Alloy Solutions Leadership Blog

Our newest family member is unknowingly teaching us valuable lessons about leadership. Meet four-month-old Dottie – precocious younger sister to the wiser, calmer eight-year-old Denver.  We’re in the full-on teething phase where those razor-sharp teeth find themselves embedded in any and every available surface, including human arms, hands and feet.  Blood has been drawn and redirection and training is happening at every one of these painful learning opportunities.  Thankfully, we know this is just a phase and with proper attention and training she’ll be using that “soft mouth” and gentle spirit that Denver and other labradors are known for. I’m encouraged in these painful moments by watching Denver gently receive toys, treats, and any and all attention from his humans, including our toddler grandchildren.  In his presence, our fingers and toes are safe and none the worse for wear.   The remarkable thing that helps us in training Dottie isn’t that Denver has teeth. It's that Denver kno...

Communicating Like a Leader (Part III), by Jamie Hansen

This is the third and final piece in a series from Jamie Hansen, focused on how a new leader must develop his or her communication skills in order to maximize their impact. You can find the first installment here, the second installment here, and receive the rest of the series in your inbox by subscribing to our newsletter.

Welcome back to the Leadership Toolbox! This series focuses on skills that leaders should develop in order to maximize their effectiveness. Whether you are a new or experienced leader, these skills will increase your influence as you connect with the people around you. We have highlighted four critical skills already, and we have two more to complete this list:

5. Connecting with Curiosity

Great communicators have learned, often the hard way, how assumptions can throw a conversation into a downward spiral. Our desire for efficient conversation, combined with past experience with another person, can spin int...