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Carolyn Creates

The Secret of Successful Leaders
Carolyn Creates
August 15, 2017

The Secret of Successful Leaders

It’s a date in the not-too-distant future. Apple has just brought out the latest incarnation of the iSomething, Microsoft is on Windows 47, and the latest Samsung phone has set the markets on fire again! Of course, it’s expected that everyone is excited over the latest tech innovations – cue ads showing multigenerational, multiethnicity faces happily using whatever the must-have device is. It goes without saying that the devices will work smarter, faster, with even more functionality to help us ‘connect’ with anyone and anything, anywhere, anytime. No doubt well-worn rhetoric of how this brings us all ‘closer’ will be insinuated into the ad somewhere as well. When ‘now’ isn’t soon enough Technology has been steadily (if not stealthily) evolving, and training us to respond faster and faster. As we have become used to replying to texts, tweets, Facebook posts, instant messaging—the list grows every day—so our expectations of what is a ‘normal’ response time have changed forever, and this has bled into our working practices. Cast your mind back 5 years, 10 years, maybe—like me—you can even remember what work (and life) was like pre-internet, when exemplary customer service meant you responded the same day, not within 15 minutes (and that was when you were both in the same time zone, on a work day, and the request came in the morning). Those days are gone, and if you don’t get back to someone the moment their message comes in, you’re likely to get a follow up soon after. That puts a lot of pressure on…
Carolyn Swora
The Inside Scoop On How To Increase Productivity
Carolyn Creates
March 27, 2017

The Inside Scoop On How To Increase Productivity

Have you ever looked back on your day at work and thought to yourself “I accomplished nothing"? Don’t worry you’re not alone. Many of us face days filled with interruptions, meetings and a looming sense that we just didn’t get enough done.  So what do successful people do to stay productive?  Many use productivity apps to organize lists and focus on assigned tasks (by the way, Wunderlist and Be Focused are two of my favourites).  I encourage you to use these tools if you aren’t already.  However, it is important to know that they will not completely fix your productivity problems. Did you know the secret to productivity in the modern workplace is high-functioning teams? We’ve recently learned that one of the main trends in organizations is the shift from hierarchical structures to networks of teams as outlined in the recent 2017 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends Report.  Today’s teams need to be agile, responsive and flexible so getting things done efficiently and effectively is key to success.  We’ve known for many years that there is no “I” in TEAM and historically organizations willingly invested in growing team work capabilities. Company retreats or day-long workshops used to be common events for teams where they could build trust and strengthen relationships through activities and games. Unfortunately, these programs are now far less common than they used to be. Budgets are constricted and time is limited, not to mention the fact that people can now be part of many teams at once. So what can you do to increase productivity at work and stay motivated? Build a culture…
Carolyn Swora
Here’s A Quick Way To Positively Impact Your Company Culture
Carolyn Creates
March 20, 2017

Here’s A Quick Way To Positively Impact Your Company Culture

Did you know that employees value culture and career growth at almost 2x the rate they value compensation and benefits?  Organizational culture used to be something that was created as a by-product of processes and systems in a company. It just happened and leaders didn’t pay much attention to it. Well, that’s no longer the case. Culture is now one of the top priorities for Senior Leaders, regarded as a corporate asset to be actively shaped with intent and purpose. It is a competitive differentiator that employees, customers and stakeholders now look for. Culture is described by many as “the way things are done around here”. What drives “how things are done” is a system of values and behaviours.  Not values and behaviours that are written in fancy documents and on websites, that’s the easy part. It’s the values and behaviours that are rewarded by the systems and processes in your organization.  In your company, is there alignment between the advertised values and behaviours and those that are rewarded?  Wells Fargo is a classic example of misalignment. Their Senior Leaders propagated one set of values while the employees felt forced by a set of unwritten rules to demonstrate other behaviours. Just this month, revelations have surfaced in Canada about employees at TDBank feeling pressured into selling products to customers. So how do you know what values and behaviours are truly demonstrated by employees in your company? The simple answer is to ask. Systems and processes are put in place with the best intentions to bring consistency and compliance. Unfortunately, there are often unintended by-products that can impact employee behaviour causing…
Carolyn Swora
What If Employees Voted For Company Leaders?
Carolyn Creates
December 1, 2016

What If Employees Voted For Company Leaders?

It’s been a few weeks since the US election. Many journalists and politicians have analyzed the results and declared various reasons contributing to the Trump victory. In my opinion, it’s simple. A large population base felt disconnected, unheard and frustrated. They wanted change at any cost. It was no secret that one of Hillary’s challenges was her difficulty in connecting with the voters. She was polished, prepared and knowledgeable. Her facts were correct (most of the time) and she had loads of experience but the emotional connection was lacking. Donald on the other hand, ignited emotions and called people to action with rhetoric and falsehoods. Rational thinking gets trumped (no pun intended) by emotions whether we like it or not. I can’t help but compare this to the current organizational landscape and ponder how this basic need we have for connection unfolds in the workplace. Sadly, it doesn’t look very good. A Gallup report about the State of the American workplace showed that 70% of workers are disengaged and a report on Global Human Capital Trends from Bersin by Deloitte showed that 57% of people are overwhelmed at work. It appears that employees feel disengaged, uninspired and frustrated, similar to what we heard from American voters. This election reminded us that people want to be heard and feel connected to their leaders. While organizations don’t rely on a democratic voting process to hire their leaders, they do need employees to feel motivated, engaged and inspired to drive profits. If employees could vote, would you still have the same leaders in place?  Would people vote for you?  How would your…
Carolyn Swora

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