Author Archives: Denise Federer

Are You Unconsciously Undermining Your Employees?

Posted on January 29, 2020 by Denise Federer

I’ve seen this story a million times—an otherwise well-meaning leader hinders the progress—or even causes the failures—of an employee, without realizing what they are doing. Eventually, the issues come to a head and the result is finger-pointing and confusion. Leaders undermine their employees every day. Most just don’t know that they’re doing it. It’s a passive form of sabotage, but the result is the same. Undermining your employees is rarely a conscious act. Rather, it is caused by inaction. The three “U’s”, as I … Read More >

Posted in Blog Posts, Company Culture, Family Business, Leadership, Performance | Leave a comment

Creating Harmony in a Conflicted Leadership Team

Posted on December 12, 2019 by Denise Federer

It’s been said that leadership is lonely, but in reality, leaders are more often than not part of a leadership team that must function like a well-oiled machine. And like a machine, if any single part malfunctions, the domino effect takes everything down. Conflict within leadership teams can happen for a variety of reasons, but it is often the result of personality clashes. In my years of working as an executive coach and psychologist, I have had many requests from clients to intervene and … Read More >

Posted in Advice, Blog Posts, Company Culture, Family Business, Leadership, Performance | Leave a comment

Critical Thinkers Are Critical to Your Success

Posted on October 30, 2019 by Denise Federer

Critical thinking—and critical thinkers—are the key to moving a business forward. And whether it’s a family-owned business looking for the next generation of leaders or a public company looking to outpace the competition, finding and developing the critical thinkers within your organization is critical to success. Most CEOs and other leaders already have this trait—it’s part of what got them to where they are. Critical thinkers, however, aren’t always easy to find. According to the 2016 Workforce-Skills Preparedness Report by PayScale, critical thinking was … Read More >

Posted in Advice, Blog Posts, Leadership, Performance | Leave a comment

The Secret to Successful External Hiring: Building an Onramp

Posted on September 19, 2019 by Denise Federer

Bringing in an external hire for a leadership position—or any position—can be tricky. Even family businesses, though, must at some point look outside of their own walls for good people. The trick is finding the right person and successfully onboarding them. Finding the right candidate, though, is only the beginning. Successful external hires are the result of months and even years of integration into the company and its culture—and it’s not always easy. In fact, the failure rate for external hires in the first … Read More >

Posted in Advice, Blog Posts, Company Culture, Family Business, Succession Planning | Leave a comment

6 Steps to Become an Inclusive Leader

Posted on August 6, 2019 by Denise Federer

“Inclusive leadership” may sound like a hastily thrown-together cliché, but in reality, it’s a proven-successful approach to leadership that companies are quickly adopting. But what is it? According to diversity expert-T. Hudson Jordan, Director of Global Diversity and Talent Strategies Pitney Bowes, defines inclusiveness as “creating an environment of involvement, respect and connections where the richness of ideas, backgrounds and perspectives are harnessed to create business value.” Inclusive leadership is not “diversity” of people. It’s diversity of people, thought and attitudes. Research has shown … Read More >

Posted in Advice, Blog Posts, Company Culture, Leadership | Leave a comment