Ryan Bond

80% of your team is working at 20% capacity. Yikes! Employee experience to include being recognized and creating meaning in work are two huge expectations of our team members today. If we are to solve in the capacity challenge is completely within the employers/managers capability. WorkForce Software Life Engineering

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If you're on a distributed team, have you scheduled "unplug" time in your calendar today? As a self-identified middle-aged millennial... I still remember the sound of dial-up. "𝘉𝘦𝘦𝘦𝘦𝘦-𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘰𝘰-𝘣𝘦𝘦-𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘰-𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘱-𝘣𝘳𝘳𝘳𝘵𝘵𝘻𝘻𝘻𝘻𝘻𝘻𝘻..." (If you know, you know!) Which meant that if my parents needed to use the phone to — egads! — call someone 😳 — it meant 𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘢 𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘨𝘰 to Internet time. My only option was to get offline and play outside. It was forced unplugging — and I'm grateful to tap into that practice as a leader of a distributed team myself. Because in order to show up for our Inclusion in Progress team, collaborators, and client partners in different corners of the world — finding time to 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 unplug often feels out of reach. Even when I *am* disconnecting from work, I'm also tempted to stay plugged in... To social media platforms like this one, To thought leaders I love to learn from, To podcasts I enjoy listening to, To news (here in Spain and back in the US), And to content to soothe or distract me. Our mental health is affected by what we do at work. It's also affected by we what we 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒆 in our free time. Which is why... I'm going to challenge you (and me!) to find a way to unplug for a half hour. Just thirty minutes. No screens. No scrolling. Whether it's today or this week. It'll give us the headspace we need to: (1) focus on one task at a time, -and- (2) recharge our battery for when it counts. Think you can do that? 💡 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺. #mentalhealthatwork #workplacewellbeing #distributedteams #remoteworktips

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"You must have more hours in the day than the rest of us." No...I have Pearl! One of the smartest moves I've made in a while is hiring and delegating to an executive assistant. As a proud solopreneur with a multi-faceted advisory business, keeping up with the admin and creating time for thoughtful, creative work was becoming a problem. Since bringing Pearl Valera on from Athena in November, she has saved me 15+ hours every week by owning key tasks like: 1️⃣ Project management: Pearl's organizational skills and attention to detail keep my biggest projects on track, from concept to completion. This includes cross-functional coordination, planning, and execution for initiatives like the launch of the Distributed Work Report and my Playbooks 2️⃣ Trip logistics: For my frequent travel, Pearl researches top dining spots in each destination, compares hotels, and makes sure my travel is smooth 3️⃣ Event planning: Pearl helps support all of the logistics involved in organizing community events, in Austin and abroad 4️⃣ Inbox and calendar management to help keep me sane! Outsourcing these tasks allows me to keep my focus on what matters most - my clients, passion projects, self-care, and precious downtime. I'm incredibly grateful for Pearl 🤩 Curious to learn more about Athena or how a virtual assistant could help you? Check out the link in the comments below👇 I'm also happy to chat about my experience if you're seriously considering a virtual EA. And of course, none of this could be possible without my biggest supporter and life partner, David Wolpa 😍

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The "New Nimble" I like the phrase. Leaders have to be nimble. They can't be stuck in old ways of doing things. Knowing when to respond (or not) is so key to playing the long game. Patience is as important as your ability to adapt in the moment. There's a fine line between reacting, and being responsive to the environment around you. If you're role modeling for your next generation of leaders (hint - you always are), give them some great examples to learn from. #leadership #betterculture #employeeengagement #businessgrowth https://lnkd.in/gRKkmaKp

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🤹 Juggling priorities, managing teams, and fighting the urge to hit snooze too many times in your inbox? You're not alone. That's why The Change Architects by SK&Co. are bringing back F-Word Fridays!! Based on your feedback, we're excited to relaunch this program to help you find focus, have fun, and move fast every week. Get it? More F-words on Friday! Join me for a virtual leadership boost every other Friday, starting May 17th.. Expect focused conversation prompts, learning from other IT leaders, and free coaching on your biggest distractions. ✨ For IT managers and directors only. Link to sign up in comments! #ITLeadershipChallenges

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How Can a Napkin on Your Head Help Build a Culture That Rocks? I’d like to give a big shout out to Jim Griffith, COO of Tanner Health Systems. Why does his smile look so contagious? He knows that a fun culture starts at the top! Jim wanted his leadership team to be more approachable and engaging with their employees and patients. Enter Richie 😊 Part of my workshop is helping people get over their biggest humor fear; telling a joke that bombs. To show them that it’s no big deal, every time someone says something that doesn’t get a laugh we put the Bomb Towel on them…and that gets more praise than a laugh ever would. Ol’ Jim didn’t just embrace the Bomb Towel, he hammed it up and basked in the glory of his own failures and then celebrated his teammates when it was their turn in the towel. The audience followed Jim’s lead and made sure that the participants felt like stars just for trying. Why does a Levity Workshop encourage bombing? ·     It encourages people to take chances ·     It socializes the risk because everyone has fun ·     It reinforces a culture of “being in it together” ·     It makes for great photo ops for Comedy Consultants to post on LinkedIn! Does your culture have any rituals that turn little whiffs into positive moments? ⭐️Need some Humor-In-Business Advice? DM your boy! 
 ⭐️⭐️Want Funnier Marketing? Holler at me! 
 ⭐️⭐️⭐️Could your Sales and Leadership Teams benefit from Levity Training? I’m here to help! #HR #TeamBuilding #Leadership #Workshops #Humor #FunIdeas #CreativeWorkshop #Leaders #Sales

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The most underutilized tool for leaders in EOS, IMHO, is the Clarity Break. Just this week I had a team that was unsure how they could manage it (you know who you are!!). Personally it's been a game changer for me. I schedule mine on Sunday nights to get my week ready. I think about the business(es) and just write things down. If you are frustrated, feel overwhelmed, and lack clarity, take a Clarity Break at regular intervals. Regular Clarity Breaks help you: 🔸 Experience more breakthrough thoughts 🔸 Harness the benefits of self-discovery, creativity, and personal growth 🔸 Retake control of feeling calm, confident, and centered Download the Clarity Break tool today: https://lnkd.in/d_GhqGan

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Only 7 spots left…. Next cohort starts May 8. Over the 4 weeks of this cohort…. we will help activate leaders to win at home and at work. If you want to learn more, DM me and I’ll send you the detailed description. Here are a few highlights: * Live coaching during the calls * Proven content used with 170+ clients * Small group will allow for discussion with other business leaders What you will leave with: * Personal purpose statement * Dashboard of 2024 goals and habits * SWOT of your current reality * Mindset shift statements * Plus much more Personal guarantee…. If you don’t get better, you can have your money back (assuming you showed up for the calls and did the work :) )

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#BlueCollarBS 🎯 Are you shouldering the burden of goal setting in your business by yourself? Navigating solo can lead to high turnover and unnecessary stress. Discover the magic of aligning with your team and encouraging their input. Collaboration isn't just a buzzword; it's your key to unlocking new levels of success! 💼🔑 Catch our full show where we explore this and more: https://vist.ly/3c9yp #EnhancedTeamwork #BusinessWin #MaximizeSuccess #LeadershipGoals #TeamGoals #BusinessSuccess #CollaborativeLeadership

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You have one or two top performers in your business, but the rest are barely cutting it. You might be asking, "How am I going to get the rest of my team up to par?" The biggest problem I encounter with the growth-minded businesses I work with is a lack of process. Most sales managers are simply "winging it" because they were typically the company's best salesperson, but were never given proper guidance on how to work "on" the business instead of "in" it. It's the old adage of "If it worked for me, so it should work for thee." So why doesn't it work? The issue is that PERSONALITY DOES NOT SCALE. But a solid process does 😉 We recently worked with a company called MPI, who like so many other companies, were stuck in this same mentality, but by simply implementing a scalable process, were able to see tremendous growth almost immediately. Check out their story here: https://lnkd.in/egnPwYc6 Have you been eager to learn how to effectively scale your team's performance? Drop a comment or send me a message and let's connect!

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Still scattering time across low-value tasks, Wayzata executives? As your FocalPoint business coach, I create tailored plans to help you prioritize what truly matters. Let’s talk focus! #PriorityManagement #Productivity #ExecutiveCoaching #TimeManagement https://lnkd.in/gUssxuHJ

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Your company’s new secret weapon: The Chief People Officer Once seen as the office's resident "pizza planner," they're are now driving strategy, fostering innovation, and becoming a force to be reckoned within the C-suite. For clean energy companies looking to charge up their workforce, paying attention to this HR shake-up is non-negotiable. Here's why these people pros are so crucial for fueling growth and keeping that talent battery charged: Boosting productivity: Forget stuffy policies—today's CPOs are getting their hands dirty to truly understand what makes employees tick. By aligning HR initiatives with business goals and leveraging data insights, they can pinpoint what's zapping productivity and nip those issues in the bud. They're also injecting a spirit of agility into company culture—because in today's VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) world, the ability to adapt is non-negotiable. With CPOs championing continuous learning, clean energy companies can future-proof their workforce. Forget dry corporate policy—CPOs are the catalysts for unlocking a company's entrepreneurial firepower from within. By giving employees a real voice, promoting cross-functional collaboration, and dishing out "intrapreneurial" opportunities, they're empowering staffers to innovate like startup founders. The result? A group of passionate self-starters who'll blaze new trails, challenge the status quo, and propel the business forward with their game-changing ideas. For clean energy companies striving to upend industry norms, that spirit of intrapreneurship is a goldmine. So, clean energy leaders, the real question is: Is your CHRO getting a seat at the strategy table? Because in today's talent-driven economy, that just might be your competitive edge. https://lnkd.in/gJgtS6HD #cpo #chiefpeopleofficer #chiefhumanresourcesofficer #chro #cleanenergy

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Ready for some candor from your team? Wish you could get an idea of how your team feels about your leadership and management skills? Share this LMA questionnaire with them once a year before your Quarterly Conversation so you can discuss the results together and figure out how you can get all "yeses." Use this tool to: 🔸 Improve Quarterly Conversations 🔸 Strengthen communications and expectations with your team 🔸 Receive honest feedback on how you can be a better leader and manager from the people you lead Download the LMA questionnaire here: https://lnkd.in/dmjvdD4U #eos #eosimplementer

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Employee ownership: The best way to ensure engagement (thefabricator.com) I am a fan of employee ownership. But their is no proof that employee ownership drives engagement. Quite the opposite. Corey Rosen's HBR article on Ownership, was clear that it was what he called, employee participation in management, not ownership, that drove results. Its hard to engage workers on a benefit of unknown value that they will not realize for many years, the very nature of ownership. If you wish to improve engagement and business results, I would suggest this HBS research based article: https://lnkd.in/gyy2KdYK

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I’ve been in professional sales and sales leadership for more than three decades. In that time I’ve witnessed 1000’s of companies - some from the inside as an employee, entrepreneur, or consultant and the rest as a supplier partner. To echo Rob’s spot-on observations below, there is a special vibration and energy with those companies who sincerely embrace and invest in their PEOPLE above all else! ✅ They are led by inspired leaders - the type of people who you will run barefoot over broken glass through burning brick walls for! ✅ They cultivate and nurture thriving company cultures where everyone is valued, appreciated, trusted, and is made to feel they are part of something purposeful! ✅ They understand the critical importance of customer experience excellence in every interaction - customer-facing, suppliers, colleagues, etc. - that everything they say and do is either a deposit or a withdrawal in the customer experience bank account! I encourage everyone who pursues greatness to focus on your PEOPLE above all else! And the PEOPLE will build the business for you! #leadership #inspiredleadership #cx #culture #bettereveryday #coaching #mentoring

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Thrilled to be hopping on a plane today to be with the amazing team of Lloyd Companies in South Dakota! I'll be giving my "Customer Service Survival Guide" workshop for their teams. I LOVE giving doing this talk because: 1) Serving today's customer is NOT easy. (Did someone say, "Preach!"?) 2) I intentionally designed it to feel different than other customer service trainings and talks, and to go deeper in some areas. 3) Even though I cover the idea of customer service differently, the team will have some meaty practical strategies that they can implement right away 4) I love helping people help others! Let's go! 🛫

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🌟 For my fellow business owners....I've discovered a single, straightforward meeting that significantly boosts trust, fosters empathy, and alerts me to issues before they escalate. I've detailed this meeting's structure, purpose, and my firsthand benefits in my article. Strengthen your team and preempt challenges, incorporate this meeting into your schedule for remarkable improvements. #TeamBuilding #Leadership #BusinessGrowth

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