By Posted on Posted in Exercising Influence, Influence, Trust No Comments Tagged with , , ,

In my previous post [Ed. Note: see “How to Build Trust in a Low-Trust Era”], I suggested that trust was a key factor in helping people work more effectively and efficiently on teams. As formal or informal leaders, it’s our responsibility to help team members focus and move toward action in order to achieve a desired outcome. There are three basic ways that we can accomplish this: through the use of direct power, through manipulation, and by using interpersonal influence.

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By Posted on Posted in Inspirational leadership, Kim Barnes, leadership No Comments Tagged with , ,

by B. Kim Barnes
Reprinted from a LinkedIn article from February 28, 2022

As I watch, spellbound, the drama unfolding in Ukraine, I see everything I’ve ever learned or taught about inspirational leadership being demonstrated on the streets of Kiev. Volodymyr Zelensky, comedian turned political leader, has manifested every aspect of the model at right [1] – and in doing so, has influenced world leaders to take unprecedented actions to support him and his people. In recent years, we have seen political leaders provide poor examples – showing a lack of courage, self-awareness, constancy, empathy, and generosity of spirit, among other qualities. It’s hard to know what the outcome of this situation will be, but he has provided us with an inspiring example of how to lead under the most challenging of circumstances.

Inspirational leadership like that shown by Zelensky can, as we have seen in the followers of that leader, turn fear into determination, weakness into strength, confusion into steadfast commitment. We needed this example to show us what’s possible. I am grateful and in awe.

[1] From Inspirational Leadership, a copyrighted program of Barnes & Conti Associates, Inc.

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By Posted on Posted in Communication, Constructive Debate, managing bias, Uncategorized No Comments Tagged with , , , ,

By B. Kim Barnes, Barnes & Conti CEO, and Nelson Soken, Ph.D, Barnes & Conti Chief Innovation Officer
Reprinted from  LinkedIn, June 1, 2016. We are sharing it in this update because unconscious bias is especially relevant to us today.

There are many variations of the following quote, first attributed to Bernard Baruch. “You have the right to your own opinion, but you don’t have the right to your own facts.” The reality is, though, that there are enough facts for people to pick and choose the ones that support their preferred conclusion.

We like to think of ourselves as a rational species – but recent evidence from behavioral science research suggests otherwise. We tend to seek information that supports our views and disregard facts that are counter to our belief systems. This is known as the confirmation bias, and explains why people with conservative political views watch and read conservative media sources and liberals watch and read liberal sources. We hold fast to ideas…

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By Posted on Posted in Culture, Employee Engagement, Influence, Inspiration, leadership, Remote Teams No Comments Tagged with , , , , ,

By Nermin Soyalp, Ph.D.

Two years into the pandemic, engagement surveys—unsurprisingly—report low morale and decreased engagement for many organizations. Organizations have been inviting employees back to their offices. However, with Covid19 surges and employees enjoying working at home, many balk at idea returning to the office full-time. Working remotely is here to stay, and managers face the challenge of creating and supporting an engaged remote work environment.

This article focuses on engagement: what it is, how it works, and the leader’s role in increasing and maintaining employee engagement, especially when leading remotely. Barnes & Conti has redoubled our long-standing commitment of supporting organizations, their leaders, and team members to develop and maintain engaged remote workplaces. This article will identify what contributes to high engagement and how we can create processes to address obstacles to engagement…

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By Posted on Posted in Influence No Comments Tagged with ,

By B. Kim Barnes, Barnes & Conti CEO, reprinted from LinkedIn, October 13, 2021 One of the most important skills for influencers is the ability to “think themselves into” the mind of the person they are hoping to influence. Identifying …

How Identifying with the Other Makes You a Better Influencer Read more »

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