. In this guide, we will go over some strategies you can use to cultivate inclusion in the workplace. 

You can create a work environment that is well-rounded and successful with these helpful tips. 

Foster a Safe and Supportive Environment 

As a business owner, it's important that you make sure your workplace is a safe one for all employees. This means that you...

How To Set And Achieve Personal Development Goals

You are a leader, and, therefore, you likely find yourself always wanting to take your growth to the next level! Developing traits of a leader will help you to advance in your career and every other aspect of life.

So how do you set and achieve personal development goals? Read on to find out!

Discover Your Strengths and Weaknesses

Before you do anything, learn what aspects of yourself that you need to develop.

Have you taken any strengths assessments before? We recommend Gallup Cliftonstrengths. This assessment will give you a clear picture of your strengths and weaknesses so that you can either improve on your weaknesses or surround yourself with those on your team who are strong where you are weak.

Sure, you may have a grasp on some of your strengths, but a comprehensive breakdown is really beneficial to helping you see what obstacles may stand between you and your goals. 

Identify Your Learning Style

Personal development and...

How to Be a Better Leader: Building a Leadership Community

When asked what is the greatest characteristic of a leader, many will say, “honesty.” 

Leaders need to be honest with their employees and with themselves.

But honesty is only ONE way to be a better leader. There are also a lot of other necessary character traits to develop. 

If you want to learn how to be a better leader, then check out these critically important traits that can help you become a better leader.

1. A leader is committed.

Being a leader requires commitment. They need to be committed to their work and their responsibilities. 

When they are committed, it influences who they work with. It shows the employees how committed their leader is in making a change in the workplace and then the team wants to follow suit. 

2. A leader is passionate.

If you want to be a better leader, you should also be passionate about your job. That means you love your job and have a passion to be...

Team Building Ideas for a Virtual Workforce

During the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the number of employees working online has more than doubled, jumping from 31% to 62% in one three-week span alone.

As businesses begin to slowly re-open across the country, many executives are expecting to make this more of a permanent transition, so we all have lessons to learn and apply longterm.

According to one survey, 74% of managers who recently shifted to a remote work environment expect at least 5% of their former in-house employees to continue working from home even after the pandemic ends. 

This is good news in some ways as remote workers have the benefits of more freedom, but the negative side is not having a team in an office space to engage with one another and keep morale high.

Whether you plan to adopt a remote work environment on a full or even partial basis, maintaining morale is critical. Traditional team building ideas that worked in the past will require tweaks to keep workers...