What the Military Knows about Heartfelt Leadership

by Deb Boelkes

If you or your immediate loved ones have not served in the military, you may assume that all military officers rely on command-and-control style leadership to gain compliance from the ranks. In fact, when it comes to the US Marine Corps, many of us tend to conjure up visions of drill sergeants shouting commands and derogatory statements about an infantry person’s appearance or behavior, while standing just inches from a young grunt’s face. This is hardly the picture most of us envision when it comes to imagining Heartfelt Leadership. With a son, a father, two grandfathers, and generations of great grandfathers before them who served this nation in every major war since 1776, I was very eager to interview military officers as well as corporate leaders when it came time to research and write the two books that Dr. Mark Goulston and I collaborated on, The WOW Factor Workplace: How to Create a Best Place to Work Culture and Heartfelt Leadership: How to Capture the Top Spot and Keep on Soaring. 

Click to read more ...

Are You Happy to Have this Year Behind You?

by Deb Boelkes

How would you rate 2020 in the scheme of things? For some folks, 2020 has been a tremendous boon for business. In fact, it’s been the best of times.  For others, this year has been devastating in so many ways. For them it’s been the worst of times.

Perhaps 2020 will go down in the history books as Charles Dickens described in The Tale of Two Cities:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way.

Many of us faced both the best and worst of times this year. No matter how this year impacted you, it’s more important than ever, as the year comes to a close, to reflect on the intentions we originally set out for ourselves and assess our personal performance. Did we actually accomplish our goals or did we allow the pandemic to defeat us?

Click to read more ...

Be Sure to Give Some Heartfelt Thanks to Your Employees

By Deb Boelkes

The holiday season is always a great time to infuse a little WOW into your team members’ lives and strengthen your workplace culture. As my special thanks to you for your continued support, here are some of my favorite ways to show gratitude to all those team members who have been through an especially challenging year.

As the holiday season approaches, most managers start looking for ways to show their teams they care. Yes, that’s what bonuses are for. But cash gifts aside, there are plenty of other ways—more meaningful ways— to show your team members that you really do appreciate all their hard work and dedication, especially after all they’ve been through in this crazy, upside down pandemic year.  

Demonstrating a true sense of heartfelt gratitude is a key part of creating a WOW factor workplace. One of the greatest gifts you can give your team is a culture so great that they can’t imagine working any place else. It all comes down to giving the kind of support, encouragement, guidance, and compassion each team member needs to flourish and thrive.

Click to read more ...

The Power of a Heartfelt Loss Review

By Deb Boelkes

When competing for something you really wanted to win, have you ever lost? If you’ve been in sales, did you ever lose a really big deal, one you had poured your heart and soul into for months? Or, have you ever expected a big promotion, but someone else got the job?  Have you ever run for office and failed to win a key endorsement or were defeated at the ballot box?

Let’s face it, losing hurts, especially when the loss is highly visible. A high visibility loss can trigger extreme disappointment, embarrassment, anger, and an impulse to publicly blame a host of other people. Some might even consider suicide as the only way to save face. No one wants to be viewed as a loser.

Yet, from every loss springs new opportunity.

Click to read more ...

Are You Ready to See Smiling Faces Again?

By Deb Boelkes

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had my fill of seeing people wearing masks.

I’ve had my fill of going to the grocery store or elsewhere, running into people who I have known for years and should recognize, but don’t. That’s embarrassing.

Most of all, I miss seeing smiling faces.

I never realized before how a smiling face can make my day. But a masked face … not so much. I miss the heartfelt feelings a smiling face conveys.

I feel truly blessed to live in Florida. It’s one of the more progressive states when it comes to allowing people who choose to, to finally return to living a somewhat normal life, with smiling faces, both indoors and out.

Click to read more ...

The Art of Being There

by Deb Boelkes

Have you ever felt completely stuck in a situation that you can’t get out of, stuck—out of duty,  stuck—out of love, stuck—out of honor, stuck in despair—without hope? It’s not a good feeling.

When someone you care about is in such a position, what do you do?

You want to help them, but you don’t really know what to do. You can’t change their situation. Sometimes all you can do is just be there.

Sometimes just being there can make a world of difference. Sometimes just listening—just letting them know you care—can be the spark that turns a deep dark despair into a ray of hope.

Click to read more ...

What’s a Leader to do to Create a Fantastic Work Environment?

Part 5: Mentor in the Moment

Below is an excerpt from an interview with Deb Boelkes by Tyler Gallagher, CEO and Founder of Regal Assets, featured in Authority Magazine  This is the fifth installment in a 5-part series.

What is the final thing that managers and executives should be doing to improve their company work culture?

Mentoring should happen every day, not just during annual or quarterly performance reviews. If you wait to discuss performance issues for weeks or months, until formal review time, you lose the opportunity to continuously improve performance and build close, trusting bonds.

Take time to walk the office each day—if you have direct reports nearby. Keep your office door open whenever you can and let people know you welcome drop-in visits. Smile when people come to see you. If your direct reports are located remotely, pick up the phone and call— just to say hello and see how things are going.

Click to read more ...

What’s a Leader to do to Create a Fantastic Work Environment?

Part 4: Be a WOW Role Model

Below is an excerpt from an interview with Deb Boelkes by Tyler Gallagher, CEO and Founder of Regal Assets, featured in Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global  This is the fourth installment in a 5-part series.

What’s another thing that managers and executives should be doing to improve their company work culture?

No matter where you are on the career ladder, never forget others are always observing you, just as young children observe and then mimic their elders. It’s up to you to set the stage.   Make the environment as welcoming and engaging as possible; set the bar for performance and behavioral standards; be the one everyone else wants to emulate. Let your WOW shine and the world will come to you.

The omelet chef at one of my favorite breakfast cafes never fails to delight customers because she goes out of her way to make everyone else feel special.

Click to read more ...