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.

In order to shift bicycle gears, you have to be in motion

When I was a child, I rode a single speed bicycle. It didn't matter whether I was biking up a hill or racing down a gravel road, my bike had just one gear, and I had to adjust my effort and speed in order to compensate for the riding conditions. As I grew older though, I realized that one could actually make the bicycle-riding experience easier and more enjoyable by getting a 3-speed, a 10-speed or even a 21-speed bike. The greatest benefit of a multiple-speed bicycle was that I could adjust the pedaling resistance to ride more easily over a greater variety of terrains. Brilliant!

Shortly after I got my first 10-speed bike, I quickly realized one additional and extremely vital fact – in order to switch gears, you had to be moving. You couldn't change gears when the bicycle was stationary; you had to be in motion for the gear shifting to work. That lesson was an important one, both for getting optimal use from my 10-speed bicycle, and for understanding how best to travel the road to success.

If you have professional or personal aspirations, whether they are career-related or lifestyle-focused, you're not going to get to your desired destination merely by looking for ways to make the experience easier and more enjoyable. So in other words, it isn't enough to simply buy the 10-speed bicycle. Sure, the features of this advanced bike are a benefit, but ONLY if you are able to use them. And you can only use them in you are in motion towards your destination. This requires that you get on your bicycle, keep pedaling, and focus up ahead towards the horizon to ensure that you are moving in the right direction.

So go ahead, look for opportunities to simplify and ease your journey towards your professional and personal goals. But understand that you still have to expend the energy and effort to be able to make use of these advantages. If you want to benefit from the different gears available on your 10-speed bicycle, you have to be in motion.

So what do you think? Do you feel that most people realize what it takes to shift the gears on their metaphoric bike journey towards their desired professional and personal goals? Please comment directly on the blog at www.turningmanagersintoleaders.com/blog

In The Globe & Mail: Why good leaders make grave mistakes ...

Despite a leader's best efforts, mistakes happen. And when (not if) that happens, it's how one responds to large slip-ups that determines whether they are leaders or managers. In Merge's latest column for The Globe and Mail, she lays out the three essential actions that one must take to successfully move past the blunders, to separate the leaders from the managers. Read Why good leaders make grave mistakes − and still thrive.

More video tips on how to motivate employees

Since our last Mega Minute, Merge has posted four new videos in her ongoing series on specific ideas to motivate employees.

• Motivating employees — Strategy #11
• Motivating employees — Strategy #12
• Motivating employees — Strategy #13
• Motivating employees — Strategy #14

In Build Magazine: Building loyalty among your Millennial employees

The construction industry in British Columbia, Canada is facing acute staffing shortages, and as the average age of workers is rising, this industry struggles with how to attract young workers into their companies. The Vancouver Island Construction Association (VICA) asked Merge to pen an article for Build Magazine, their annual flagship publication. Read: Building loyalty among your Millennial employees: Why you need to change – not them

Turning Managers into Leaders

• Again ... here's why the traditional performance review doesn't work!
  A recent HBR research paper provides more evidence supporting my conviction that the traditional performance review is an archaic practice that needs to be axed.

That Merge LOVES referrals?

Merge's professional practice is built entirely on word-of-mouth, so we are always very thankful when someone thinks highly enough of what Merge does to recommend her to others. Are there people in your organization that could benefit from one of Merge's leadership training programs? Or perhaps you have one or more high-potential leaders who would value perspectives and advice from personalized one-on-one mentoring? Or maybe you belong to an association that would enjoy and learn from one of Merge's keynotes or breakout sessions at your next conference or convention? If so, we'd appreciate your help in getting in touch with the right people. Just please contact us and Merge or one of her staff will reach out to you to obtain more information.

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