Leading to Happiness: Practicing Positive Developmental Leadership
Research in the fields of positive psychology and happiness studies offer powerful insights into the abilities of people to live happier and more meaningful lives, with implications for leadership. Personal happiness and social positivity have declined precipitously during the pandemic disturbances with record levels of stress, anxiety, depression and unhappiness being reported and clearly evident now in most workplaces as. When positivity is combined with a growth perspective, the result is improved quality of life for workers and improved workplace outcomes across many dimensions, ranging from productivity to retention. This program will offer an overview of the research based principles of positive psychology and happiness studies with implications for personal living, management and leadership.
Understanding Issues of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in a Multigenerational Framework
While understanding typical generational influences, values, traits, preferences and styles can improve our self-understanding, leadership and personal effectiveness across a variety of social roles, without appreciation of generational variations across dimensions of diversity, that understanding is very limited. This program will offer an overview of generational issues and dynamics, with specific emphasis on how minority and oppressed peoples have experienced these impacts and manifested the typical generational traits, and on how members of the generational cohorts have viewed and acted on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion, with some tentative predictions for the future of equity and inclusion in the USA.
Managing for Success in the Multigenerational Workplace
Today’s workplace can be an exciting, though not always harmonious, mixture of four generational cohorts; older traditionals, mature boomers, early to mid-career xers and our youngest workers from Generation NeXt. Understanding the generations is becoming increasingly important as demographic changes anticipate the retirement of the rest of the traditionals and many boomers, with insufficient numbers of xers available to fill their slots and leaving gaps in institutional knowledge, organizational loyalty and mission orientation. Many managers are reporting issues with the workplace readiness and integration of Generation NeXt. Successful management will require being able to understand, communicate with and lead everyone, from each generational group. Understanding typical generational values, traits, preferences and styles can improve recruitment, workplace effectiveness, harmony and employee satisfaction and retention. This workshop will address the generational traits, issues and dynamics in the workplace with specific, immediately applicable suggestions for developing the most productive, positive and effective work setting for all workers.
Generation NeXt Goes to Work
Today’s young workers from “Generation NeXt“ are entering the workforce with characteristics and expectations that present unique challenges to those responsible for recruiting, orienting and initiating them into the professional world, as well as those supervising, managing and retaining them once they get there. While recruiters and managers might find many of these young people to be adaptable and technologically savvy, they may also see consumers in the job market who do not expect to “pay dues” and resent the traditional organizational structure. This session will provide attendees with a better understanding of the development and predictable issues of Generation NeXt, and describe what organizations and managers can do to help them transition into and be successful in the professional workplace.
Managing Escalating Situations
Leaders and managers often encounter times in the workplace where bad feelings, interpersonal disagreements, and various conflicts escalate into situations with the possibility for negative outcomes for the employees, the manager or the organization. It is possible that, in the course of offering supervision and criticism, managers creates this situation themselves! The consequences of poorly managed conflicts can include decreased leadership ability on the part of the manager, inability of the employee to continue, or even violence and physical harm. The ability to successfully manage an escalating situation can be an important set of management and leadership skills. This workshop will help managers understand the dynamics of potential and real crisis situations, and help them develop skills that they can apply to deescalate crisis to reduce the likelihood of negative consequences to the employee, themselves or the organization.
Listening/ Counseling Skills for Managers
Managers are frequently called upon to help employees solve personal problems, especially when these problems are revealed in the course of supervision and are impacting work performance. Though managers are not (or should not be) expected to be professional counselors, knowing how to effectively listen and respond can help managers bring employees to improve workplace performance by separating work and personal issues and even helping them resolve their personal concerns. This workshop will help managers understand the principles of effective listening and peer (non-professional) helping, and help them develop a set of skills they can apply to listen to and assist their employees in the most appropriate and effective ways.
Workplace Article Available for Download
Generation NeXt goes to work: issues in workplace readiness and performance from the 2007 higher learning commission collection of papers.
Click the link below to download the PDF of this april 2007 article on improving the workplace readiness of gen next.

Technical and other Planning Details
- I will present from a MacBook Pro (with me on stage or the front of the room) so will need access to a projector and screen. I have the appropriate adapters and am compatible with any projector; VGA or HDMI. I will not need sound out of the computer and will need web access.
- I will need a wireless lapel microphone. If bottled water is readily available, that would be great. If parking around the event site may be stressed I would appreciate a reserved space as I will be bringing in my equipment.
- I do not limit audience size and I make copies of my slides available after the event. No handouts will need to be prepared.
- No deposit is required and full payment is expected on the date of the event. If I am unable to present due to travel interruptions or illness, there is no charge to the chamber, organization or company. If the chamber, organization or company wishes to cancel after confirmation, there will be a charge of 50% of the fee, plus any nonrefundable travel cost incurred.