Let me share some ​tips on how to properly manage and leverage team conflict and power dynamics. That all starts with building and growing your team. The first thing you must do is establish unity. Everyone must be on board and share responsibility for the goals of the team. They’ve got to throw “I” out of the window and recognize the team is about “we” and “us.” Then, as the leader, you must establish the roles and responsibilities of the team and team members. Have a contingency plan in case a team member is sick, injured, on medical leave, has an emergency, etc. Who can step in? Perhaps one of the most critical parts of building and growing a team is communication. How will the team communicate? How often? What is the time zone for communicating if team members are working remotely and in a different time zone? How will the team meet? How often will the team meet and for how long? Why is there a team in the first place? Share the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the team. Click here for more.

There was A LOT of controversy around Fantasia's interview and comments about the woman’s role in relationships. Men and women alike jumped on a bandwagon and had LOTS of things to say, especially the men. What got me was everybody focused on what Fantasia said about submission (the men loved that part) but totally MISSED what her husband had to say. Her first interview was on the Breakfast Club and she talked about the woman being the neck and the man not being able to move his head without the woman, so the two are indeed equal and work together. She's. Not. Wrong. Catch my talk with Deborah Warren below.

It's important to cast vision because you not only need vision to push your business forward, but you also need to communicate it throughout your organization so everyone is on the same page. Usually around the first of the year everyone’s talking about vision boards and that’s fine. Personally, I feel we should be casting vision regularly so we can achieve our goals. If it’s not written down, it’s not happening. As a business owner, you’ve got to plan ahead if you want to hit your goals. What are your goals for 2020? What’s your bullseye? How are you going to hit the bullseye every single time in 2020? You’ve got to have a sharp plan that you and your team can execute. This does not mean you won’t have to tweak it along the way but at least you’ll have a good starting point. Learn more here.

If you want your teams to be productive, you’ve got to understand power dynamics and how to properly manage it. First, let’s understand power. Many times, we like to lump power and influence together, interchanging them but the two are quite different. While they have similar outcomes and functions, there are distinct differences. We can agree that both power and influence are used to get other people to do things. The difference is in the “how.” Power uses authority where influence comes from relationships.
As a leader, you’ve got to use different methods to get people to act or even change their behavior. You may find, however, that using influence over power is more effective. Your approach to influence determines several things. First, how influential you are will always reflect in the people who follow you and their level of engagement and enthusiasm for following you. Are they resistant? Compliant? Committed? I challenge you to reflect on your leadership and influence and examine the people who follow you. Is there a pattern? What do your followers have in common? How are you influencing them? Do you find yourself asserting dominance and authority more often than necessary? Click here to learn more.