Are you a team lead? The team can be a work team, a sports team or a family team – most people lead some sort of team, whether they know it or not. Some people enjoy the role of leader, helping people develop their full potential, while others are intimidated or uninterested in taking a leadership role. No matter where you fall on the leadership continuum or what sort of team you lead, it pays to know how to shape your words and actions to help your people understand and want to follow you.

In 1938, Sears Roebuck & Company began an ongoing survey of their employees, looking to understand important yet difficult to quantify concepts like loyalty, satisfaction and organizational behavior. Their longitudinal study attracted sociologists, anthropologists and psychologists, all of whom parsed the survey results in a myriad of different ways. In many respects, this was the beginning of a strong corporate human resources focus. Fast-forward to now, when the science of the brain...

Have you ever had an idea, brought it to fruition, and during its infancy you discovered that your idea was bigger than you knew? International We Are Not Broken Day began in 2019, so is still fairly new, as is the organization of the same name. The founder, Texan Nochola Cotto, intended it to be a day for women who’ve been touched by any sort of trauma to be heard and helped. The “we are not broken” part has resonated with so many people that observance of the day has spread to anyone who’s suffered any kind of trauma.

Amputees
PTSD sufferers
People with depression
Victims of violent crimes
People with diminished mental abilities
People who are “different” in any way

Just being outside of what humanity at large considers “normal” subjects people to all sorts of unintentional, and sometimes intentional, abuse. Attitudes about people with disabilities, whether mental, psychological or physical, can be quite harsh, and human beings can...

Today, let’s celebrate peculiar people. It’s officially Peculiar People Day, though no one knows how this one got started or why. It seems to be a nod to a group of faith healers formed by Englishman John Banyard, “Peculiar People,” in 1838. Or maybe not – the two events simply share the words “peculiar” and “people.” The peculiar and slightly murky beginnings of this day make it peculiar enough to celebrate, though you know I’m going to dig a bit deeper for you, right?

While most of the world’s institutions, including family units, religion, schools, and governments work to enforce conformity and societal norms, it feels a bit rebellious to celebrate peculiar people. First, just who are these people we’re celebrating today? People like:

Albert Einstein.

Frida Kahlo.

The first woman to experiment with blue and purple dye in her hair.

Mark Zuckerberg.

Nikola Tesla.

That Chinese man who wore 140 pounds of bees as...

Are you surrounded by strong people or weak ones?

A great way to discover the answer is to hear how they talk to others. Strong people offer uplifting comments, offer help in a non-condescending way and talk well about their colleagues even when they’re not around. Weak people gossip, tattle-tale and belittle their co-workers.

If you’re the leader, it’s up to you to help the weak people grow stronger. Everyone can grow and change, and if you’re working with people willing to grow, then helping them grow stronger helps strengthen your team too.

I’m Sandy Weaver and just like Kacey, I love veterinarians!

Great relationships – like great marriages – happen because people choose where to focus. People get along for a while and then they start noticing things they don’t like. Instead of focusing on what they do like, they get fixated on what they don’t like. Before you know it, feuds are happening on the team, feelings are getting hurt, and more accidents and absenteeism plague your hospital.

Here’s a way to help get your people focused on each other’s strengths – praise one person a day behind their back. Tell the receptionist how good the kennel manager is at following each pet’s protocol. Tell a technician who’s assisting you what a great job the hospital manager does at juggling the schedule.

Make sure the praise is true, and that the people you tell and those you praise change daily. By demonstrating how you focus on your team’s strengths you model great behavior for your staff.

I’m Sandy Weaver and just like Kacey,...

Are you an adapter or a leader?

Adapters are chameleons – they scope out the lay of the land and blend in. Leaders scope out the lay of the land, see what needs doing and set about doing it. That’s why you often hear people say that certain leaders have great vision – they’re on the lookout for ways to improve processes and the people who implement them.

Great leaders support the people who get things done while adapters often throw their people under the bus when the going gets tough. When you support your people and encourage their professional growth you create a team that has your back. And that’s especially important during a crisis.