Dr. Diane Hamilton's Blog
A Revolution in Hiring and Working with Eva Andres of Juniper Networks
What Holds Us Back? 4 Things Holding Our Curiosity Hostage
We are often told to follow our passion. Even if we determine our passion, some things hold us back from pursuing our natural sense of curiosity. Curiosity has been called a sort of mental itch. There are surprisingly few studies about curiosity because it is difficult to study. Some people are more naturally curious than others. It can be important to have curiosity hardwired into us because it helps us grow and develop. There are factors like stress, aging, drugs, genetics, etc. that could impact our level of curiosity. Outside of medical issues or lack of financial capabilities, I have found four major things that hold people’s curiosity hostage including fear, the way things have always been done, parental/family/peer influence, and technology.
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One Key Word That Impacts Intelligence, Engagement, Sales, Soft Skills, Gamification, and Millennials
There is an emotional component behind most of the things that will make or break employees’ and leaders’ success. When someone first hears the word emotion, it may suggest emotional intelligence. Developing emotional intelligence is one important factor that has been demonstrated to lead to success. However, that is just part of the picture. Continue reading “One Key Word That Impacts Intelligence, Engagement, Sales, Soft Skills, Gamification, and Millennials”
Managing Millennials Requires Understanding Their Values
Millennials are one of the most misunderstood generations, which has led to frustration in the workplace. With so many generations working together, it is not unusual that there would be some conflict. The biggest issues have revolved around the clash between Boomers and Millennials. With varying views on political and leadership issues, as well as differences in the frequency at which they embrace technology, conflict management has become a top concern for many leaders. Part of learning to manage this unique generation includes understanding and embracing their values. Continue reading “Managing Millennials Requires Understanding Their Values”
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”