PublicationsThe Art of Under-Promising and Over-Delivering By Tracy MacDonaldJan 2017Regardless of where we each fall in the organizational food chain, we are responsible for completing things. Whether actions or tasks, everything has a deadline and in all likelihood someone at a higher level who will review it. Continue reading… What kind of leader are you?-Leadership Compass By Tracy MacDonaldDec 2016Even if they don’t come in the form of super strength, super speed, the ability to fly or scale walls, we all have super powers. The challenge though, can be not just discovering them but knowing where and how to use them in the work environment, and even more specifically in the leadership space. Continue reading… Pushing Ahead or Waiting to Start By Tracy MacDonaldDec 2016December is one of those months that is both stressful and celebratory. On the business side, it’s the end of a calendar year, it can also be the halfway point through a fiscal year, and at the very least, it’s the end of a quarter. We can call this the “pressure” side of December. On the celebratory side, we have several holidays, the official start to winter and an opportunity to close up one year and look forward to a new beginning. Continue reading… Momentum For Success – It Takes More Than Motion By Tracy MacDonaldNov 2016Running on a treadmill is useful when the weather is cold and you’ve got nowhere else to go. But when it comes to moving a business or project forward, the last place you want to be is on a treadmill- working but not moving. In business, this stagnant movement can happen when there is a desired outcome or goal but with all the activity, there is no change, no momentum, and no results showing progress. Continue reading… Yes, You Can Laugh At Work By Tracy MacDonaldOct 2016Laughter has been found to be incredibly beneficial to live longer, be healthier, and reduce stress. Smiling is good too, especially when it’s genuine. In the case of the business environment, we’ll go one step further and say a sense of humor can make all the difference when it comes to handling stress, managing deadlines and being a leader among colleagues. Continue reading… The Price of Profit By Tracy MacDonaldSep 2016Profit is important, but it’s not the only indicator of a company’s health and well-being. All too often, profit is used as the primary source indicating success. We’re not saying numbers are not important- without them you don’t have a company. But for executives at Wells Fargo, the consequences of focusing on just the numbers seems to be bubbling up in a less than stellar way. For anyone in sales, this story may sound familiar. You’re working hard to fill your pipeline, get meetings, close deals and finally collect the all-mighty, highly coveted commission check. Continue reading… Relationships and Collaboration By Tracy MacDonaldSep 2016Relationships and collaboration. These two items are key components of the most successful departments, projects, committees and organizations. On a social scale, it’s like the perfect dinner party when there is just the right mix of people, conversation, and a perfectly timed meal. We don’t always know where the perfect mix will be, professionally or socially, but when it’s found amazing things can happen. Continue reading… 5 Ways to Get Fired By Tracy MacDonaldAug 2016Almost no one starts a job, or a career, looking for or thinking about ways to get fired. And while not the most pleasant subject to discuss when it comes to work, people do get fired. Often times, it’s not just one event or one issue that gets someone fired, nor does it happen in one day. It’s a cumulative process with a bad result; but one which could have been avoided if one knew what to do or was more adept at recognizing warning signs. Here are just five common causes of getting fired. Continue reading… Idea Generation – It’s Not A Competition By Tracy MacDonaldAug 2016Great ideas. They are the cornerstone of innovation, inspiration and change. They can make our days more productive, our lives easier, and things that were previously thought of as unattainable, possible. While we don’t have control over when a great idea will strike, we do have a responsibility to ourselves and our colleagues to explore them. Continue reading… The Importance of Empowering People to Work Independently By Tracy MacDonaldAug 2016Leaders are expected to accomplish a variety of success oriented objectives in a business environment. But if they are constantly bogged down in the minutia of day to day operational decisions, it not only takes away from the planning and building of future initiatives, but also stops productive workflow dead in its tracks. There are two reasons why this is bad for business: one is for the growth of the business and the other is directly related to a positive human resources experience for your employees. With leadership initiatives focused on helping employees to work independently, it becomes easier to be productive and have happy employees at the same time. Continue reading… «1234»