Blog

Bend, Don’t Break: Building a Culture of Workplace Resilience

Posted on April 14, 2025April 16, 2025 by Alison Jones

Too often, resilience is treated like a badge of honor earned only by suffering through misfortunes or tough times. In organizations, leaders may tell their teams to buckle down, power through, or dig deep—without equipping them with the tools, space, or systems to do so in a healthy manner.

The result? A workforce that’s more depleted than determined.

Resilience isn’t a guaranteed outcome of tough times. And it’s not something you’re born with. Resilience depends on how you respond to the tough times.

Resilience is also a skill that can be intentionally developed by individuals, teams, and organizations through the right systems and a healthy mindset.

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Reignite Your Motivation: 3 Mental Reframes for Lasting Change

Posted on March 31, 2025April 14, 2025 by Alison Jones

Beginnings hold a special kind of magic. They represent a clean slate and the chance to start fresh. For many, the new year symbolizes this moment, so we set new goals and embrace a renewed sense of optimism. But before long, that initial excitement fades. January slips into February, which bleeds into March. Q1 becomes Q2. Before we know it, the sense of newness is gone, and our motivation starts to fade too.

Do you struggle with a nagging sense of disappointment over the goals you’ve set for yourself? Do you sometimes feel you’ve blown it, and are tempted to retreat into your comfort zone? Do you notice those you lead losing momentum, and feel uncertain how to guide them back on course?

Motivation tends to ebb and flow, but true commitment keeps us moving forward, even when the initial excitement wanes. If you’ve been struggling to stay motivated, here are three mental reframes that can help you maintain your commitment to positive change throughout the year.

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Breaking Through Limiting Beliefs in Leadership and Life

Posted on September 11, 2024April 14, 2025 by Alison Jones

A couple years ago, my son played the roles of Benjamin and the butler in a spectacular production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. During one rehearsal, I struck up a conversation with a cast member who was new to theater. I was surprised to hear her say, “I’m not a singer or a dancer, but I’m having so much fun!” My immediate thought and response was “Oh yes you ARE a singer and a dancer! I see you up there singing and dancing your heart out!”

What led this cast member to believe she wasn’t a singer or a dancer? It was the identity she had created for herself—“I am this, but I’m not good enough to call myself that.”

Her response reminded me of how we often label ourselves, limiting not just our hobbies but also our potential. Just as this performer defined her own abilities in black and white terms, many of us question our own potential or believe we’re not far enough along to see ourselves a certain way. But what truly defines our capabilities? Keep reading!

The Essential Act of Pruning in Leadership and Life

Posted on June 27, 2024September 11, 2024 by Alison Jones

Gardening has always fascinated me with its profound lessons in leadership and personal growth. By observing the garden, we discover how to cultivate a more energized, healthy, and vibrant life. One of the most compelling lessons is the art of pruning, essential for nurturing a beautiful garden and also vital for nurturing effective leadership. Just as gardeners prune to promote growth, leaders must trim away anything that does not contribute to their strength and effectiveness.

During the summer, I am devoted to my beautiful hibiscus plant. I treat it with tender loving care—watering, feeding, and carefully removing the spent blossoms. These simple acts redirect the plant’s energy towards producing its signature large, showy flowers. Each morning, I inspect my hibiscus and assess its overall health, looking for anything that might compromise its gorgeous blooms. The payoff is the stunning flowers the plant produces; last year, I had 17 blossoms on my hibiscus in a single day!

There are times when pruning feels uncomfortable. Some flowers appear mediocre and I hesitate to pinch them off because they still have some color, some sign of life. But the truth is they lack vitality and are declining. If I do not have the courage to trim, prune, deadhead, or pinch, I risk compromising the plant’s overall well-being by prolonging the life of flowers no longer thriving.

How true this is for leadership as well! The best leaders recognize the necessity of frequent pruning to stimulate fresh growth and to sustain organizational health. They courageously trim away what no longer serves them or their organizations, even when it’s painful.

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Resistance to Change in the Hybrid Workplace: Navigating the Maze

Posted on May 4, 2024March 31, 2025 by Alison Jones

Change is a constant in the business world. The best leaders not only accept and embrace change—they approach the ripple effect of change in an intentional way. One of the most significant shifts leaders have had to navigate recently is the transition to the hybrid workplace, along with the resistance this change has brought. Whether moving from a traditional office setting to a mix of remote and in-person work or adopting new collaboration tools, managing this resistance is crucial for a successful transition. Let’s dive into this resistance to change and look at three guiding principles leaders can follow to smooth out the bumps along the way.

Understanding Resistance to Change in the Hybrid Workplace

Change management, a critical discipline in the business world, focuses on understanding and addressing organizational and human responses to change. Dr. Spencer Johnson’s iconic book, “Who Moved My Cheese?” highlights the fear and comfort zones associated with change, and reminds us that if we do not change, we risk being left behind or even becoming extinct. Transitioning to hybrid workplaces may trigger a psychological and physiological response due to the brain perceiving change as a potential risk. This hard-wired resistance manifests as the classic “fight or flight” response, perhaps making employees wary of new work arrangements and technologies.

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