Happy Tuesday!

Hard to believe it is May already. But believe it or not, welcome to May.

We’re back to two articles for you today: one “ripped from the headlines,” and the other a hard truth – that is actually excellent news when you think about it the way I will share it with you.

One more thing… I got some feedback last week that they felt my articles are (too) self-promoting. The feedback is valuable because it helps me continue to think about the balance of promotion and useful content we provide. Rest assured I have thought about this balance for years, and it is often in my mind as I write.

And…

Last week’s article was more self-promotional than some, but not from an ego perspective. (here’s the article if you missed it – or want to read it again). We provide services to help organizations support their leaders. When organizations do that, they can get results far beyond what they invest. When we get the chance to help organizations do that, we earn our paychecks.

And…

We believe that organizations need to invest in their leaders (which was the point last week!) whether they do it with us or not.

We want to earn the right to be your trusted advisor, and when we have, we hope you will want to become a client. But until then, we will continue to do our very best to provide you ideas and insight for your benefit, and ours too.

Make it a great Tuesday and remember…

You are Remarkable!

Kevin 😊

Companies are Leaving More Jobs Unfilled: Now What?

The Wall Street Journal reports that “Major U.S. employers are starting to take a new approach to jobs: Hire less—or not at all.”

Depending on your role or situation, you could have very different viewpoints about that quote from the Journal.

If you are an economist, you are thinking companies may be preparing for recession.

If you are a CEO or business strategist, you might be wondering what you should be thinking for your company.

If you are a leader in an organization, you might be thinking about how you lead in that environment (or if the job you just advocated for will get posted).

If you are an over-worked team member, you might get even more stressed.

If you are a job seeker, you might be (even more) discouraged.

All of those are articles worth writing (the Journal article above is written mostly for the first two groups).

Since I coach, train, and consult with many leaders, that is who I am talking to here (but if you are a team member or looking for work, there is something valuable for you too…)

If your company decides to freeze hiring – or leave more jobs open – what do you need to think about as a leader? Here are five things to consider.

1. Think longer-term. This might not be as bad as you think. Would you rather get all jobs filled today, and then perhaps have layoffs in a few months? Maybe a more cautious approach is prudent. Even if you disagree, seeing that viewpoint might help you understand and support this direction from senior management.

2. Fill in the team. If it looks like the new (or open) job will remain unfilled, let the team know. They may not like it, but they would rather know than wonder.

3. Attend to the team. An open spot may mean others will have to work harder. And even if that isn’t true, that is what they will be thinking. Pay attention to their attitude, stress level, productivity and overall mental fitness.

4. Focus on priorities. “More work with less people.” Sounds good. And certainly, there may be productivity gains to be found (including with help from AI tools), but as a leader, it is also your job to set priorities and expectations for the team. And if more help (even if it was expected) isn’t forthcoming, you need to help your team decide which work is the most important – and help them understand why.

5. Lead differently. The context of the uncertainty and less help may mean you need to protect your team from above, support your team, and even help your team. There may be roles you need to be willing to take that you haven’t taken in the past. Not forever – but for now.

The Hard Truth About Professional Excellence

I’m going to give you the hard truth (and the big key) to professional excellence in the next few hundred words. Even better, it isn’t just the key to professional excellence but excellence in any part of your life. And even if you don’t strive for excellence, but just want to get good at something, the same hard truth is required.

Here's the truth…

Thanks for reading. Please reply at any time with questions or feedback for our team.

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