Weekly Posts and Insights

The Overlap of Conflict, Vulnerability, Trust, and Innovation
Leadership, Culture Matthew Harrington Leadership, Culture Matthew Harrington

The Overlap of Conflict, Vulnerability, Trust, and Innovation

True innovation exists at the intersection of trust, vulnerability, and constructive conflict. As leaders, our role is to create the conditions for innovation to thrive. That means checking our egos, fostering trust, and modeling vulnerability. It means leaning into conflict, embracing discomfort, and having the courage to confront the most brutal facts of our current reality.

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The Leader as a Gardener of People: Adolescent Stage
People, Leadership Matthew Harrington People, Leadership Matthew Harrington

The Leader as a Gardener of People: Adolescent Stage

The "Adolescent" stage of follower development, akin to the teenage years, is a critical period where initial enthusiasm fades, and individuals start testing boundaries while seeking greater responsibility. Leaders must adopt a coaching approach that balances support and accountability, addressing behaviors that don’t align with organizational values, reinforcing early wins, and consistently adhering to established boundaries and goals. By proactively coaching and maintaining a positive environment, leaders can help their team members navigate this transitional phase and continue their growth into confident, competent contributors.

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Mastering Facilitation: Your Go-To Script
Leadership, People Matthew Harrington Leadership, People Matthew Harrington

Mastering Facilitation: Your Go-To Script

Effective listening is essential for successful facilitation. This involves techniques like paraphrasing, asking open-ended questions, and synthesizing ideas. Skilled facilitators also track opinions, engagement levels, and group feedback. Here is your go-to script to handle many items you might run into as a facilitator.

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Community Conflict: Regulate, Relate, and Reason
Leadership, People, Culture Matthew Harrington Leadership, People, Culture Matthew Harrington

Community Conflict: Regulate, Relate, and Reason

In an era of escalating conflicts, understanding how to manage disagreements is crucial for personal and community well-being. This blog post explores the essential steps of regulating emotions, relating to others, and reasoning effectively to foster safe, connected, and productive environments. Learn practical strategies to transform conflict into constructive communication and collaboration.

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I'm not always the best at being assertive, here are 7 Steps I learned to become more assertive
Leadership, People Matthew Harrington Leadership, People Matthew Harrington

I'm not always the best at being assertive, here are 7 Steps I learned to become more assertive

I have to be honest, and you may not believe me, but this is one of the hardest skills I am in the works of learning.  Perhaps it's my 8-person family, puritan upbringing, and as a middle child I just went along with what the group wanted, but assertiveness has never been a strength of mine.  I believe in a give, give, give, ask method of forward movement (in marketing, sales, strategy, people, etc.), however sometimes I recognize the ask has to come a little bit sooner.   Assertiveness is not being tough or arrogant.  It’s actually a very humble and thoughtful dance.  It is recognizing that we have value and we sometimes need to put up boundaries for others to recognize our value.  

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The Millennial Gen-X Challenge: Driving The Future of the Organization, Together
Matthew Harrington Matthew Harrington

The Millennial Gen-X Challenge: Driving The Future of the Organization, Together

In this post-recession business world, we need to prepare our organizations for a huge transfer of leadership and knowledge to new leaders that are ready and competent to close the gap.  The looming issue for our workforce and our organizations is that Gen-X and Millennials don’t like each other quite frankly.

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Why Some Gen X Managers Struggle with Millennials, Literally
Matthew Harrington Matthew Harrington

Why Some Gen X Managers Struggle with Millennials, Literally

Over 60% of employers say that they are experiencing tension among employees from different generations. Studies have shown 70% of older employees dismiss younger workers’ talents and capabilities, while 50% of younger employees dismiss the talents and capabilities of their older coworkers. 

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Millennials, Remember to H.A.L.T. Before Your Next Fight
Matthew Harrington Matthew Harrington

Millennials, Remember to H.A.L.T. Before Your Next Fight

It just takes one more push and your emotions get the best of you and you become the poster child for one of those Snicker commercials.  However, on the other side the person who has ‘pushed your buttons’ is actually confused about what you got so agitated about.  In many of these scenarios it has little to do with the topic they brought up.  Instead it was a physiological response on your end. Use H.A.L.T. to see where your energy level and if you're primed for a fight ahead of time.

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