by Shelley Row | Sep 13, 2021 | Emotional intelligence, Leadership in Engineering, Neuroscience
Photo by Paul Green on Unsplash “Power through it” is quick advice for hard or tedious work tasks. Our CEO Shelley Row breaks down the diminishing return of determination and how to reset your brain for more productivity. Expectation vs Reality...
by Shelley Row | Aug 28, 2021 | Decision-Making, Emotional intelligence, Leadership in Engineering, Neuroscience
In leadership positions it’s inevitable that situations arise and provoke emotional reactions. Some emotions are low grade but others are like five-alarm fires. We are taught to suppress our emotions in the workplace in order to be seen as credible, strong and...
by Shelley Row | Aug 13, 2021 | Communication skills, Emotional intelligence, Employee Culture, Self-awareness
Improve your team with these tips for thoughtful management Kindness is natural but it isn’t always easy. Use these management techniques for kindness to improve your team’s morale and performance. Every day it was the same. As the postal carrier...
by Shelley Row | Jul 30, 2021 | Decision-Making, Emotional intelligence, Leadership in Engineering, Self-awareness
What’s your leadership philosophy? On paper, it seems easy to say you’re committed to fairness, profitability and something to do with sustainability. The workday, however, can feel like an unending battle between long-range vision and a stacked to-do list. When we...
by Shelley Row | Jul 13, 2021 | Decision-Making, Emotional intelligence, Self-awareness
Anxious? Rebalance your day with mindfulness and meaningful work instead of checking off a to-do list. Here’s how I changed my perspective and realigned my vision for Blue Fjord Leaders. Understanding My To-Do List Anxiety It was the first morning of my...
by Shelley Row | Jun 29, 2021 | Employee Culture, Employee Engagement, Leadership During COVID19
Employee retention. It’s a conundrum for even the most-seasoned managers. Over the past few weeks, I’ve seen an extensive uptick in conversations about The Great Resignation, as well as the what and how of keeping people in-house. Fewer are asking why everyone is...
by Shelley Row | Jun 17, 2021 | Decision-Making, Employee Culture, Problem-solving
Close your eyes and imagine the sound of crashing waves, the feeling of sun on your face, and a cool drink in your hand. For some, this anticipation of vacation brings feelings of happiness and relaxation — for many more, it means added stress and a never-ending list...
by Shelley Row | May 24, 2021 | Communication skills, Employee Culture, Problem-solving
Why you have to address personality conflicts at work Have you ever worked in an office where a performance problem went unaddressed? Have you ever watched personality conflicts negatively impact productivity and no one does anything about it? As a top performer, have...
by Shelley Row | May 10, 2021 | Emotional intelligence, Self-awareness
We’ve been talking about what it takes for your organization to run like a well-oiled machine. In our discussion the “oil” is communication skills. Previously, I wrote about three communication tips that grease the gears: listening skills, diffusing...
by Shelley Row | Apr 26, 2021 | Communication skills, Leadership in Engineering
How to be a boss that is a good listener You want your office to run like a finely-tuned machine, each gear meshing seamlessly with the others. This level of performance requires the WD-40 of organizations – communication skills and listening skills specifically. In...
by Shelley Row | Apr 14, 2021 | Communication skills, Team building
Want to get more stuff done? Here’s what it takes. You just want to get stuff done. That’s what I hear from the technical professionals I work with. Run into a problem? Let’s solve it and move on. These motivated staff are like high performance gears whirring at top...
by Shelley Row | Mar 16, 2021 | Communication skills, Foundational Skills, Leadership in Engineering, Self-awareness
How this aspect of self-awareness is a critical function in leadership How do you show up? A few weeks ago we introduced you to the Blue Fjord Leadership System. Over time, I’ll write about each of the skills starting with the foundational skills. Today, is...
by Shelley Row | Feb 15, 2021 | Leadership in Engineering, Team building
Why smart people struggle in leadership positions & why technical experts need people skills You sensed it for some time. You know technically what is the right answer. And it’s not enough. You sense that you aren’t as effective or influential as you should...
by Shelley Row | Feb 1, 2021 | Leadership in Engineering
From Technical Expert to Manager: How will you bridge the gap? It’s no surprise that the transition from technical expert to manager is a struggle. Leaders in technical organizations tell stories of exceptional engineers who never make it as a manager. Perhaps you...
by Shelley Row | Jan 18, 2021 | Communication skills, Leadership in Engineering
Tone at the Top Matters: What Tone Are You Setting? As a manager, what you say and how you say it drastically affects your team. Fix bad behavior and set the tone for office culture by learning from these mistakes. Daniel was the new boss and he came in like a...
by Shelley Row | Dec 17, 2020 | Leadership, Leadership During COVID19
Whew! What a year it’s been. There’s nothing like a world-wide pandemic to put a spotlight on good (and bad) leadership. Here’s my list of 2020 leadership lessons and observations. How do yours stack up? Be ready to pivot. Each day I’m impressed by the creativity...
by Shelley Row | Dec 1, 2020 | goals, Neuroscience, over thinking
What is the “whole brain approach?” What a year it’s been! With the new year approaching perhaps you are looking for, have applied for, or are considering a new job. That can be stressful and anxiety-producing, and you can find yourself over-thinking it....
by Shelley Row | Nov 10, 2020 | Employee Culture, Leadership
The problem with most managers Here’s a tale of two managers. Can you relate to either? Shontelle: She was one of my top engineers. She analyzed each problem to the nth degree. She was thorough and logical. A real problem solver. That’s why she was promoted to a team...
by Shelley Row | Oct 28, 2020 | Leadership, Employee Engagement
Leadership development is about applied learning that lasts. When I shifted to applied learning techniques, I saw increased impact, transformed behavior, and lasting change. Why leadership development trainings don’t work · Does your organization provide periodic...
by Shelley Row | Sep 15, 2020 | Decision-Making, goals, Leadership During COVID19
I’m sure you all can relate to the fact that many of the goals I set for my business at the start of 2020 look nothing like where we’re going to land on December 31st (just 106 short days from today). For the companies I work with, I know their 2020 visions also did...
by Shelley Row | Aug 30, 2020 | Decision-Making, Leadership During COVID19, sailing
Remember back in early March, when every single decision and idea we had was met with fear and doubt, because none of us knew for certain what to expect, or how bad things were going to get? Now, after several months of settling in to so many “new...
by Shelley Row | Aug 18, 2020 | Leadership, Leadership During COVID19, Neuroscience
Is learning something new the best way to combat “pandemic fatigue?” I don’t know about you, but since mid-March I’ve now seen, heard and read at least a gazillion advice columns and podcasts from “experts” all telling us ways in which we could be...
by Shelley Row | Aug 4, 2020 | Business Skills, communication, Employee Culture, Leadership During COVID19
According to a June Gallup poll, 54% of workers surveyed said they are currently not engaged, meaning they are “psychologically unattached to their work and company.” Another 14% said they are actively disengaged, meaning they “have miserable work...
by Shelley Row | Jul 23, 2020 | communication, Employee Engagement, Leadership During COVID19
In times of uncertainty, be certain of what your team needs from you As a leadership trainer and coach for over a decade, I can’t help but consider how significantly this ongoing pandemic has pulled back the curtain to reveal some of the most effective and glaringly...
by Shelley Row | Jun 2, 2020 | communication, Decision-Making, Employee Culture, Employee Engagement, Leadership, personality profile, success
It seems like a good idea to use your existing senior staff to develop and conduct leadership training for mid and up-and-coming engineer managers. After all, you’re already paying them and they have proven leadership skills. Why not use them to train others?...
by Shelley Row | May 19, 2020 | Business Skills, communication, Decision-Making, Employee Culture, Employee Engagement, Leadership, Neuroscience, over thinking, success
Exhausted after a Day of Zoom Calls? Four Tips to Manage Your Energy in a Virtual Environment Meeting after meeting after virtual meeting. It’s exhausting. Have you noticed that meeting online all day is more exhausting than if you were meeting in person? How...
by Shelley Row | May 5, 2020 | Business Skills, communication, Decision-Making, Leadership, success
Use This Checklist to Evaluate Your Program! (agency) Trust is the currency of public agencies. You need trust to work effectively with elected leaders, to successfully argue for your agency’s funding, and to build relationships with citizens who pass judgment on your...
by Shelley Row | Apr 29, 2020 | Business Skills, communication, Decision-Making, Leadership, success
Use This Checklist to Evaluate Your Program! Your staff is working and serving clients because your organization provides an “essential” function. That’s great…for now. But you foresee a future with tighter revenue, constrained travel, and...
by Shelley Row | Apr 21, 2020 | Business Skills, communication, Employee Engagement, Leadership, over thinking
In case you haven’t noticed by now, an effective webinar isn’t simply a regular presence on a screen. Webinars should be designed differently…well if you want them to be impactful. Particularly now with everyone participating in webinars, yours can...
by Shelley Row | Apr 13, 2020 | Business Skills, communication, Decision-Making, Employee Culture, Employee Engagement, Leadership
Photo credit: Aleksandr Davydov This is the fourth newsletter based on the Over-Thinkers Guide to Working at Home Effectively. You can find the original guide here. Each week, we’ve written more information on one of the topics in the guide. This week’s...
by Shelley Row | Apr 6, 2020 | Business Skills, communication, Decision-Making, Employee Culture, Employee Engagement, Leadership
I bet you have been on more virtual meetings in the last couple of weeks than ever before. Locked in the house avoiding COVID-19, we’re all working on virtual meeting platforms. Take Zoom, for example, the company added more users in the first two months of 2020...
by Shelley Row | Mar 31, 2020 | business, Business Skills, communication, Employee Culture, Employee Engagement
Particularly for those of us who work on technical projects, it’s tempting to use the time working from home to focus project work; however, as a manager, your staff need your attention now more than ever. Maybe you supervise highly technical people who enjoy...
by Shelley Row | Mar 25, 2020 | business, Business Skills, communication, Employee Culture, Leadership
photo credit: rawpixel The world has shifted and here we are – at home – working. Having worked out of my home office for years now, I can say with assurance that there is a difference between working at home for a couple of days a week and working at home for an...
by Shelley Row | Mar 20, 2020 | business, Business Skills, Decision-Making, Employee Engagement
Whether your technical expertise is in engineering (like mine), law, finance, technology or science, we technical folks don’t have good reputations as managers. When a technically accomplished person is promoted into management, suddenly the old skills that made us...
by Shelley Row | Feb 19, 2020 | communication, Decision-Making, Employee Culture, Employee Engagement, Leadership, success
What’s your leadership philosophy? What’s your leadership philosophy? I’ve asked that question to interview candidates and it has been asked of me. Frequently, the candidate is stumped as was I the first time. Don’t let that question stump you....
by Shelley Row | Jan 22, 2020 | Employee Culture, Leadership
In researching this article, I found countless resources on “how to write a vision and mission statement,” “how to execute a vision and strategy,” and “why you should have a vision statement.” I found no articles on how to create a...
by Shelley Row | Jan 6, 2020 | Decision-Making
Hard-to-work-with, passive-aggressive, disagreeable, arrogant, unresponsive, unmotivated, angry. Know anyone like that? Rational, levelheaded, thoughtful, curious, respectful, friendly, easy-to-get-along-with, agreeable. You probably know people like this, too....
by Shelley Row | Dec 17, 2019 | Business Skills, Podcast
I recently was asked to speak on the PharmCast podcast (where they talk all things pharmacy and wellness.policy, people and the profession) to share ideas and tools for pharmacy leaders to steady themselves and their staff. This is part two of my conversation with...
by Shelley Row | Dec 9, 2019 | Business Skills, communication, Decision-Making, Leadership
We’re learning about the ten skills that technical professionals need when they become a manager. Let’s discuss the importance of having a broad range of information sources. Big Decisions: Are you considering a broad range of information sources? When you need to...
by Shelley Row | Dec 3, 2019 | Business Skills, Leadership
I recently was asked to speak on the PharmCast podcast (where they talk all things pharmacy and wellness.policy, people and the profession) to share ideas and tools for pharmacy leaders to steady themselves and their staff. I help provide guidance for navigating...
by Shelley Row | Nov 26, 2019 | Leadership, communication, Employee Engagement
We’re learning about the ten skills that technical professionals need when they become a manager. Today let’s discuss the importance of getting to know that special person who simply knows how to get things done in the office. And it’s not simple!...
by Shelley Row | Nov 5, 2019 | Business Skills, Decision-Making, Leadership
We’re learning about the ten skills that technical professionals need when they become a manager. Today we’ll talk about the importance of knowing the influences outside your organization that can shift its direction and how you can stay on top of them....
by Shelley Row | Oct 21, 2019 | Business Skills, communication, Decision-Making, Employee Culture, Employee Engagement, Leadership, success
Our new boss arrived with an agenda and he wasn’t timid about it. It seemed that he gathered input from everyone but us. Because he was influenced by an array of people unfamiliar to us, the work environment became challenging, to say the least. Through this...
by Shelley Row | Oct 8, 2019 | Business Skills, communication, Decision-Making, Employee Culture, Employee Engagement, Leadership, success
Teresa wanted to see the big picture strategy before discussing specifics. Tom wanted general ideas with time to think before deciding. Paul wanted to give orders that were followed to the “T”. To be successful, each of these bosses required a unique...
by Shelley Row | Sep 25, 2019 | Business Skills, communication, Decision-Making, engineer, Leadership, Neuroscience, over thinking, success
Imagine a Ferrari. It looks sleek and fast. Now imagine a Ferrari with a Ford Focus engine. It still looks sleek but its performance is impacted by the mechanics under the hood. It’s not so different for you. The influences “under your hood” dramatically impact your...
by Shelley Row | Sep 12, 2019 | Business Skills, communication, Decision-Making, Employee Culture, Employee Engagement, engineer, Leadership, Neuroscience, personality profile
Can You See Your Humps? Your Strengths and Communication Styles? Keep Reading To Learn Here. How do you behave at work? What work style and communication traits are associated with you? There’s an African proverb, “The camel never sees its own humps, but that of its...
by Shelley Row | Aug 28, 2019 | Business Skills, communication, Decision-Making, Employee Culture, Leadership
When you download a new app, buy a new phone or acquire the latest cool technology like Alexa, you learn to use it. You explore its capabilities, you learn how it works, and over time you learn how it can assist you. Do you make that effort with your staff? Do you...
by Shelley Row | Aug 14, 2019 | Leadership
Think about your first management position. What was initially on your mind? For most of us, we dove into the technical work. What are the projects? Are they on time and on budget? What are the technical challenges? What is the financial picture for each? For sure,...
by Shelley Row | Aug 1, 2019 | business, Business Skills, communication, Decision-Making, Employee Culture, Employee Engagement, Leadership, Neuroscience, over thinking
Whether your technical expertise is in engineering (like mine), law, finance, technology or science, we technical folks don’t have good reputations as managers. When a technically accomplished person is promoted into management, suddenly the old skills that made us...
by Shelley Row | Jul 17, 2019 | Business Skills, communication, Decision-Making, goals, Leadership, Neuroscience, over thinking
Is your leadership falling victim to the villain? “What villain?” you say. It’s a dastardly villain that limits your leadership potential and short-circuits your effectiveness. Particularly in technical fields, we’ve been trained to go along with the villain. Here’s...
