Dr. Diane Hamilton's Blog
A Revolution in Hiring and Working with Eva Andres of Juniper Networks
Improving Workplace Conflict Requires Understanding Preferences
How do we know how others would like to be treated if we only look at things from our perspective? Understanding personality and generational preferences is so important because we learn about opposing or differing perspectives. To improve some of the key challenges in the workplace requires this understanding. These challenges include poor soft skills, low emotional intelligence, lack of engagement, and a negative culture. Many articles address how these problem stem from Boomer and Millennial conflict. Continue reading “Improving Workplace Conflict Requires Understanding Preferences”
How to Develop Top Soft Skills Not Learned at School or Work
Job listings often describe the skills needed to perform in a position. However, many of the skills required for success fall under the category of soft skills. Many employees may be hired for their knowledge and yet may end up being fired for their behavior or lack of social skills. Forbes reported that 46% of newly hired employees will fail within 18 months. Mitchell Communications Group found that companies lose $37 billion a year in the United States due to miscommunication. Research from Adecco Staffing considered what the C-suite thinks about the type of skills employees lack. They found that the C-suite believed 44% lacked soft skills including communication, critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration. This has led to missed growth opportunity, low productivity, and reduced profits. Continue reading “How to Develop Top Soft Skills Not Learned at School or Work”
The Cost of Low Engagement and How to Improve It
Many people misunderstand the meaning of engagement. It is important to note that engagement does not mean satisfaction. Engagement refers to an emotional commitment to an organization and its goals. Engagement, generational conflict, emotional intelligence, and other communication issues are some of the most requested speech topics by organizations. This is not surprising because 60-80% of all difficulties in organizations stem from relationship-based issues. Numerous studies have demonstrated a correlation between engagement and performance. Leaders with high levels of engagement also were more transformational, had higher levels of interpersonal skills, and had a better sense of well-being. Continue reading “The Cost of Low Engagement and How to Improve It”
Soft Skills: Critical to Employee Success
Attend any leadership conference, and someone likely will bring up startling statistics regarding how employees and leaders lack something they refer to as soft skills. This term is used to describe many qualities that include interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, and other personality-based issues. The problem that many organizations have experienced is that people are hired for their hard skills, or in other words, for what they know (knowledge). Then later, are often fired for their lack of soft skills, or what they do (behaviors). If employers recognize the importance of soft skills, they can avoid costly hiring and training mistakes, improve turnover, and boost productivity. Continue reading “Soft Skills: Critical to Employee Success”
Researchers Debate Importance of Introverts Acting like Extroverts
Several courses I teach include discussion regarding the importance of understanding personality preferences. Students often take personality tests to determine their “type”. Part of their type includes whether they are introverts or extraverts (Myers Briggs spells extravert with an “a” instead of an “o”). In my training to become a qualified Myers Briggs MBTI trainer, I learned that people have preferences for how they like to receive and process information. We were told it was similar to how people prefer to write with their right or left hand. That is why I found the recent Wall Street Journal article titled How an Introvert Can Be Happier: Act Like an Extrovert to be so interesting. The title contradicts some of what I learned in my training.
Continue reading “Researchers Debate Importance of Introverts Acting like Extroverts”