A.G.I.L.E. Leadership: Success in a Post-Pandemic World

To succeed in a post-pandemic world, today’s professionals must be A.G.I.L.E. in their leadership. Beyond Limits Initiative Founder & Forbes Council Member, Juliet Ehimuan, describes this ‘responsive and adaptable’ leadership style as imperative for genuine camaraderie and cross-functionality to be entrenched in your organization. Join us as we review Juliet’s timely advice and provide some input of our own:

Approachable

Presenting yourself as easily and comfortably approachable in a work setting promotes inclusion and diversity and puts people at ease in their communication. Becoming approachable is not achieved simply by extending an open-door policy or by being friendly in the office. To be an approachable leader, you must first master the art of listening and meet them at their level. Let your colleagues know you are invested in what they have to say by asking lots of questions and not attempting to multitask in the process. Understand that whenever they vent to you, it does not mean they are awaiting a solution. Many leaders choose to remain closed off in their approach, but choosing to be accessible and attentive is fundamental in great leadership.

Grounded

With the chaos that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought, people are looking to their leaders and management team to provide stability now more than ever. The demand of a true leader encompasses holding your ground through trying times (not just when it is easy). Has your recent decision-making been in alignment with your organizational goals and purpose? Staying balanced and realistic is critical to portraying both authentic and confident leadership. Through difficult times and high-stress situations, you can illustrate sound guidance by choosing to be proactive rather than reactive. 

While worry and tension are often imminent, holding tight to your vision and staying flexible to get there is imperative to maintaining strong leadership through uncertainty. Choosing to ‘trust your gut’ is often the intuitive route taken by today’s great leaders, but sometimes that intuition involves taking advice from a co-worker! Not every decision will be the right one, but staying accountable as a leader can quickly diffuse any consequences and setbacks that arise. 

Innovative

Successful leaders recognize the importance of “brave new thinking,” says Ehimuan, by “challenging existing norms and assumptions, finding more cost-effective ways of doing business and exploring alternative supply chain management models or new customer channels.” In short, seek new perspectives from your team and new ways to use your employee’s unique skill sets.

When you become a more collaborative unit, you are making a path for your team’s creativity to bolster innovations. While mistakes are still likely to occur, the miscalculations and risks you take will be more fruitful in your development. Exploring this insight will provide new inventive solutions to your company and enhance the individual’s personal growth. Without an innovative mindset and contributions from your team, your competitors will certainly pass you by. 

“Successful people do not think outside the box. Successful people just make a bigger box.” -CC Sales Pro.

Leverager

COVID-19 brought a new, emphasized meaning to the phrase “Do more with less.” Large corporations, small businesses, stores, and restaurants across the country all took on the challenges of downsizing and limiting their budget. Additionally, they needed to adjust to new safety protocols and travel restrictions. As a result, this spotlighted the innovative thinkers and the new ways to leverage technology resources to upkeep their brand. 

Leveraging your resources and relevant data requires thorough research and levelheadedness. With the support of your team, you must stay open to strategic consultation and quick to act. Being a ‘leverager’ is not to say ‘take advantage of your relationships with people,’ but to tap into the resourceful, authentic relationships of people you believe in. When you have laid the groundwork and have genuine connections within your industry, the relationships will leverage themselves. 

Furthermore, you should never attempt to leverage skills or assets you do not have, as the misrepresentation can dramatically impact your reputation. Instead, build awareness of your team’s skill-sets and the confidence they have in their respective crafts.  

Empathetic

The employees remain the backbone of any organization. Showing that you value their happiness will have a tremendous impact on your company’s overall productivity. Exhibiting empathy and compassion to your team will let them know they can trust you with the bad news as much as the good news. Creating this bond goes a long way in developing healthy relationships and unity. Over time, they will be more inclined to share new information with you because of your ethical approach. 

Remember that you are not the only one experiencing new challenges. Provide an outlet for their problems, and you will prevent employee burnout and limit stress takeover. In your nurturing maturation, you will develop an incorruptible loyalty that is supplemented with respect. To continue this growth, seek honest and open feedback from your colleagues and accept it with gratitude rather than disdain. 

Wrap Up

Staying A.G.I.L.E. in leadership is not exceedingly difficult to achieve but takes quite a bit of effort and intentionality. When you are approachable, you enable yourself to receive valuable criticism and developing trust. In addition to being an active listener, being an active learner keeps you open to new perspectives and shifts your work culture into a collaborative, unified group. Keeping yourself focused on these five leadership behaviors will produce a high-performing team despite any additional ‘curveballs’ that will be thrown your way.

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The Ultimate Guide To Nailing Your Job Interview

Do you have a firm grasp of what hiring managers and recruiters are looking for during your interview? What does it take to reveal yourself as the ‘ideal candidate’ through your comments and responses? From the interview classics to addressing your work history, future goals, job specifications, and more, our friends at The Muse recently constructed a supremely extensive guide to answering any question that may come your way. Join us as we break down a few of our favorite examples and offer our reaction and comments:

“Why Do You Want To Work Here?”

Clearly, the job listing and description caught your attention if it brought you to an interview, but hitting the bullet points from the job listing is too generic of an approach. If you want to stand out as a candidate, you must point to what makes the company unique and why it appeals to you. Take a deep dive into the history and foundation of the company. Provide specifics as to how and why you want to be a part of their success long-term, and allow your passion to take over. For example, you can reveal how you took a keen interest in a company’s new product line, marketing initiative, or management change. If you can’t come up with specific reasons or you are struggling to convince yourself of your own words, the position is likely not the right fit for you. 

“Tell Me About a Challenge or Conflict You’ve Faced at Work, and How You Addressed It.”

When your interviewer opens the floor to discuss your work history, keep in mind that they already reviewed your resume, and merely reiterating your content will be seen as a waste of time. Although no one prefers to discuss their conflicts and work-related stress, employers will want to hear how you’ve overcome obstacles in your career. Be open and honest, but remember to remain calm and professional, especially if it is not a fond memory. To showcase you are open to learning from difficult experiences, emphasize what you would choose to do differently. Lastly, keep the focus on the resolution more than the conflict.

“Why Are You Leaving Your Current Job?”

Here’s a question you can certainly expect to be asked by your interviewer. Whether you were let go due to the pandemic or choosing to leave on your terms, any organization considering hiring you will want to know the details surrounding your exit and the relationships you carried. Do you want a salary/promotion your prior employer wasn’t willing to give you? Did you not get along with previous management? There is nothing you can gain from trashing a former employer or manager. Keep things light and straightforward while maintaining an eagerness for the job at hand.

Questions Concerning Your Goals & Preferences

In getting to know the candidates, employers will want to discover what makes you tick. What are your long-term and short-term career goals? If you are asked about your preferences in a work environment and what you want out of a job, the obvious route is to hit the specifics of the company and position to which you are applying (if it truly is the one you want).

As much as you need to prepare for your interview and position yourself as the best candidate, you cannot lose sight of the interview being a two-way street. Ask your interviewer questions such as:

 – Why is this position available? (Is it new, or did someone leave the role?) 

– What is keeping employees happy and long-tenured?

– Upon getting hired, what are the first steps?

– What makes someone successful in this role?

The most prominent leaders are tenacious and decisive, but also adaptable and introspective. If you see the makings of this leadership style within an organization, you may have found a great place to accelerate your career.

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Aligning Your Capabilities with Your Career Aspirations

Having a full understanding of your skills and behaviors is critical to reaching your dream job or dream industry. For a while, ambition can bring positive results and even a job promotion, but without introspection, your engaged, ‘self-starter’ approach will eventually fade. When you genuinely understand your capabilities and see them in action, confidence can take over when it comes to achieving your highest aspirations. Carrying out your career aspirations brings benefits of intense focus, passion, and clarity. If this is a step too soon for you and you require a little guidance for your career indecision, consider these thoughts.

“There is one quality that one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it.” – Napoleon Hill

A former Fortune 50 COO and leadership coach, India Gary-Martin, credits networking and leadership development courses for overcoming her lack of experience and producing her eventual success. Below, she reveals five crucial questions you must ask yourself in aligning yourself with your aspirations:

Do you have any existing relationships with the leaders who will become your peer group?

There is no substitute for experience. If you desire a leadership role, you can anticipate work experience to be your greatest bargaining chip. If you want to learn more about a specific company, industry, or position, reaching out for an informational interview is your window to a firsthand perspective. It is very likely that the career professional you admire received some help along the way, and they will feel inclined to ‘pay it forward.’ If you don’t ask, you don’t receive. 

What are the attributes of those who are currently or have previously been in the role?

Whether through an in-person meeting, a phone call, LinkedIn messaging, or thorough internet research, understanding the features that construct the position of power you covet will bring you one step closer. For example, if you desire a leadership position in business operations, you may come across crucial components such as organization, problem-solving, analytics, supervising, and decision-making. Is cost efficiency and budgeting in your nature? As you converse with seasoned professionals, note whether or not their journeys align with your background and capabilities. 

How do leaders and staff perceive you?

Are you aware of what your peers and superiors think about you? It may be time to ask the tough questions with your most trusted and authentic associates. Discover how they observe your greatest strengths and most notable weaknesses. What are your most impressionable ‘hard skills’ and ‘soft skills’? Do they believe you would thrive in a position of leadership? Saying you are ready and actually being ready are two different things. These perceptions about you matter because they will come to fruition in your next role, whether you believe it or not. 

Do you have a compelling story?

It’s unlikely that you will check every box for an employer, and that’s where your preparation and storytelling come into play. The difference between the candidate who gets hired versus one who is not is often their ability to tie their work experience and achievements into the job description at hand. Your ability to control the narrative in what makes you the most qualified and presentable candidate can put you a step above your peers. 

“Why you?”

After checking all the boxes and offering a compelling story, you still have to address this final question. What is it about you that will benefit the company specifically in a way no other candidate can? Is there a unique anecdote that goes beyond the alignment of your capabilities and the job you desire? If you don’t believe in yourself, you are only causing others to do the same. Confidence plays a significant role in achieving your big dreams, even if it is through small, practical steps. 

Whether companies are hiring or not, make an introduction and let your passion lead the way. Carry yourself with a mindset of endless opportunity and curiosity. You are likely more qualified than you believe.

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4 Lessons Athletes Can Carry into the Business World

At NexGoal, we choose to tap into the network of former athletes because of the highly transferable skills they’ve acquired throughout their athletic tenure. Whether they competed on a professional, collegiate, or high school level, these athletes understand what it takes to succeed. Employers want to fill their organization with employees possessing these high character traits. Knowing how to thrive individually and as a team, and having hard work and dedication ingrained in their DNA, athletes today have a real competitive edge when entering the business world.

Perseverance & Competitive Drive

Athletes are continually facing new challenges, but much to their chagrin, it’s impossible to win them all. Despite this, they are built to overcome losses to tough competition and still find ways to improve when they are on the winning side. Under demoralizing circumstances, athletes maintain a high level of intensity and determination they believe will pay off. What others may view as a setback, the tenacious athlete will consider as a new obstacle to overcome. To avoid getting discouraged, setting immediate, manageable steps is vital.

Former Green Bay Packer Tony Moll credits his athletic background for their’ roll with the punches’ business model, “making audibles left and right.” Discover how Moll turned his winery hobby into a successful business venture through the lessons he learned on the football field. 

Optimism & Confidence

Athletes believe in their abilities to produce significant results, especially under pressure or when the odds are stacked against them. Basketball legend Michael Jordan never distressed over missed opportunities but instead focused on performing his best in the present moment. 

           “You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.” -Michael Jordan

While there needs to be a balance between optimism and realistic goals, athletes will certainly not lack confidence and will provide the ‘self-starter’ mentality your organization covets. Inclined to accepting constructive criticism, their tenacity and hopefulness allows them to quickly correct course and prove their worth in the next presented opportunity. 

Leadership & Communication

An athlete’s qualities often place them in a natural leadership position as their work ethic and confidence begin to set the standard for other employees. Knowing the power of being a unified team versus being a group, athlete employees promote team chemistry and consistent communication. They are energizing, organized, and resourceful when it comes to their job performance, and therefore serve as natural motivators in the office. Even the more reserved athletes are used to believing in their abilities and therefore lead by their actions when the words are not enough.

Preparation & Consistency

Athletes operate under a goal-oriented, disciplined business approach that ensues consistent job performance and refined skills. Through intense preparation and a commitment to learning, the athlete’s strategic mindset keeps them relevant in a competitive market. Athletes don’t believe in such a thing as over-preparing, and having knowledgeable employees means having powerful employees. 

Throughout their athletic career, they have grown accustomed to balancing their commitments to academics, training, and family and friends their entire lives. Through effective time management and intense focus, athletes can concentrate their energy on the task-at-hand and keep their priorities’ in-check’ to be successful.

Wrap Up

If you are actively seeking quality employees for your organization who you can feel confident relying on, get in contact with us today to discover how we can work together! We utilize industry-leading technology and our pipeline of candidates to find your ideal employee. 

“What impressed me about NexGoal was the time they spent up front, understanding the core competencies required for our roles. We receive candidates that have the intangible winning qualities like hunger, drive, and passion.” -Bret Anderson, Millennium Labs.

If you are a former or current athlete, we hope this article helped you uncover your potential for your post-athletic career and how the skills you’ve acquired can transfer into the business world. Find confidence in how these desirable traits can make up for other areas your resume may lack.

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The Significance of Team Chemistry & How To Achieve It

Without team camaraderie and togetherness, a team will transform into a group of individuals all pursuing personal agendas. Recently, our friends at Nexxt laid out three of the top reasons that team chemistry is momentous in a company’s success and three steps to achieve it. We break down their key points below: 

Cooperation

When your team is on the same page, it will be easier to find success, and internal conflict will dissolve. Working together with a shared ‘end goal’ in mind will strengthen your team chemistry by default. When this level of synchronicity is established, your organization will reap quicker, more efficient results and positive developments. 

Productivity

When the bond is strong between employees, experts suggest productivity will escalate company-wide. Your team will begin to learn and recognize each other’s work styles, capitalizing on strengths and confining weaknesses. A lack of team chemistry can result in an argumentative culture with employees more concerned about expressing their opinion than finding a solution. 

Loyalty

Feelings of anxiety, low morale, and detachment are among the top reasons for disbandment and a lapse of loyalty. When a company is marked by discord, conflict, and individualistic mindsets, employees will seek greener pastures. If you desire to limit company turnover and construct a desirable workplace, you must set a precedent through consistent encouragement, provided opportunity, and an emphasis on engaging relationships. 

“Only 3% of U.S. workers feel involved, enthusiastic, and committed to their work.” (Gallup)

Generating Team Chemistry in Three Steps

Facilitate Communication

One of the most straightforward steps to generating team chemistry is through open communication. Keep your office door or phone line open and present yourself in an inviting manner to the rest of your team. If you appear readily available to answer questions and address concerns, your co-workers and staff will begin to feel heard and valued for their efforts. If you are ‘closed off’ in conversation, other employees will be influenced to do the same. If employees are not coming to you, go to them to initiate conversation. Set regularly schedule 1-on-1 meetings to share company updates, goals, and give way for open discussion. 

Know Your Team

Every organization consists of varying skill-sets, personalities, and inclinations. Through your 1-on-1 meetings and company gatherings (virtual or in-person), you show intentionality in knowing your co-worker or employee beyond their resume’s content. Exuding this effort is a sign of authentic leadership. It promotes being a ‘work-family’ rather than a ‘workplace.’ Giving everyone their time in the spotlight can allow self-confidence and attitudes to flourish. 

Provide Opportunities to Learn

When you provide opportunities to learn and grow, it shows your team that you are thinking of them and that you value and want the best for them. According to Gallup, 87% of millennials list “career growth and development opportunities” as vital to them in a new job. With increased opportunities, employees’ “confidence, effectiveness, and reciprocation of loyalty” will soar.

Wrap Up

If you want consistent and valuable contributions from your team, you must identify their strengths and weaknesses and place them in a situation where you know they will win. It is a difficult task to formulate an effective team out of contrasting individuals. Still, it is critical in identifying you and your team’s sense of purpose in your respective careers. 

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