August Newsletter: Thrive in Five
💬 1. Check out the latest from Evans blog.
Are you a team leader striving to elevate your leadership game and support your team more effectively? Check out “10 Effective Ways for Leaders to Support Their Teams.”
Evans Principal Allison Nicholls explores how modern leadership goes beyond setting goals and assigning tasks—it’s about nurturing and empowering your team to reach their full potential. From fostering transparent communication to investing in professional growth, the article provides actionable strategies that can transform your approach to leadership. You’ll discover how to build trust, encourage autonomy, and create a collaborative environment that motivates and retains talent.
đź’ˇ2. Use this tip to thrive in your role.
When hosting hybrid meetings, greet online attendees as they join making them feel genuinely involved and valued. This simple adjustment can significantly boost participation and engagement.
Priya Parker excels in mastering “the art of gathering.” The aforementioned tip is just one of her many insightful strategies for fostering a sense of psychological togetherness. Her guidance on crafting engaging and cohesive experiences is unparalleled. Below, we’ve shared one of our top picks among Priya’s articles.
🧊 3. Do this icebreaker activity with your team.
Conversation cards are great for kick-starting meetings, boosting both energy and team spirit. We recommend making your own deck leveraging online sources for icebreaker questions.
Here are some questions to get you started:
- What was one of the most extraordinary places you visited?
- What are you currently learning about (reading, watching, listening)?
- What is the most adventurous food you’ve ever tried?
- If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be and why?
- What’s a skill you’ve always wanted to learn but haven’t yet?
- What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
- If you could instantly become an expert in anything, what would it be?
Need more questions? Check out these.
📰 4. Read this article to up-level your skills.
Psychological safety and accountability may seem at odds, yet they are crucial foundations for a high-performing team.Â
This article from NeuroLeadership Institute draws insights from their recent webinar with Dr. Amy Edmondson, exploring how to cultivate an environment where team members feel truly safe to voice their ideas and boldly embrace responsibility. Understanding how these apparently contradictory ideas can complement each other enables you to enhance both the well-being of your team members and their effectiveness in achieving organizational objectives.
⚒️ 5. Add a new tool to elevate your leadership.
Leaders need to make quick, informed decisions. Our Ladder of Inference worksheet boosts critical thinking, encouraging the exploration of various perspectives to avoid hasty conclusions.
The worksheet not only boosts communication skills, allowing leaders to share their thoughts and reasoning with their teams more clearly (which, by the way, builds trust and teamwork), but it’s also a big win for self-awareness. It helps leaders spot and challenge their biases, which is super important for leading inclusively. By making sure everyone on the team feels listened to, it opens the door to creative solutions. Leaders who use the Ladder of Inference benefit by making sharper decisions and getting better at communicating.
