Unconscious Bias

In this online course, you'll deepen your understanding of unconscious biases, how they influence behavior, and how they impact us all. You'll also learn numerous actions you can take to help counter bias in your own work environment. The course is created by Microsoft and even though they use business situations, the principles they share are very relevant to health care and, in fact, all areas of our lives.

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Neuroscience, Your Mood and Team Performance

LEADS Domains: Lead Self

Your mood, your demeanor and your verbal and nonverbal behaviors exert a powerful influence on your team members and the working environment. Those things we actively work to avoid put us in “defensive” mode, and the positive items we seek out trigger a “discovery” mode. Studies in neuroscience show that the defensive reactions are managed by the fast thinking portion of our brain responsible for fight or flight responses, while the discovery mode is managed by our slower, more deliberate thinking brain. It does not take a great leap of scientific understanding to imagine that as managers, we should strive to keep our team members in the discovery zone and out of the defensive zone as much as possible. This article offer five strategies for creating an environment that supports creativity and problem-solving and keeps fear away.

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When Your Toughest Conversations Are With Yourself

LEADS Domain: Lead Self

Even the most successful leaders can fall prey to doubt and self-criticism. This article lists some of the most common negative automatic thoughts and suggests strategies for overcoming these harmful thought patterns.

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Six Habits of Highly Empathic People

According to new research, empathy is a habit we can cultivate to improve the quality of our lives. Empathic people tend to be more generous and concerned with others’ welfare, and they also tend to have happier relationships and greater personal well-being. Empathy can also improve leadership ability and facilitate effective communication. This article identifies six habits to develop your empathy.

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Making the Connection: Leadership and Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence is crucial in the everyday life of working with people. By connecting leadership skills and emotional intelligence, it improves the ability to manage oneself and your ability to relate to others. The article covers the elements of emotional intelligence and how it impacts a leader to be effective.

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Happiness is a Boardroom Strategy: Emma Saunders

(Video)

In this TedTalk video, Emma Saunders states that “happiness leads to success” NOT “success leads to happiness”. A happy organization, employees are more likely to collaborate, to take risks, to participate. They are more productive and take fewer sick days. Strategies for success within an organization include: compassion meditation, acts of kindness and making a daily list of things they are grateful for.

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The Rarest Commodity Is Leadership Without Ego: Bob Davids

In this TedTalk video, Bob Davids explains that management is control over quality, time and money. However, it takes leadership to get people to follow you. If you push people, you do not know what directions they may go so lead and they will follow. “Leadership is a gift; you can’t buy it or sell it.” When people give you their support, there is power. Give people you lead more power and they will give you more support.

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Simon Sinek: Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe

In this TedTalk video, Simon Sinek states that “Leadership is a choice, not an authority.”  If employees feel safe and valued, they are more likely to devote more time and energy into the organization. Trust is essential in the relationship between leaders and employees.

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Drew Dudley: Everyday Leadership Can Be Achieved By You

(Video)

We have all changed someone's life -- usually without even realizing it. In this TedTalk Toronto video, Drew Dudley calls on all of us to celebrate leadership as the everyday act of improving each other's lives. Don’t let a moment slip by without telling someone who has made an impact on your life. By telling someone we care or they are valued, we are empowering them.

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The Neuroscience of Social Intelligence: Bill von Hippel at TEDxUQ 2014

(Video)

According to Dale Carnegie, we might know the “rules of social behaviours, then we can be socially intelligent and we can be socially effective.” However, Bill von Hippel explains that it is not enough to have the social knowledge but you must also execute this knowledge.

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6 Ways to Empower Others

An empowering leader is one that has a vision, shows by example and persuasion and gets others to come onboard to fulfilling the vision. Empower your team, give them the tools and let them shine while you take a step back and take the supportive role. This article discusses how leaders can become empowering leaders.

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Six Emotional Leadership Styles

(Article)

In Primal Leadership, Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee describe six styles of leading that have different effects on the emotions of the target followers. Any leader can use any of the styles, and a good mix that is customized to the situation is generally the most effective approach. This article offers a good summary of each of the six styles and when it is appropriate to use them.

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Emotional Intelligence Excercise: Increase your Self-Awareness

(Activity)

Knowing how we feel is part of our self-awareness. The more we are aware of our feelings, the better we can control our behaviours and understand those of others. This exercise helps individuals to become more aware of their emotions and learn to describe them. It also encourages them to think of ways to get to a target emotion, such as happiness. Leaders can use this activity in a team building session.

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How Good Are Your Leadership Skills?

 (Quiz)

Simply having the responsibilities of a leader doesn't necessarily make a person an effective leader. The good news is that with a little study, humility and hard work, all of us can learn to lead effectively. Start by analyzing your performance in specific areas of leadership. Complete the quiz to identify where you already lead effectively, and to explore where your skills need further development.

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Empathy Quiz

Empathy is the ability to sense other people’s emotions, coupled with the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling. Research suggests that empathic people tend to be more generous and concerned with others’ welfare, and they also tend to have happier relationships and greater personal well-being. Empathy can also improve leadership ability and facilitate effective communication.

So how empathic are you? This quiz will help you find out.

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