Workforce Resilience - Now not Tomorrow

Whilst it looks like there is light at the end of this pandemic tunnel for some, for others it just looks like a train coming in the opposite direction.

Organisations should be investing in building workforce resilience now and help alleviate the stress and anxiety that leads to fatigue and burnout.

As and when we start to emerge from this pandemic the stresses and anxieties put on our employees will only be amplified.

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Change Management Strategy for IT - The Business Savvy CIO

Back in 2016, Gartner estimated that by 2020, 100% of IT roles will require an intermediate level of proficiency in business acumen.

That starts with the CIO. The CIO has to move from being a functional leader to becoming a strategic leader.

This means developing deep business acumen. It will not be possible to deliver on a digital transformation without an in-depth understanding of the business. The CIO has to be a business partner.

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Change Management Strategy for IT - CIO and CHRO Partnership

Gartner predicts that by 2021, “CIOs will be as responsible for culture change as chief HR officers (CHROs).”

A partnership with the CHRO is the perfect way to align technology selections and design processes to shape desired work behaviours .

Successful digital transformation and the future of work depends on the CIO and the CHRO working together as enablers and decision makers to further organisational goals.

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Karen FerrisComment
Unleash The Resiliator Within - The Video

In a world where the speed and volatility of change is ever increasing, we need to stop talking about managing resistance to change and start talking about building resilience to change.

The World Health Organization describes stress as the “global health epidemic of the 21st century.”

It is time to unleash The Resiliator!

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Karen FerrisComment
Change Management Strategy for IT - CIO Culture Change Agent

We are now in an era of continuous change, and this will require a culture of adaptation, agility, resilience and innovation for organisational survival.

The CIO has a key role in the establishment of the right ways of thinking and the right ways of working. The CIO has to build the right mindsets for this era of constant and disruptive change.

Gartner predicts that by 2021, “CIOs will be as responsible for culture change as chief HR officers (CHROs).”

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Karen FerrisComment
Change Management Strategy for IT

CIOs and their teams will need a change management strategy that embraces the can-do attitude and agile approaches that got employees working remotely in a timeframe never experienced before.

They will need a change management strategy to be future fit.

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Karen FerrisComment
When Everyone Leads - Relationship Management

elationship management is useful when it comes to dealing with conflict; by engaging and collaborating with others earlier than later, we can prevent the inevitable blowup in the future.

Relationship management builds upon self-awareness, self-management, and social awareness skills.

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When Everyone Leads - Social Awareness

Social awareness is a keen understanding of other people and their emotions. Additionally, it involves using this understanding to determine your interactions with the people around you. The emotional cues that people send you will help put yourself in the other person’s shoes so that you are able to empathise with them.

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When Everyone Leads - Self-management

Self-awareness means you know who you are. Understanding yourself is foundational to other leadership competencies including self-control, empathy, collaboration, effective decision-making and building trust.

Also critical for leadership is self-management. Self-management is your ability to use your awareness of your emotions to stay flexible and direct your behaviour positively. This involves your ability to put your immediate needs aside to focus on long-term goals.

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Karen FerrisComment
When Everyone Leads - Self-awareness

Self-awareness is one of the most important capabilities for leaders to develop. Self-awareness is one of the core components of emotional intelligence.

According to Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves, authors of Emotional Intelligence 2.0, describe self-awareness as your ability to recognise and understand emotions in yourself and others, and your ability to use this awareness to manage your behaviour and relationships.”

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When Everyone Leads - Growth Mindset

If you are committed to being a leader, then you probably want to learn how to fulfil your potential. You will need a growth mindset.

In this article we will explore the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset and how to move to the former.

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Karen FerrisComment
When Everyone Leads - Courage Over Comfort

If you are committed to being a leader, then you probably already know many of the things that you need to do.

If you haven’t taken action on those things, there will be a reason. This could be fear, lack of confidence and uncertainty of outcomes.

You have to get out of the comfort zone.

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Karen FerrisComment
When Everyone Leads - Look up

In becoming a leader you have to have confidence in your abilities.

Self-efficacy is about having the strong, positive belief that you have the capacity and the skills to achieve your goals.

If we look up to the leaders we admire, we can learn from them. There are many great leaders, past and present, that you could look up to and learn how they presented themselves, how they communicated, their values and behaviours, their differentiators and their expertise.

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Karen FerrisComment
When Everyone Leads - Understanding Leadership

The first thing you need to understand as an employee is what is meant by leadership. Leadership is not a title that is bestowed upon you. Leadership is about having a positive impact on those around you.

If you can identify areas of improvement, and rally others to move towards that better place, you are a leader.

If you can connect with other people, have an empathetic approach and motivate them, you are a leader.

If you are respected and trusted, you are a leader.

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Karen FerrisComment
When Everyone Leads

You have a choice. You can accept the status quo or you can step up and become the leader you are looking for.

Stop waiting and start leading. Leadership is not bestowed. It is not a title. It is earned through action and example.

“Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.”

~ John C. Maxwell ~

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Karen FerrisComment
13 Reasons Why - #13 Responsibility

The only person that can be held accountable for my physical and mental well-being is me. If I want to be physically and mentally fit, I have an obligation to myself to take action, and I need a willingness to do so.

Ultimately, the buck stops with me.On the other side of the coin, when I am asked to work in an environment in which change is constant, uncertain, disruptive and unpredictable, that can cause stress, anxiety, fatigue and burnout, the organisation that asked me has a responsibility.

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