Welcome to Merge's Monthly Mega Minute — a bite-sized, yet substantial and practical, nugget of information that you can use immediately to enhance your professional and personal success.

When you turn and face the sun, your shadow will always be behind you

When you turn and face the sun, your shadow will always be behind you ...

Said my mom to me on numerous occasions during both my childhood and adulthood. Her point was that the best way to deal with a problem was to address it directly. The unfortunate reality is that as long as I tried to keep evading the issue at hand, either by skirting around it or by avoiding it completely, the shadows would also linger, and eventually the outcome would be sub-optimal. As usual, my mom was right. And it turns out that my mom’s counsel is not bad advice for leaders either.

The leadership journey is fraught with minefields – unexpected setbacks, difficult clients and co-workers, or just simply situations where the best-laid plans go awry. When things go wrong, it can be tempting to retreat, to search out cover, and get out of the line of fire. At first glance, this may not be a bad idea, since withdrawal allows you to re-evaluate and reassess the state of affairs. But while pausing to reflect may be appropriate for the short-term, it is definitely not a long-term solution. Eventually, the best approach is always to face the problem, walk towards it, and deal with it deliberately and thoughtfully. Whether it’s reconsidering options to recover from an unforeseen roadblock, choosing to actively resolve differences with a co-worker, or moving rapidly to Plan B when things don’t go exactly as anticipated, facing the issue head-on means that many (if not most) of the possible negative outcomes will be behind you.

So what do you think? Did my momma have it right? Or are there new rules for dealing with adversity that are better suited to the 21st century workplace? Please share your thoughts directly on the blog at www.turningmanagersintoleaders.com/blog

"Five reasons Gen Zers are not millennials" published in The Globe & Mail

Generation Z started turning 23 this year, which means that increasing numbers of them are working in more than just fast food and retail. In her latest column for The Globe and Mail, Merge explains why you shouldn’t make the grave error of thinking that Gen Zers are just millennials magnified. In How Gen Zers differ from millennials in the workplace she lays out five critical differences. This column published behind The Globe’s paywall, so if you're a subscriber, here is a link directly to their site: https://tgam.ca/2Px2a8w

Merge interviewed on More Than Money on 770 Newstalk CHQR

Dave Popowich and Faisal Karmali host the More than Money weekly radio show on 770 Newstalk CHQR that focuses on planning for retirement, lifestyle and everything in between. They were interested Merge’s advice on how people contemplating retirement could pass on their knowledge before departing their organizations.

More in our video tip series on how to motivate employees ...

In August, Merge offered up three new video tips in our continuing series on specific ideas to improve staff performance and job satisfaction.

• Motivating employees — Strategy #21
• Motivating employees — Strategy #22
• Motivating employees — Strategy #23

Turning Managers into Leaders

• Yet another example of foolish short-sighted company policies!
  Foolish short-sighted company policies — blocking employees' internal transfers and promotions. It only ends in demoralized demotivated staff!
• Foolish short-sighted management practices ... the chronicles continue!
  Yet another example of foolish short-sighted management practices. This one — turning legitimate absences into performance issues!

That Merge offers one-on-one mentoring to high-potential leaders

Sometimes being in a leadership role feels like you're caught between a rock and a hard place! Your managers have increasing demands of you – greater productivity, improved customer service, and stronger leadership. Your staff have unrelenting questions and problems — process bottlenecks, escalating workloads, and interpersonal conflicts. And all the while, your time and resources dwindle. You know you're capable of getting things done; after all you have a proven track record that speaks for itself! But, things just aren't falling into place the way they normally do! At times like these, all you really need is an independent perspective to support you as you assess specific issues and determine your options and consequences. Someone who really "gets" what you are dealing with, but isn’t constrained by any organizational "baggage". This is exactly where Merge can help! Find out more at our website, or read this Mentoring case study to get a better idea of Merge's approach.

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