Blog

The door closes behind you. You look out the window, admiring this view of the city. For a minute you bask in the quiet. No phones ring, no keyboards click, no people talk in the background. You didn’t realize how loud, yet how comforting, those sounds had been. It’s strange being in the office with the other executives while everyone else still works from home. Transitioning to a new company in this climate was a big leap of faith, but you have a renewed excitement. You’re grateful for those...

You’ve made the rounds to ensure your children are fast asleep. It’s Christmas Eve and you grab a hammer, a flashlight, and a cup of steaming coffee, then head to the backyard to finish playing the role of Santa. He’s bringing your kids a swing set complete with a twisting yellow slide, three swings, and a ladder that leads to the tallest tower, the highest mountain, the secret lair, or whatever else exists within your child’s imagination. Tonight, you have the joy of quietly building what i...

“Everything’s going to be fine!” Is one of the least helpful statements you can say to someone. It may very well be true, but it often feels trite and dismissive. If you were in the car with a friend driving through a new city when the engine started smoking and a flat tire interrupted your pleasant conversation, “everything’s going to be fine,” does not soothe the siren ringing in your mind. When a pandemic sweeps through the world, dramatically changing the way you grocery shop, host a b...

Do you remember your first internship? You may have decided you would “fake it ‘til you make it,” and walked around confidently, determined to prove yourself, and learn as much as possible. While some people have great memories of hard work and a rewarding pay-off, others remember feeling just outside the loop or even blatantly cast aside, only receiving recognition in the form of criticism. If you’re not careful, many of your temporary workers will fall into this category. They will underpe...

“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” John F. Kennedy understood that there is never a point in leadership where we arrive, where our own education is no longer important. To progress in leadership is to continue learning. When your company’s current managers and future team leaders invest in leadership training, they sharpen their skills which in turn elevates employee performance and team effectiveness. Everyone wins when leadership training is a priority. Front Line Le...

Name the employee you anticipate will step into a significant leadership role in your company. What if you scheduled a leadership training seminar through Front Line Leadership and he called in sick the morning of the program? What if a manager looked forward to the program so that she could grow in her leadership position, but could not attend due to a family emergency? At Front Line Leadership, we believe in our program because we have seen the results. We have watched as leaders emerge fe...

You may have found yourself in a holding-pattern since quarantine started, and even as you cautiously began making strides toward “normal.” But as social distancing and limited capacity guidelines continue, it’s time to break the holding-pattern. Rather than waiting for things to return to the way they once were, it’s time to start making the most of what is. You can motivate your team today. You can collaborate and reduce conflict today. You can encourage leaders to rise up today. This is m...

Do you remember how mesmerizing a kaleidoscope was as a kid? With every slight turn of the dial, every brilliant color shifted to form new shapes just as fascinating as the one before. You watched the chaos of colors settle into beautiful pictures, each highlighting different hues of red, green, or blue. When our world sits in the middle of a crisis, it’s difficult to recognize any semblance of beauty. The distraction from the media, the fear from your neighbors, and the unrest you feel as you ...

At the office, you could hear the voices of your team. You could pick up on their tone and volume to discern stress, conflict, or success. You could hear phones ringing, fingers typing. You could see meetings starting, projects ending, performance thriving. But at home? You hear meals cooking and children playing. You see schoolwork on the kitchen table, kids sprawled out on the couch, or that unfinished home project. You feel distracted in your own work and wonder how your team is doing. Are th...

Almost overnight your world was turned upside down. Rather, the whole world was turned upside down. COVID-19 blew through, shattering schedules, disrupting relationships, and overturning job security. Now, we wait to see how the dust settles. We wonder what life will look like in the coming months. Will we head back to the office? Will our kids return to school? Will we enjoy a football season? Will we get to attend a wedding this summer or at least feel comfortable enough to have friends over f...