Brain Breaks for Virtual Meetings and Trainings
There’s a reason why the popular TED Talks format is limited to no more than 18 minutes. With backing from real-world research and the field of neuroscience, TED curator Chris Anderson explains that the organization decided on the 18-minute format because “it is long enough to be serious and short enough…
ADR VANTAGE, INC. NAMES TARA B. TAYLOR AS NEW MANAGING DIRECTOR
ADR Vantage, Inc. is delighted to announce the selection of Tara B. Taylor, MPA as its new Managing Director. Tara has worked as a contractor for ADR Vantage since 2016 and has already built a strong reputation with many current clients and stakeholders. At ADR Vantage, Tara will provide leadership…
Three Ways to help your Team Manage Transition
“Endings have a great way of bringing up unfinished business.” – Lennox Joseph When I moved to Washington, DC from Baltimore, MD in 2010, I started to panic about missing all the places I had to yet to visit. “I’ve never been to the Peabody Library or the American Visionary…
Returning After the Shutdown
Federal employees returning to work after the shutdown might be feeling less than enthusiastic about picking up where they left off. Few people anticipated that the shutdown would go on for so long, and many employees have been working without pay. To support returning employees, and to return to normalcy…
Unwanted Change: Improvisation & Embracing a New Reality
Change is constant. By now, we all know that. Organizations today must remain flexible to adapt to global markets, respond to 24-hour news cycles, and appease an always-watching audience. Inside organizations, programs grow, workplace cultures emerge and evolve, departments get restructured, processes and policies change, leaders come and go, work…
Looking through different lenses
It was surprising when I first caught myself removing my glasses to read an email on my phone. At 38, I feel too young to need bifocal lenses, but with increasing frequency, I find my glasses perched atop my head as I strain to read. The lenses in my glasses,…
Mediation
When federal employees file formal complaints and grievances, it is imperative that they have access to a fair and just process that will help them address and resolve the underlying issues. Mediation is a touchstone of such processes. It is a process designed to enable collaborative conversations, and it provides…
Book Review! Top picks on How to be a Leader
A colleague recently asked me to recommend my favorite books on the subject of leadership. I’ve ready quite a few, and there are many that offer generic lessons and stories, leaving the reader with little more than a loose definition of leadership. There are two leadership books I strongly recommend….
Toxic Employees: Moving beyond the label
Words are powerful, and in organizational life, everything is shaped by words. Buzzwords, jargon, and slogans all have specific meanings and histories that they convey. Mission statements, marketing materials, and position descriptions are meticulously crafted with the perfect words that communicate the organization’s values. Yet, one word, “toxic,” has found…
Workplace Bullying
Workplace bullying causes real and sometimes permanent harm yet management’s champions in HR are often powerless to help. Bullying managers and employees create a toxic environment that results in lowered productivity, lowered team performance, and dysfunction among employees. When bullied employees turn to HR, they may not find much help…