Alloy Solutions Leadership Blog

Here’s a scenario: In a monthly department meeting, one of your direct reports is presenting a new project that will be rolled out to the company in the coming weeks. As the presentation rolls along, you start to notice a surprising number of “ums,” “uhs” and “you knows” peppering the address. One of your peers gives you a look. They’re hearing it too.

So, leader, what are you going to do about it? Consider a few options:

1. Make a mental note to bring it up in your next 1:1
2. File it away for the upcoming performance review
3. Hope it doesn’t happen again so you never have to bring it up

If option C has caught your attention, you might be among the 21% of leaders who admit to avoiding difficult feedback conversations - or the 44% who say feedback is stressful.

Delivering timely feedback is one of the most important skills a manager can develop - and one of the hardest. I've taught leadership skills for nearly a decade, and regardless of industry, geography, or level of experience, t...

Leading through the Holiday Stress, by Ryan Hansen

It's that time of year again! The air is changing, the leaves are changing colors, and the days are getting shorter. Joyous holiday plans are coming together, families and friends are gathering around tables, and belts are loosening across the country.

It's that time of year again. The calendars are filling, deadlines are piling up, and the final business days of 2019 are bearing down. Schedules are unpredictable, clients and coworkers are unreachable, and tensions are increasing across the country.

If your workplace is anything like mine, both of these cases are true for you in November and December. The holiday season brings a slew of stressful scenarios, unlike anything the rest of the year has to offer. In many cases, it's the necessary trade-off for spending more time with family and friends to celebrate the season. As team members at every level - from the production floor to the boardroom - spend more time out of the of...

Making Feedback a Priority, by Ryan Hansen

How many times have you heard a colleague lead a conversation with, "Can I give you some feedback?" Has that phrase ever preceded a long string of generous compliments? Of course not. "Can I give you some feedback?" has become an acceptable stand-in for, "Can I give you some criticism?" So it's no wonder that many of us equate feedback with criticism and recoil at the thought of unsolicited "feedback."

To make your feedback effective, keep these tips in mind:

1. Focus on Behaviors, and Be Specific. Don't let feedback become a commentary on anyone's character. People can change their behaviors long before their personalities. Positively affirm specific behavior
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