If this sounds familiar, you’re experiencing what thousands of engineers face as they progress in their careers: the realization that technical competence alone isn’t enough to reach the next level of professional success.

The harsh reality is that in today’s engineering landscape, your technical skills get you in the door, but they won’t necessarily get you to the corner office… or even to the level of influence and impact you want to have.

The Changing Engineering Landscape

The engineering profession has evolved dramatically. Cross-functional teams, intercompany partnerships, and matrix organizational structures have blurred traditional lines of authority. In this environment, the ability to influence across relationships (not just down a hierarchy) has become essential for career advancement.

Consider your current role. How much of your success depends on:

• Collaborating with team members who don’t report to you or even to your manager?
• Communicating complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders?
• Managing client relationships and expectations?
• Influencing decisions where you have responsibility but no formal authority?

If you’re like most engineers, the answer is “most of it.” Yet engineering education and early career development focus almost exclusively on technical proficiency, leaving a critical gap in the skills that actually drive career progression.

The Influence Gap

The myth that technical expertise automatically translates to leadership influence is particularly damaging in engineering. Many technically brilliant engineers find themselves passed over for promotions, excluded from strategic decisions, or struggling to get their ideas implemented — not because their technical skills are lacking, but because they haven’t developed the interpersonal competencies that modern engineering careers require.

This creates what we call the “influence gap”: the space between what you know technically and what you can accomplish professionally through influencing others.

Beyond Technical: The Essential Skills

Based on our work with engineering firms across Texas and beyond, there are several key competencies that separate high-performing engineers from those who remain technically competent but professionally limited:

Strategic Thinking & Big Picture Perspective

Technical skills focus on solving immediate problems, but career advancement requires the ability to see how individual projects fit into larger organizational strategies. This means understanding client needs beyond the immediate scope, anticipating future challenges, and thinking about the long-term implications of today’s decisions.

Engineers who develop strategic thinking skills can elevate conversations from “how do we solve this technical problem?” to “how does solving this problem advance our client’s business objectives and our firm’s competitive position?”

Communication & Relationship Building

Your ability to explain complex technical concepts to diverse audiences — clients, colleagues, and stakeholders with varying levels of technical knowledge — directly impacts your professional influence. But communication goes beyond just explaining technical details clearly.

Relationship building requires understanding what motivates others, finding common ground, and creating environments where collaborative problem-solving can occur. This includes the ability to give and receive feedback effectively, navigate difficult conversations, and build trust across professional relationships.

Influence Without Authority

Most engineering work today happens in environments where you need cooperation from people who don’t report to you. Success requires mastering what researchers call the principles of persuasion: reciprocity, social proof, consistency, liking, authority, and scarcity.

For engineers, this might mean:

• Building relationships with peers before you need their support
• Using data and precedent to make compelling cases for your ideas
• Understanding others’ priorities and framing your proposals in terms of mutual benefit
• Establishing credibility through demonstrated expertise and reliable follow-through

Ownership & Personal Leadership

Technical skills can make you a valuable individual contributor, but leadership skills make you someone others want to follow. This starts with personal ownership: taking responsibility for outcomes, not just tasks.

Personal leadership means asking “What can I do to improve this situation?” rather than waiting for someone else to take action. It means being proactive about your professional development, taking initiative on projects, and modeling the behavior you want to see from others.

The Integration Challenge

The goal isn’t to abandon your technical expertise; that foundation remains essential. Instead, the challenge is integrating technical competence with interpersonal effectiveness. The most successful engineers we work with have learned to leverage their analytical thinking and problem-solving skills in service of relationship building and organizational influence.

For example, the same systematic approach you use for technical analysis can be applied to understanding stakeholder needs, building project buy-in, or developing implementation strategies for organizational change. Your engineering training in precision and evidence-based decision-making becomes a significant advantage when applied to interpersonal challenges.

Practical Steps for Development

1. Start with Self-Assessment

Honestly evaluate where you stand on non-technical competencies. Are you comfortable presenting to diverse audiences? Can you influence decisions where you lack formal authority? Do colleagues seek your input on strategic questions, or only technical ones?

2. Seek Expansion Opportunities

Look for chances to practice these skills within your current role. Volunteer to lead cross-functional project teams, participate in client presentations, or take on mentoring responsibilities. Each of these provides low-risk opportunities to develop interpersonal competencies.

3. Invest in Strategic Relationships

Map your professional network both inside and outside your organization. Where are the gaps? Who are the key influencers whose support could advance your projects and career? Invest time in building genuine relationships with these individuals before you need their help.

4. Study the Business Context

Expand your understanding beyond technical requirements to business drivers. How do your projects impact client success? What are your organization’s strategic priorities? How do industry trends affect your firm’s competitive position? This broader perspective will inform better decisions and more compelling communication.

5. Practice Managing Up

Develop skills in influencing supervisors and senior colleagues. This means learning to frame requests in terms of organizational benefit, preparing thorough business cases for your recommendations, and understanding your supervisor’s priorities and constraints.

The ROI of Soft Skills

Some engineers resist developing these competencies, viewing them as “soft skills” that are less valuable than technical expertise. This perspective misses the significant return on investment that interpersonal effectiveness provides.

Engineers with strong influence skills get their technical recommendations implemented more often. They’re included in strategic discussions, trusted with high-visibility projects, and viewed as leadership candidates. They build professional networks that create opportunities and provide support throughout their careers.

Most importantly, they enjoy greater job satisfaction because they can see their expertise translated into real-world impact through effective collaboration and influence.

Your Development Path Forward

Technical skills will always be important in engineering; they’re your foundation and credibility base. But they’re no longer sufficient for the career progression and professional impact that most engineers want to achieve.

The engineering profession builds the infrastructure of our communities, and it needs leaders who can combine technical excellence with interpersonal effectiveness. Your technical expertise gives you the credibility to lead; developing influence skills gives you the capability to lead effectively.

The transition is about becoming a more complete professional who can leverage technical competence to create broader impact through relationships and influence.

Your technical skills got you where you are today. Your ability to work effectively with and through others will determine where you go tomorrow. The question isn’t whether to develop these competencies; it’s when to start and how quickly you can integrate them with your existing technical foundation.

The future of your engineering career depends not just on what you know, but on how effectively you can apply that knowledge through collaboration, communication, and influence. That development starts with recognizing that in today’s professional environment, technical skills alone aren’t enough and that’s actually an opportunity, not a limitation.

Interested in learning more about how to develop your career as a junior-level AEC professional? Follow us on LinkedIn to be notified about our next event! 

How do you make your case without seeming pushy or overstepping boundaries?

If this scenario sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Many engineers who excel at technical problem solving struggle with the interpersonal dynamics of “managing up,” a term that refers to the art of influencing superiors to make decisions that benefit both the project and the organization.

At CrossGroup, we’ve worked with hundreds of engineers who’ve transformed their ability to influence upward in their organizations. The key lies in genuine yet strategic relationship-building based on mutual benefit and genuine business value.

The Strategic Approach to Managing Up

Managing up effectively requires shifting from a transactional mindset (“I need something”) to a strategic one (“How can I help my boss be successful while achieving my goals?”). This approach builds on several key principles that we teach in our leadership development programs.

Step 1:  Keep Your Intent in Mind

Before any important conversation with your supervisor, examine your true motivation. Yes, you have personal reasons for your request, so list those honestly. But then dig deeper: How will your suggestion benefit your team, your boss, and the organization?

For example, if you’re requesting new project management software, don’t just focus on how it will make your life easier. Research how it could improve client satisfaction, reduce project delays, or enhance the firm’s competitive position. Until you can make a compelling business argument, you’re not ready for a productive discussion.

Step 2: Do Your Homework

Gather objective data to support your position. If you’re asking for additional staffing, research industry benchmarks for similar projects. If you’re proposing process improvements, quantify the potential time savings and quality improvements.

Step 3: Think Big Picture

Your boss operates within constraints and pressures you may not fully understand. Take time to learn about their priorities, concerns, and the challenges they face in their role. What keeps them up at night? What metrics do they need to improve? How does your request fit into their larger objectives?

Listen actively during your interactions. Ask questions like: “What are your main concerns about this approach?” or “How do you see this fitting with our Q4 priorities?” This demonstrates that you’re thinking beyond your immediate needs.

Step 4: Create Win-Win Scenarios

The most successful managing up conversations result in outcomes that benefit everyone involved. Frame your requests in terms of mutual success rather than personal gain.

Instead of: “I need more feedback on my performance.”

Try: “I’d like to discuss how regular check-ins might help me contribute more effectively to the team’s goals and support your objectives for the department.”

Instead of: “Can I get approval for this training?”

Try: “I’ve identified a skill development opportunity that could help me take on more complex projects and reduce the time you spend reviewing my work.”

Step 5: Master the Art of Strategic Conversation

When you’re ready for the discussion, approach it as a collaborative problem-solving session rather than a one-sided pitch. Come prepared with:

• Clear business rationale for your request
• Specific implementation ideas that show you’ve thought through the details
• Acknowledgment of potential concerns and proposed solutions
• Openness to alternative approaches that achieve similar outcomes

Real-World Application: A Case Study

Consider this example: James is a transportation engineer who needed approval for additional project resources. His initial instinct was to focus on his overwhelming workload, but our coaching helped him reframe the conversation around business impact.

His preparation included:

• Data on project timelines showing how current resource constraints were affecting delivery schedules
• Client satisfaction scores indicating that rushed deliverables were impacting relationships
• Competitive analysis showing how peer firms were handling similar projects
• Proposed resource allocation with specific ROI projections

When James met with his supervisor, he positioned the conversation around the firm’s strategic goals: maintaining excellent client relationships and delivering projects on time and within budget. The additional resources were focused on the firm’s reputation and competitive position.

Not only did James get the resources he requested, but his boss began involving him in higher-level strategic discussions, recognizing his ability to think beyond individual projects.

Building Long-Term Influence & Patience to Match

Effective managing up requires building sustained influence over time, including:

• Consistent follow-through on commitments you make during these discussions. If you promise to provide additional data or take specific actions, deliver promptly and thoroughly.
• Regular relationship maintenance through informal check-ins and status updates. Don’t only approach your boss when you need something.
• Demonstrated value through excellent work and proactive problem-solving. The best foundation for influence is a track record of reliable performance and valuable contributions.

Remember that difficult conversations rarely resolve in a single discussion. Your boss may need time to gather information, consult with others, or consider budget implications. Respect this process while maintaining appropriate follow-up.

Schedule next steps during your initial conversation: “I understand you’ll need time to review this with the team. Would it be helpful if I scheduled a follow up in two weeks?” This shows professionalism and maintains momentum without being pushy.

Your Influence Advantage

As an engineer, you have natural advantages in managing up that many other professionals lack. You’re trained in systematic problem-solving, data analysis, and logical reasoning. You understand the importance of thorough preparation and evidence-based decision-making.

Apply these same skills to your professional relationships. Approach managing up with the same methodical care you’d bring to a complex design challenge or technical analysis.

The goal isn’t to manipulate or pressure your boss into compliance. It’s to create conversations where business value is clear, mutual benefit is obvious, and decisions can be made confidently. When you master this approach, you’ll find that managing up becomes less about being pushy and more about being genuinely helpful to everyone involved.

Your technical expertise got you where you are today. But your ability to influence upward will determine where you go tomorrow. Start practicing these strategies in your next important conversation, and discover how much more effective you can become when you combine engineering precision with interpersonal skill.

Join us for our upcoming webinar: Leading Without Authority: 5 Ways Engineers Can Increase Impact in 30 Days. We’re hosting a free webinar for junior-level professionals at AEC firms on October 28th at 12:00 PM CST. Register here to save your seat!

Sound familiar? If so, you’ve fallen victim to one of the most damaging myths in engineering: that leadership requires authority.

This myth is actively slowing your own progression, as well as that of your firm. While you’re waiting for someone to hand you a title, your peers are building influence, solving problems, and positioning themselves as the leaders everyone turns to when things get challenging – and they’re missing out on your valuable perspective. 

The Authority Trap

At CrossGroup, we see this pattern repeatedly in our work with engineering firms across Texas and beyond. Talented engineers trap themselves in what we call the “authority myth,” which is the belief that you need formal power to create change and lead others.

This myth manifests in several destructive ways, including:

• Waiting for permission to share insights or suggest improvements
• Deferring to hierarchy even when you have valuable perspective
• Avoiding difficult conversations because “it’s not your place”
• Underestimating your influence on projects and people

Some of the most influential leaders we know started building their leadership long before they had any formal authority. They understood that influence has always been, and always will be, the currency of leadership. They understood that leaders are self-made rather than order takers who wait for the title before contributing their ideas and perspective. 

Four Ways to Lead Without a Title

True leadership begins with personal ownership, meaning taking responsibility for your impact regardless of your position on the organizational chart. We all are leading someone, even if it’s just ourselves. We are all an example to others around us. 

It’s not easy, but there is a path to standing out as a leader and showing your value before you earn the title. Here are four ways to embody the leadership your firm needs: 

1. Lead Yourself First – Personal ownership is the foundation of all healthy leadership. Take responsibility for your choices, your actions, your professional development, and your contribution to every project. When others see you holding yourself to high standards, they naturally begin to follow your example, and leadership takes notice of your initiative.
2. Connect and Serve – Identify the people you support through your role, whether they are your peers, supervisors, and/or clients. Make a conscious effort to understand what makes them successful and find new ways to help them achieve their goals. Excellence in service builds influence faster than any title.
3. Share Your Unique Perspective – You occupy a unique position in your organization with insights others don’t possess. Become a student of your workplace, keep a learning journal of your questions and ideas, and share your observations with humility and curiosity. Your perspective has value, so use it.
4. Build Genuine Relationships – Influence flows through relationships. Take time to connect with colleagues, discover common interests, and offer authentic praise for others’ contributions. People are more willing to follow someone they know, trust, and like.

The Professional Passion Factor

One of the most powerful forms of leadership without authority comes from professional passion – that inner enthusiasm and satisfaction you derive from your work. Passionate engineers naturally attract others who want to be part of something meaningful.

Ask yourself: What aspects of engineering work energize you most? How can you express that passion in ways that inspire and motivate your colleagues? When you lead with genuine enthusiasm for excellent work, titles become irrelevant.

Your Leadership Starts Now

The AEC profession builds the infrastructure of our communities. When engineers develop strong leadership skills, they strengthen the foundation of society itself. But this doesn’t happen by accident or by waiting for promotion.

Your leadership journey begins with a simple recognition: you are already leading someone, even if it’s just yourself. You’re already an example to others around you. The question is whether you’re leading intentionally.

Stop waiting for permission to influence. Stop deferring your insights because you lack a title. Start taking ownership of your impact, building genuine relationships, and contributing your unique perspective to every project and interaction.

The engineering profession needs leaders at every level who can think strategically, communicate effectively, and inspire excellence. Your colleagues and clients need what you have to offer. Your career depends on you recognizing that leadership isn’t about the title on your business card – rather, it’s about the influence you build through authentic, service-oriented action.

Join us for our upcoming webinar: Leading Without Authority: 5 Ways Engineers Can Increase Impact in 30 Days. We’re hosting a free webinar for junior-level professionals at AEC firms on October 28th at 12:00 PM CST. Register here to save your seat!

According to My Modern Met, Kintsugi is a Japanese art form where the artisans repair broken pottery with gold lacquer. Instead of attempting to hide the brokenness, the cracks are highlighted, leading to a unique piece that’s even stronger than the original. Kintsugi is a great metaphor for navigating failure and embracing change in our lives.

Because we’re human, we’re imperfect. We all have strengths and weaknesses, and failure is inevitable. And in those moments where we fail, we can’t help but feel like victims. Some people make excuses, while others wallow in self-pity. But the select few who know how to deal with failure choose to begin the process of repair, development, and improvement.

If you’re struggling to handle imperfection and shift your mindset, here’s how to deal with failure.

Embrace Challenges

Hard times and difficult decisions don’t have to crush us — rather, they can teach us how to deal with failure in the future. Candice Kumai says: “You won’t realize your full potential until you go through the tough times.” The difficulties give us the pause we need to evaluate and make course corrections. 

Moving through challenges allows us to observe our resilience and teaches us lessons we may find hard to find when we speed through life. Expecting perfection in the face of obstacles is a surefire way to be disappointed with the outcome.

So, instead of resisting challenges, embrace them by accepting that sure, you might fail, but you’ll also get to learn something new about the situation or yourself.

Take Time & Proactive Steps to Heal

The key to knowing how to deal with failure is to be proactive. You can choose to ignore the problem you face and doom yourself to self-loathing or repeated failure, or you can own your brokenness and learn through the experience.

Learning through the experience allows us to tell a more complete story and take ownership of our part. And as we take the time to heal from our mistakes, we learn how to deal with failure by learning more about the situation, what we did or didn’t do that led to the failure, and what we can do next time we encounter a similar challenge.

From there, we can take the steps to repair and make personal adjustments that make us better. Eventually, we’ll be able to point to the cracks as life lessons that make us stronger and more unique.

Be Vulnerable With Others

The best leaders are vulnerable with their teams. Share your failures, mistakes, and weaknesses, and create an environment where your employees feel comfortable sharing their own failures. 

Those who know and respect you and have the opportunity to observe you probably already know about these from their experience with you. Being openly vulnerable creates empathy in the workplace and gives those around you permission to share their own challenges.

More importantly, an open, vulnerable workplace creates trust, cultivates a mutual support system, and fosters meaningful dialogue among coworkers.

Show Gratitude

Over time, sometimes years, we can show gratitude for the difficult challenges. We begin inwardly and perhaps outwardly to say thanks for the experience. This is a turning point that demonstrates you’re a work of human art that is masterfully built, cracks and all!

Our challenges and failures don’t have to crush us. On the contrary, they can be the crucibles in which we find meaning and life purpose. Accepting failure and embracing change turns us into survivors and owners of ourselves and our choices.

As we grow, knowing how to deal with failure becomes almost second nature, as does showing gratitude. And while we can never escape failure, every time we put ourselves back together, so to speak, we become stronger versions of ourselves.
Contact us today to learn more about how CrossGroup can help improve your organization’s efficiency.

Employees want definitive career plans, goals and objectives, regular feedback, and to be part of the bigger plan. Today, companies are finding that traditional performance appraisal programs don’t necessarily meet all these needs, and once-a-year meetings aren’t enough to provide frequent and consistent communication.

Continuous improvement (CI) might be the solution to ensuring employee engagement within your organization. CI-focused performance coaching consists of three parts: an individual development plan, a performance development document, and consistent management–employee feedback sessions. 

Here’s what to know about the three key parts of an effective performance coaching program and how to implement them for your team’s greatest chances of success.

An Individual Development Plan

The individual development plan (IDP) is an individualized career plan prepared by each employee in collaboration with his or her supervisor to define and identify the steps necessary for the employee’s advancement toward clearly defined career goals. 

The concept of CI has become a paradigm that companies and organizations are adopting to meet the needs of the market, their clients, and improved processes and quality. As such, using the concept of CI (plan, do, check, act) when creating an IDP in performance coaching ensures the goals are discussed, created, monitored, and adjusted as necessary. 

Based on our experience working with many A/E firms, employees want consistent, meaningful communication with management. In fact, many studies and reports show employees are more engaged, more productive, and more loyal when their responsibilities and their value to the company are communicated to them.

The IDP focuses on successful goal accomplishment rather than an after-the-fact evaluation of right or wrong. It’s effective because it doesn’t impose an annual-event burden on either the employee or the manager but rather involves regular 15- to 20-minute follow-up meetings to discuss performance.

A Performance Development Document

Once the supervisor and employee have developed a basic career plan, they will then develop a performance development document (PDD). The PDD is the basis for the evaluation process in performance coaching. Each employee works with the supervisor to establish a set of business-related goals for the evaluation period.

These goals should be based specifically on the employee’s career interests (established in each employee’s respective IDP) and his or her desired role in the firm in implementing the group’s strategic objectives.

Developing an IDP can be a useful way for employers to demonstrate their investment in their employees’ futures with the company while simultaneously increasing employee loyalty by showing employees how they can grow within the organization.

Management–Employee Feedback Sessions

Meetings, or feedback sessions, between management and its employees are essential in performance coaching and should be formally or informally held on a quarterly basis. 

Ideally, these are real-time follow-up meetings informally conducted around milestone achievements, setbacks, behavior suggestions, progress reports, relational conversations, or goal modifications. 

Progress meetings aim to monitor, assess, and adjust continuingly in the conversation between the manager and employee. As the process continues, the supervisor should function as a coach and mentor to the employee by providing guidance, resource support, and encouragement.  

The end objective is to help employees reach their goals. A CI-focused performance coaching program leads to a more focused workforce with improved retention and increased productivity. 

Performance Coaching for Team Success

A CI program, when implemented with willing and trained managers, is showing remarkable engagement and retention results among the firms with whom we work. 

Performance coaching provides both the employee and the manager with a sustainable method of communicating effectively. When all three parts are applied congruently, teams can achieve personal and professional fulfillment, while employee bonds are strengthened and motivation is increased.

Contact us to develop a successful performance coaching program for your organization.

I’ve noticed young professionals are more and more interested in cultivating empathy. They’re committing to practicing the behaviors of empathy, demonstrating they care for fellow team members, building trusted advisor relationships with clients, and learning about others who may share different cultures and values.

So, how do you cultivate empathy in the workplace? Read on to find out.

Listen Without Interrupting 

Stephen Covey, author of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” said, “The biggest communication problem is we do not listen to understand. We listen to reply.” Too often, we shortcut listening by interjecting our thoughts or even identifying with the other person too quickly. Before long we’re dominating the conversation instead of listening. 

Instead of listening with the intention of responding, stop your own internal dialogue and tune in to the other person. You’ll see greater empathy in the workplace when team members start prioritizing listening to one another over dominating the conversation.

Ask questions

Actively listening naturally leads to questions. Allow yourself to become curious and ask open-ended questions to demonstrate that you want to truly understand their experience. 

Avoid argumentative questions, which tend to lead to disagreement and defensiveness. Heartfelt questions, on the other hand, promote connection. Focus your questions on understanding the other person’s point of view, clarifying their emotions, or even fact checking to make sure your assumptions and interpretations are accurate.

Promoting your own curiosity will help you find understanding and demonstrate that you care, thereby increasing empathy in the workplace between coworkers. 

Be Present 

Nowadays, it’s hard to be in the moment when technology is so prevalent. When we’re with others, we’re thinking about what we have to do, checking our email, or scrolling through social media. Naturally, if cultivating empathy in the workplace — or anywhere, really — requires listening, we can’t be checking our phones and zoning out.

Instead of focusing on the next task on your to-do list, seek to be fully present with the person in front of you. Give them your full attention to really hear what is and isn’t being said and how it’s expressed. In other words, tune into the other person’s body language and the emotions they’re conveying as they speak.

Find Common Ground

In today’s political climate, it’s especially common for people to dismiss others whose political beliefs don’t directly align with theirs. Unfortunately, fabricating a preconceived idea of others leads to demonizing their words or ideas instead of opening ourselves up to potentially learning something new or seeing things from a different perspective.

Approaching the conversation with empathy means seeking to simultaneously understand their unique experience and acknowledge your similarities. Perhaps, for example, they share your goals or have a similar academic background. This focus on human commonality fosters empathy in the workplace and more meaningful dialogue between coworkers.

Encourage Growth

Empathy is a skill that must be developed and maintained. You can encourage your employees to grow by practicing empathy and building relationships with people who are different from them. 

As a leader, you can demonstrate empathy in the workplace during one-on-one meetings, through team-building exercises, and by fostering an environment of mutual accountability. By learning about and addressing our biases, we can grow both internally and professionally.

We all need connection. Empathy is a worthy pursuit that allows us to form authentic relationships with the people we meet and work with. If you want to be understood by others and cultivate empathy in the workplace, focus on understanding those around you. In the end, empathy can improve the world around us.

Contact us to learn how your team can cultivate empathy in the workplace and foster greater connection among your team.

Instead of resisting change, we can choose to learn new skills, innovate to solve challenges, support others, and seize the opportunities that will inevitably come along. A workplace that nurtures and prioritizes change leadership can thrive in the face of any obstacle.

Here are four ways to implement change leadership in your workplace.

1.  Listen to Your Words 

Words are powerful tools for perpetuating negativity or inspiring positivity. Do you hear yourself shifting blame or taking ownership of your thoughts and actions? As leaders especially, it’s our job to act as role models to our employees and approach change in a way that motivates our teams to push through the change and grow.

Listening to our words and thoughts can help us see our perspective as owners or as victims. To demonstrate change leadership, we must simply move from a victim mentality toward owner behaviors and actions one step at a time.

Reframing our perspective is taking personal responsibility for ourselves and holding ourselves accountable. In turn, we foster an atmosphere of mutual accountability within the workplace, where employees encourage one another to take ownership and turn their negative thoughts into positive and powerful actions.  

2.  Focus Forward

We all experience change, and we all handle change differently. For some, change is heartbreaking or overwhelming. For others, it’s exciting and even welcome. We’re never free from change, so all we can do is choose how we respond to it.

By looking forward and focusing on your company’s ultimate goal — not the individual ups and downs — you can encourage your team to keep their heads up and push through. That’s where knowing your company’s why is an invaluable way to remind your team of your mission.

Looking to the future for meaning and value brings hope that causes us to survive and thrive in difficult situations. We are not defined by our circumstances. Rather, we become a collective of our choices and actions in those circumstances. 

3.  Connect With Others 

Life in isolation is not healthy. Extraverts naturally thrive in crowds, but even introverts desire close friendships with a few. Our interpersonal connections indirectly relate to change leadership in that they give us an outlet in times of challenging change. After all, even the best of us struggle to accept change sometimes.

When you feel overwhelmed with changes both in your life and at work, don’t isolate yourself. Sometimes the best cure is solitude; other times, it’s another person. Ask yourself, who do I feel a connection with? Do I have a close friend who will listen to me without judgment? What family members are particularly supportive of me?

Scheduling a weekly team-building event is a great way to connect your employees to one another. Even a simple coffee break where everyone can bounce ideas off one another and share their feedback, successes, and concerns in a pressure-free atmosphere creates connection. Plus, it encourages healthy conflict for an ultimately stronger workplace.

4.  Cultivate Gratitude

Gratitude is fundamental for change leadership because appreciating what we have, how far we’ve come, and how much we’ve grown are pivotal in our ability to accept unexpected change. 

Ask your team to write down things like what they’re thankful for and what blessings they recognize in their lives, both professional and personal. Ask them to keep their lists and add to them regularly as new thoughts arise. In times of particularly tough change, those lists will help remind your employees that they can work through whatever comes their way.

Change is necessary for growth and development. Anyone who desires a life full of meaning has to face change at some point. In the workplace, change leadership inspires teams to accept and ultimately thrive in the face of change. 
Is your organization looking to incorporate change leadership into its operations? Contact us today to schedule a consultation.

A mentor isn’t merely a guru or sage who sits with you, spouting wisdom and advice for you to absorb. Rather, you as a mentee should be willing to take full ownership of the learning and follow through with putting what you learn into action. 

Here are four things to keep in mind when it comes to finding a mentor and pursuing a mentorship.

Know Yourself & Your Needs

Finding a mentor is about more than just knowing which field you want to be mentored in and finding the best in the business. Everyone responds to different types of leadership styles, and you want to make sure you find someone whose leadership style you connect with. 

Before you even start your mentor search, make a list of the skills you admire in your previous leaders. Were they hands-on or hands-off? Were they unabashedly direct or more mindful of your feelings? Knowing exactly what qualities you want in your ideal mentor will help you narrow down your search and find the mentor who’ll bring out the best in you.

Then, in preparation for your first meeting with your potential mentor, know the answers to the following questions:

• What are my personal and professional strengths and weaknesses?  
• What do I need and want to learn?
• What is my why?
• What are my goals and aspirations for the future?

For your best shot at finding a mentor you click with, it’s essential that you know yourself and what you hope to get out of the mentorship.

Set Boundaries

Mentorships work best when both parties articulate their expectations. Upon finding a mentor, make sure to clearly communicate what you expect to learn. Don’t be afraid to establish boundaries, and make sure you respect your mentor’s boundaries, too.

Perhaps you have children to care for in the morning and can’t schedule meetings until after 10 a.m. Your mentor needs to know your boundaries (and vice versa) so you can both effectively communicate and plan for meetings.

Hold Yourself Accountable

You are the owner of this learning opportunity, so be punctual, keep your promises, and follow through with your commitments. Don’t expect your mentor to follow up on everything and keep on top of your progress. You’re in control of how much you learn and how successful the mentorship ends up being. 

That said, mutual accountability is key in any mentor–mentee relationship. You also want to trust that your mentor will follow through with their promise to act as a mentor. Before finding a mentor, establish what level of involvement you expect. Do you want someone who checks in every day or one who hangs back and lets you take the lead?

Welcome Feedback 

The best way to improve is to openly accept feedback — both good and bad. After all, mentorships are about more than just finding a mentor; they’re meant to challenge you so you can improve in your chosen field.

Don’t just tolerate feedback defensively — really listen to what your mentor is telling you, and don’t hesitate to ask for clarification or advice to improve. To get the most out of your mentorship, it’s vital that you have the uncomfortable conversations about your shortcomings and take the necessary steps to grow beyond them.

Finding a mentor doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s about knowing yourself, knowing what you need (and expect) from your mentor, and holding yourself accountable throughout the process. By putting in the work to find the right mentor, you’re laying the foundation for a successful mentorship journey.

What do you look for in a mentor? Let me know in the comments.