May Samali, MPP, CPCC, PCC’s Post

You know it’s EOFY when you’re spending every spare moment on Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks. Or emailing your bookkeeper for the 10th time in a week. (Who else is feeling the crunch?) But beyond balancing the books, EOFY is the perfect time to check in on your team. Ask yourself these crucial questions: 💖 How’s the team spirit? Is everyone feeling motivated and appreciated, or is morale slipping? 👷🏽♀️ Are our processes inclusive and safe? Do we need a refresh to ensure everyone feels valued and secure? 🌱 What growth opportunities can we offer? How can we help our team thrive in the new year? EOFY isn’t just about numbers. It’s about creating a vibrant, inclusive workplace. Let’s make sure everyone is set up for success! 💬 What’s on your EOFY checklist for your team? Share your thoughts below. #EOFY #Leadership #Inclusion #WorkplaceCulture #Accounting

You’ll never believe where the phrase “jumping to conclusions” comes from! 🪜 It’s a reference to the Ladder of Inference. This is a model that describes the thinking process we go through to get from a fact to an action. The phrase “jumping to conclusions” captures our tendency to skip critical rungs in our thinking process, leaping from facts to conclusions. We’ve all been there—making a snap judgment and later realizing we missed the mark 🤦🏽♀️ It’s not like we do it on purpose. It’s an automatic reaction. It happens subconsciously. Here’s the Ladder of Inference thinking process using an example: 1️⃣ AVAILABLE DATA (observable reality): You notice Alex frequently checking their phone during meetings. 2️⃣ SELECTED DATA: You focus on Alex looking distracted by their phone. 3️⃣ INTERPRETATIONS: You interpret Alex’s phone use as a sign of disengagement. 4️⃣ ASSUMPTIONS: You assume Alex is uninterested in the meeting. 5️⃣ CONCLUSIONS: You conclude Alex is not committed to their work. 6️⃣ BELIEFS: You start to believe Alex has a poor work ethic. 7️⃣ ACTIONS: You might confront Alex or report their behavior without understanding the full context. ⛔️ REALITY CHECK: If we climb down the ladder, we might discover Alex is managing an urgent family matter, explaining the frequent phone checks. Now that we’re aware of our tendency to jump crucial rungs, we have to learn to pause before jumping. Here’s how: 🙋🏽♀️ STAY CURIOUS: Ask questions before making assumptions. 📸 SEEK CONTEXT: Understand the bigger picture. 🔍 REFLECT ON INFERENCES: Are they based on all available data? The list of questions in the image below are a great starting point! For leaders, mastering this skill is crucial. It builds trust, encourages open communication, and leads to better decision-making. By avoiding premature judgments, we can create stronger, more collaborative teams. 💬 How do you avoid jumping to conclusions? Share your tips below!👇 ♻️ If you found this helpful, repost so your network can benefit too. Sharing is caring! #Leadership #Communication #EmotionalIntelligence #GrowthMindset

Couldn’t think of a better human to be leading such an inspiring initiative! Check out what Ryan Carters is building at Dadfit. It’s one-of-a-kind! 🫶

It puzzles me when I see teams trek all the way into the office, only to hide in Zoom meetings all day. It’s a lost opportunity. Next time your team is in the office together, focus on the three C’s: 📣 COMMUNICATION Share updates with everyone. Get the team on the same page. Encourage questions and open dialogue. 🎯 CREATIVITY Solve problems together. Use the diverse perspectives in the room to innovate and find new solutions. 🤝 CONNECTION Make time for bonding and fun. Strengthen those personal connections that make working together more enjoyable. When your team is together, make it count. The three C’s can transform your office time into a day of real collaboration. 💬 How do you prioritize communication, creativity, and connection in your team? Share your thoughts below! ♻️ If you found this helpful, repost so your network can benefit too. Sharing is caring! #Leadership #Teamwork #Communication #Creativity #Connection

Most of us think our feelings are caused by what others do or say. But that’s a mistaken belief. In reality, our feelings are a reflection of our UNMET NEEDS. When you feel triggered, instead of saying “you hurt me” or “you make me crazy,” pause and ask yourself: “What do I need?” Taking responsibility for your feelings is a key part of personal leadership. Here’s how you can reframe your communication to express your feelings more effectively: 🔊 Instead of saying, “You drive me insane when you pump loud music in the office,” try, “When you play loud music, I feel frustrated because my need for peace and quiet isn’t being met.” 💔 Instead of saying, “You hurt me by doing that,” try, “I feel disappointed because my need for respect wasn’t met.” 🕒 Instead of saying, “You always make us late,” try, “When we’re late to meetings, I feel anxious because my need for reliability and efficiency isn’t being met.” 📱 Instead of saying, “You never listen to me when I’m talking,” try, “When you look at your phone during our discussions, I feel sad because my need for connection isn’t met.” 📋 Instead of saying, “You never help with project tasks,” try, “When I have to handle all the project tasks, I feel overwhelmed because my need for cooperation isn’t being addressed.” When you express your feelings, make it clear that the cause of your feelings is your needs. The cause of your feelings is NOT someone else. This subtle shift changes everything. It moves the conversation from blame to understanding and connection, leading to more constructive and compassionate conversations. 💬 How do you express your needs? Share your thoughts below! 🙋🏽♀️ Want to run a “Mastering Difficult Conversations” workshop for your team? DM me. ♻️ If you found this helpful, repost so your network can benefit too. Sharing is caring! #EmotionalIntelligence #Communication #Leadership #SelfAwareness #Teamwork

Your people aren’t cookies, so cookie-cutter approaches don’t work! 🍪 If you want to engage your people, you have to embrace and celebrate their differences. Let’s be clear. Embracing diversity isn’t efficient, especially not in the short-term. But workplaces without diversity and inclusion eventually crumble. In today’s world of work, one size does NOT fit all. Here are 3 tips to help you create an inclusive work environment: 🎨 UNDERSTAND DIFFERENT LEARNING STYLES Does your team consist of visual learners, auditory learners or kinesthetic learners? How are you encouraging them to play to their strengths? Does your team have both neurotypical and neurodivergent individuals? How are you tailoring communication and training to suit different learning preferences? Everyone absorbs information differently. Meeting your people where they are is critical to their success. And therefore, your team’s success. And if you don’t ask their preferences, you won’t know. Always ask. 🏡 ADAPT TO VARIED WORK ENVIRONMENTS Some thrive in an office, while others excel at home. Remote work isn’t equally productive for everyone. For some, it translates to working from a large home office or holiday home, and for others it means taking Zoom calls from a closet in a small noisy apartment filled with children. Understanding individual circumstances and needs is crucial to creating an effective work environment. Again, if you don’t ask people’s preferences, you won’t know. Always ask. 🔄 BE RESPONSIVE TO FEEDBACK The only way you will know if a workplace initiative is meeting its intended outcomes is if you ask for feedback. Ask your people questions such as: What do you need? What am I missing? But don’t just ask one or two people. Poll a variety of folks. What works for one person may not work for another. Encourage open communication and create a feedback loop to ensure everyone’s voice is heard and considered. And don’t just sit on the feedback. Act on it and implement it! 💬 How do you adapt to different work styles in your team? Share your thoughts below! ♻️ If you found this helpful, repost so your network can benefit too. Sharing is caring! #leadership #futureofwork #culture #learning #inclusion

The biggest mistake I see leaders make is confusing positive intentions with positive impact. Just because you mean well, it doesn’t mean you did well. Here’s the thing. Most of us mean well. Most of us don’t want to hurt others. But well-meaning actions can still hurt others. Our actions sometimes have the opposite impact of what we intended. Unfortunately, positive intent doesn’t override negative impact. In leadership, the gap between intention and impact can make or break your influence. There’s an information gap in every interaction. In reality, you will ONLY ever know: ✅ The intent behind your actions ✅ The impact of someone else’s actions on you You will NEVER fully know: ❌ The intent behind someone else’s actions ❌ The impact of your actions on others So don’t make assumptions. Assumptions are the enemy of effective leadership. What can you do instead? 🧐 Cultivate curiosity by asking open-ended questions. 🔍 Seek regular feedback from peers and direct reports. 🎯 Understand the impact of your actions and take full responsibility. The intention versus impact gap is a powerful one. It’s one of the communication models we discussed during Human Leadership Lab’s “How to Master Difficult Conversations” workshop with Startmate’s Ladymates Leaders this week. 💬 Where do you notice the biggest gap between intention and impact? Share your comments below. ♻️ If you enjoyed reading this, reshare with your networks (sharing is caring!). #Leadership #IntentVsImpact #EffectiveLeadership #Curiosity #Feedback

Every day, I get asked why I left a career in venture capital and tech entrepreneurship to build a global leadership development company. The answer is simple. I’m obsessed with building workplaces where people can unlock their full potential. At Human Leadership Lab, our mission is to create environments where people thrive. As a leader, how can you set up your organization for success? By championing the ABCs of human leadership: 🍁 ADAPTABILITY: Embrace change and innovate for the future. How can you lead your team to be more agile in the face of uncertainty? 🛡️ BRAVERY: Take risks and stand up for what’s right. Are you encouraging your people to voice their ideas and concerns fearlessly? ❤️ COMPASSION: Foster a culture of understanding and support. How can you better address your people’s needs? Building thriving workplaces is as easy as ABC! 💬 What does human leadership mean to you? Share your comments below! ♻️ Repost if you enjoyed the ABCs of human leadership! Sharing is caring. #Leadership #WorkplaceCulture #Adaptability #Bravery #Compassion