Did you create a bad employee culture, without even realizing it? The habits you ignore or accept may be shaping your team's behavior more than any handbook ever could. A toxic culture doesn’t always start with bad people—it often starts with good intentions and no boundaries. Let’s explore how culture forms and what you can [...] The post Did You Create a Bad Employee Culture? appeared first on Ken Okel ....
Feeling invisible at work can do tremendous damage to team morale. It can be easy to overlook some of your quieter performers. But just because they do their job without needing the spotlight doesn't mean they don't deserve attention. And they may be starving for recognition. Let's make some noise about your silent contributors in [...] The post How Feeling Invisible at Work Destroys Team Morale appeared first on Ken Okel ....
Smart leaders understand you need to be working on the right thing and not just the next thing that crosses your desk. There are only so many hours in a day and it can be easy to be seduced by random tasks. What if you started to think about your focus as a valuable resource [...] The post Are You Working on the Right Thing or Just the Next Thing? appeared first on Ken Okel .
The problem with waiting until you're ready is that you may let perfectionism keep you from doing anything. There are moments in business when you need to act, even if you don't feel 100% comfortable. Not doing anything may feel safe, but it may also hold you and your business back. Let's unleash your potential [...] The post The Problem with Waiting Until You’re Ready appeared first on Ken Okel ....
Even the best leaders may struggle with how to lead through uncertainty without faking confidence. It's understandable that when faced with an unexpected challenge, you may not know what to do. But you need to remember your employees are watching you in these moments and hiding in your office is not a solution. Let's make [...] The post How to Lead Through Uncertainty Without Faking Confidence appeared first on Ken Okel ....
Busy leaders often discover they are afraid to take a five minute break. It can be very easy to rush from one situation to the next and never stop. The problem is that, over time, you're going to start to burn out. What if you could be smarter with how you manage your work-life balance [...] The post Are You Afraid to Take a Five Minute Break? appeared first on Ken Okel ....
If you feel pressed for time at work, then you might want to think about what you would do with 15 minutes of extra time. While it may not seem like a lot of time, if you invest it well, then you could see a great return. While you may not know when you may [...] The post What Would You Do With 15 Minutes of Extra Time? appeared first on Ken Okel .
Your out of office message could be missing something very important. Whether it's through the phone or email, people want to receive a key piece of information. If you don't provide it, then you could open the door to frustration and even lost business. Make sure being out of the office doesn't mean being out [...] The post What Must Be in Your Out of Office Message appeared first on Ken Okel ....
Understanding how to stay calm under pressure is a leadership skill that continues to grow in importance. We live in a rapidly changing world and there are going to be times when things go wrong. In the moment, it's understandable you may react poorly to these challenges. But does that undermine your performance and your [...] The post How to Stay Calm Under Pressure appeared first on Ken Okel ....
The top complaint about meetings is all about people talking way too much. Especially when they really have nothing to add to the conversation. I uncovered this complaint when I asked my LinkedIn followers to tell me what annoys them most about these gatherings. While you may feel their pain, you don't have to experience [...] The post The Top Complaint About Meetings appeared first on Ken Okel ....
Leaders who take the time to think about what could go wrong will often prevent big problems from happening. It's possible your high-performing team has overlooked something important that could impact a project's success. What if you took some time to consider some of these negative scenarios, no matter how unlikely they may seem. Learn [...] The post Think About What Could Go Wrong appeared first on Ken Okel ....
Busy leaders may find themselves saying, "But that's not me!" when employees react to an increase in bad behavior. Whether it's being overly demanding or dismissing concerns, these issues can become performance and retention issues. Often, bad behavior is the product of understandable stress but should it be allowed to continue? Learn how to quickly [...] The post But That’s Not Me! appeared first on Ken Okel ....
Smart leaders embrace the chance to play the missing employee game. This simple task can help you better prepare your business for unexpected employee absences. In life, unexpected things can happen that will take valuable staff members out of your organization for weeks. Will this be a time of productivity or panic? Prepare for the [...] The post Play the Missing Employee Game appeared first on Ken Okel ....
In a world of increasing workloads and shrinking attention spans, it's important to know how to communicate with email skimmers. These are the people who quickly scan your messages but don't read them in their entirety. This practice can lead to recipients missing key details, miscommunication, and delayed responses. Let's help you compose messages that [...] The post How To Communicate With an Email Skimmer appeared first on Ken Okel ....
If technology is not your area of expertise, then you may feel like you've missed the Artificial Intelligence honeymoon. The bad news is that you're likely behind a lot of your competition in this area. The good news is that, with a focused and strategic approach, you can start to embrace Artificial Intelligence in your [...] The post Did You Miss the Artificial Intelligence Honeymoon? appeared first on Ken Okel ....
In this jumbo edition of the podcast, you will learn how to unlock the potential of others. This is important because at some time, you may need the members of your team to raise their game, in order to meet an unexpected challenge. Join me as we go into a busy airport, where a group [...] The post How to Unlock the Potential of Others appeared first on Ken Okel .
Some focused review of your policies and procedures can prevent mistakes at work. These are the problems that cost you valuable time and money. Why should you do this? Sometimes your great plans have an unexpected flaw. You'll hear a funny example of how this can happen in this week's episode of The 2 Minute Takeaway [...] The post Prevent Mistakes at Work appeared first on Ken Okel ....
As a leader, do you have a delegation problem? It can be very easy to think that you have to perform every task. And you may like doing everything because you know it will all be done right. The downside to this level of control is that you're likely on the road to burnout. And [...] The post Do You Have a Delegation Problem? appeared first on Ken Okel .
It can be a challenge to figure out how to achieve your goals in a busy world. You start with good intentions but become derailed by unexpected realities. It's understandable if frustration sets in and makes you resistant to setting future goals. What if we could better your odds by improving your goal-setting process? Learn [...] The post How to Achieve Your Goals in a Busy World appeared first on Ken Okel ....
Has finding patience in a busy world become a greater challenge for you? It's easy to expect instant satisfaction from every moment of our personal and professional lives. But the world doesn't always work that way, which can be frustrating. What if our lack of patience was hurting us because we're seeing our time through [...] The post Finding Patience in a Busy World appeared first on Ken Okel ....
Understanding how to unlock your self-improvement should no longer be a mystery. There's nothing magical about getting better at the things you do. It's a process that can be accessed by all. What you need is an understanding that, know how, may not be enough to help you improve. Instead, you need to embrace a know [...] The post How To Unlock Your Self-Improvement appeared first on Ken Okel ....
Successful businesses need to understand how to maintain high standards. If you're not careful, over time, they might start to change in a bad way. Suddenly, years of work are becoming undone. In these moments, leaders need to refocus their teams and make sure excellence is being embraced at all levels. Let's talk about staying [...] The post How To Maintain High Standards at Work appeared first on Ken Okel ....
Do you ever feel like you need to improve how you prepare for your big moments at work? These are career-defining opportunities and you need to be at your best. There's no reset or do over button. Recently, I was inspired by this high level of performance while talking a group of specialized photographers. They [...] The post How to Prepare For Your Big Moments at Work appeared first on Ken Okel ....
Personalized coaching in 2025 could open the door to new opportunities and career advancement. Getting started can be intimidating and some fear any kind of negative feedback. Let's break down some of the benefits of personalized coaching. You may also learn to change your relationship with feedback. Get better in this week's episode of The 2 Minute [...] The post Why You Need Personalized Coaching in 2025 appeared first on Ken Okel ....
How are you at making good decisions when you get bad news? Because some people will rush into a solution, as soon as they hear the bad news. This may not be a case where speed helps you. In fact, it could be limiting your options or putting too much of the decision-making process on [...] The post Making Good Decisions When You Get Bad News appeared first on Ken Okel ....
Do you have a fear of costly mistakes at work? For some, it represents their greatest workplace fear. Take a deep breath. While you don't want to make mistakes on the job, sometimes they are inevitable due to conditions outside your control. In other cases, the problems may be easily fixed if you pump up [...] The post Fear of Costly Mistakes at Work appeared first on Ken Okel ....
On the job, things will go wrong and it's important to know how to turn a negative into a positive at work. These are the moments when you don't get something, like a promotion or an opportunity to do something new and exciting. In these moments, it's understandable that you're frustrated but how long should [...] The post How to Turn a Negative Into a Positive at Work appeared first on Ken Okel ....
Don't expect good nonverbal customer service to happen by accident. Often, it is about superior training from leaders and buy-in from employees. Once the techniques are embraced, the process can become a valuable second nature. But to get there, you may need to let go of some bad habits. Let's energize your customer service in [...] The post Examples of Good Nonverbal Customer Service appeared first on Ken Okel ....
Smart leaders know that before you sign the contract, you need to think about the road ahead. Often, some are so thrilled by a new agreement that they only consider the immediate benefits and not any potential challenges that could emerge later on. That can lead to problems, lost time, and regret. Find out how [...] The post Before You Sign the Contract appeared first on Ken Okel ....
Leaders can improve teamwork with recognition programs. But the programs may need to be adjusted from something traditional, like an employee of the month award. Instead, you want your employee recognition programs to be tied to actions and values that are all about teamwork. Find out how you can reward this kind of excellence and [...] The post How to Improve Teamwork with Recognition Programs appeared first on Ken Okel ....
