John Manning's Blog, page 2

It’s Annual Planning Go-Time. Master It With Three Surefire Tips!

If you’re like many business leaders, it’s annual-planning “go time” right now. You’re probably in the thick of it, reviewing the plan you and your team put in place last calendar year, identifying what targets you hit or missed, scrutinizing data and feedback, and assessing bottom-line success. And once those preparatory tasks are done, you know what comes next: the visionary (aka “fun”) and strategic (aka “challenging”) work to be done—developing next year’s plan.

Strategic annual planning is ...

The Dynamic, Evolving Organization: How Leadership Development Sparks Breakthrough Growth

If there’s one thing we talk a lot about with our clients and their organizations, it’s that true sustainable success lies in an organization’s ability to adapt and evolve. But effective organizational change doesn’t just happen by chance. In part, it happens as a result of being dynamic—or having that critical ability to not just respond to internal and external change, but to envision it, plan for it, and drive it with a goal-focused, accountable approach.

No surprise, building and sustaining ...

Building Leadership Development Organization-Wide? Here’s Where to Put Your Focus.

As an organizational leader, you’re probably well aware of the benefits of focusing on developing your High Potential (HiPos) talent. Because these employees are super dedicated and innately driven to achieve results, investing in them through strategic professional development and growth opportunities can result in great ROI. But keep in mind, these superheroes typically make up just 3-5% of a company’s workforce. So what do you do with the rest of your people—the 97-95% of your employees?

For ...

Up-Level Your High Performers’ Success

Looking back at the Summer Olympics, there’s no question that the elite athletes who made it to Paris did things differently throughout their lives. For starters, they recognized and owned their innate talent and passion for their sport. Growing up, they made sacrifices that other athletes did not. They trained relentlessly. They also made choices that empowered their bodies and minds to say “yes” to constant self-improvement. They faced defeats with a growth mindset. And these athletes, simply ...

Unleash Your Organization’s Superstars by Investing in High-Potential Talent

While it’s fair to say that we, as executive leaders, believe everyone in our organization has the capacity for great growth and success, there are usually some shining stars among your hiring pool—those individuals who stand apart as high-potential employees, or what’s called “HiPos.”

These individuals are those who live and breathe your company’s vision, mission, values and goals. With HiPos, company culture is part of their DNA. They’re highly aligned to what’s vital, always motivated, produc...

Championing the Growth Mindset: Know the Warning Signs of Complacency

There’s no question that a sense of complacency can set in to the C-Suite when business feels good, productivity is pumping, and results look strong and profitable. In an effort to maintain stability and harmony—or perhaps out of fear of losing control and what’s been achieved—leaders experiencing complacency within the upper ranks may hesitate to “rock the boat,” thinking “Why change? We’ve got a good thing going!”

But complacency among CEOs and other C-Suite leaders can crop up unexpectedly, h...

C-Suite Leadership: How Growth Will Set You Free

There’s no question as to the pressures that those of us in C-Suite Leadership face today. Whether you’re the CEO, CIO, CFO or some other member of top management at your organization, the expectations are high.

Among many things, you’re expected to drive growth and deliver results quickly, satisfy stakeholders’ needs, know the answers to tough questions—and be right. You’re expected to lead through crises and tough times with strategic smarts and emotional intelligence. You probably put in long...

Is Employee Retention Your Top CEO Stressor? Use These Three Strategies

In today’s fast-paced and highly competitive business environment, leaders and organization managers everywhere are increasingly grappling with the multifaceted challenges of employee retention, as they strive to balance the demands of a dynamic workforce with the need for sustained organizational growth and stability.

It’s tough—and we get it: You’re balancing employee satisfaction. Addressing many nuances amid expectations. And trying to foster a culture of loyalty amid ever-changing market co...

Stop the Revolving Door: Employee Retention Tips to Improve Workplace Happiness and Engagement

One of the most caustic and costliest headaches in business management is the challenge of employee retention. Gallup research shows that one in two employees are watching for or actively seeking a new job, with recent data from SHRM indicating that the average cost of replacing an employee is six to nine months of that hire’s salary. This means replacement costs for someone salaried at $60,000 can run as high as $35,000 to $45,000.

Financial headaches aside, losing quality employees often takes...

Building a Culture of Communication: Three Easy Habits for Greater Success

How well do you prioritize and practice good communication in your workplace culture? While many organizations believe effective communication is one of their strong suits, research shows that workers today feel that poor communication is an ongoing, daily challenge. This issue most notably affects productivity and leads to poor job satisfaction.

It’s a problem, too, because when communication breaks down, it creates a culture of distrust, in which it’s nearly impossible to keep morale and motiv...