Happiness is a fundamental aspect of our lives that can greatly influence our well-being and unfortunately, it’s not guaranteed, unless maybe you were born in the Netherlands, stay with me. I recently read an interesting article about parenting in the Netherlands, home to the world's happiest kids. The author, a psychologist, listed six things parents never do there, and it got me thinking how in recent years, the pursuit of happiness has extended beyond our personal lives and into the workplace. Employees are looking for more than the traditional compensation, they want to work doing something they are passionate about, they are looking for more time off, freedom to work from wherever (because now we all know it’s possible – thank you Covid). 

Many organizations have smartly recognized that happy employees are not only more engaged and motivated they are also more likely to foster a positive workplace culture. In this newsletter, we will explore how six...

In this post-pandemic, recessiony (that’s a word), age of hybrid work environments, it has been difficult for some organizations to; A.) Get their employees to come back to work full time, B.) Have them be happy about it, and C.) Achieve a high level of company culture. 

Results and goals do not get accomplished in a vacuum and rarely by one individual. In this blog we will share three ways to boost an organization's culture to improve retention rates and have happier team members which is always at the epicenter of results.

“Company Culture”, what is it?

Yes, it is a buzzy phrase that everyone claims is important to them. Higher ups often think they have a great company culture, where the team members can have differing opinions. In fact, only 28% of executives understand their company’s culture (1). 

Company culture generally refers to the shared values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that exist within an organization. It represents the...

Last week, there was a theme in my conversations and workshops with various clients. That theme was in the arena of agreements, or more accurately, the lack of them.

Whether you’re feeling frustrated due to last-minute requests from co-workers, suppliers not meeting expectations, or clients who don’t follow through on their commitments, the issues can frequently be resolved by setting up agreements and managing them well.

Here’s a 6-step framework to follow so more of your expectations are met on a regular basis. As an exciting side note, these steps will work just as well in your personal life as they do in business situations.

1.   Set clear expectations

The starting point is for you to be clear about what your expectations are. For the most part, we operate with misspoken or unspoken expectations and then we wonder why we don’t get what we want.

What are your conditions of satisfaction? What has to happen for you to feel your expectations have been...

Enhancing your leadership presence is important to do at any stage of your career.

Many people think that you either have what it takes to be a great leader, or you don’t. This actually couldn’t be further from the truth. Like anything, being a great leader takes practice, determination, and an understanding that you will probably make some mistakes along the way. 

The good news is that every great leader started exactly where you are. And even if you don’t feel confident in your abilities just yet, there are steps you can take right now to get to where you want to be in your leadership journey.

In this post, we’re sharing how to enhance and develop your leadership presence in a few simple steps.

1. Develop your communication and listening skills

The first step in becoming a better leader is developing both your communication and listening skills. As I’m sure you can imagine, there are a number of ways to go about this depending on your current...

There’s no doubt that this pandemic has been challenging for everyone, and especially small businesses. Connect To The Core was one of countless small businesses that experienced the economic impact of covid 19 first-hand. 

As a communication coaching firm whose primary business model was in-person communication coaching workshops and business strategy – we knew we had to pivot when the pandemic came to fruition back in March 2020. 

It was up to us to find new ways to continue “business as usual” while experiencing the mental and economic toll of the pandemic. 

Our resilience as a team and network of incredible clients were the main things that were able to get us through one of the toughest years we’ve had since the 2008 economic recession. We could never express our gratitude enough for a team that was able to come together and push through despite the many challenges.

The question was never, “Can our company survive this?”...