Leadership Blog
From Incite to Leadership founder and CEO Jo Ilfeld, read the latest on strategic vision, leading change amid complexity, and honing the way you communicate and collaborate with others. Get resources, practical strategies, research, and more.
Do you ever wonder if what people are saying is what they really mean? The truth is that about 90% of our communication is non-verbal so it’s not the words we say but our actions and body language and our tone of voice. Build up your emotional intelligence (EQ) by learning to read the room.…
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Start by asking yourself what YOU need. Instead of rolling over and checking in with your phone when you wake up in the morning, take a breath and check in with yourself. Ask yourself, “What do I need today?“ Maybe you need to go out for a run or get a workout in because you…
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Stressed employees are unproductive employees. Companies lose billions annually because of stressed-out employees who are unproductive and uninvested. A survey on workers under stress revealed that 41% felt less productive, 33% felt less engaged, and 15% felt compelled to look for a new job— all bad news for a business. Plus, they aren’t just employees,…
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We often hear that if it’s not a hell yes, then it’s a no. I share a different opinion. I say: maybe it’s time to think again before proceeding. Why? Because oftentimes these hell yesses that our first instincts jump at, don’t line up with our values or what we really want more of for…
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When a lot of us shifted to working from home arrangements, there was a certain novelty in the whole setup. We could put on a nice top and keep our pajamas on, join zoom calls, and eat lunch whenever we wanted. But the change-up in our work from home arrangements is unlikely to come soon;…
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I have learned that when training a puppy, it is so important to give feedback at the exact moment they do something. Why do I bring this up? Because when we are working remotely as so many of us are right now, there is an absence of immediate feedback. By the time people get feedback…
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It’s Saturday morning January 2nd. I often hike with one of my best friends on Saturdays. During Covid, we began embarking on weekly longer up and downhill 6-mile hikes. Jo: It’s raining here in Berkeley. Is it raining by you? Sara: I’ll check. Just looks foggy here, no rain. Jo: So should we go today?…
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Zoom fatigue is real. Last week I was talking with a group of biotech CEOs. One of the topics that came up for discussion was if they required people to keep their camera on for Zoom or Webex calls. Many said yes. I disagreed with them. Watch to see what advice I gave this team…
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Recently, I was talking with one of my clients and she asked me an amazing question. We were talking about her relationship with her boss and she asked me, “If you were coaching my boss, what would you advise her to do?” I love this question because what my client was doing was acknowledging that…
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I’ve been reflecting recently on the nature of disappointment. The holidays this year fall into this category. . . unless you’re lucky enough to live nearby to a pod with your family, the chances are great that your holiday table looks very different from last year’s. Less family or more Zoom computers? It seems wherever you’re…
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