Paul Simkins, Leadership Trainer/Speaker/Coach

I help organizations and people raise productivity, improve communications, reduce conflict, and develop strong sustainable leadership.

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Are You Too Authentic?

Are You Too Authentic?

Something I added recently on LinkedIn Pulse. Let me know what you think.

When Being Authentic Means You’re Being Annoying.

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Employee Engagement - Time for the Truth

Employee Engagement – Time for the Truth

Is Employee Engagement Improving?

With all the talk about employee engagement, have things gotten any better? The latest data resoundingly says NO and we are losing where it hurts the most. How do we create real improvement? By making real changes.

Normally I share thoughts along a weekly theme. But some of the latest research that I read this week compelled me to share my thoughts with you…

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Self-control: Discover the Leader's Secret

Self-control: Discover the Leader’s Secret

Self-Control Is An Inside Job Do you sometimes find yourself overwhelmed by circumstances? Do you tend to have knee-jerk reactions on occasions? Do you know someone who always seems to overreact? These are crisis moments for your team and the actions you take are critical to your success. Leadership Expert John Maxwell says You can’t always control what happens TO you but you can control what…

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Coaching and Mentoring Are The Secret Sauce

Coaching and Mentoring Are The Secret Sauce

Coaching for Next Level If you want to take your team productivity to the next level If you want to stop being a manager and become a leader You will have to first make the transition to being a coach or mentor. If YOU want to be more effective, whether an entrepreneur, small business person, or corporate executive; you need a coach to help you move to the next level! Coaching Drives…

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Facing Difficult Co-Workers

The Truth About Conflict If we all know that we need each other in order to succeed, why do we find it so difficult to get along? Conflict occurs! It is inevitable. If we are going to have two people in the same space, whether co-workers or married or whatever the circumstance, there is going to be conflict. It happens. Most conflict arises because of our nature to look out for our own best…

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Teamwork and the Self-Made Myth

Teamwork and the Self-Made Myth

Teamwork – The New Concept?

It’s an age-old lesson but one we have a hard time learning. It really is true – teamwork makes the dream work!

The concept of teamwork is not new. You look at historical documents, the Bible, you can look at all the significant contributions throughout history. All of them occurred because of a team. Not individuals – teams.

Great Things

We know that great things…

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It's What Everyone Needs

It’s What Everyone Needs

Recognize the Opportunity

There are lots of opportunities before you and only one you should always take. The opportunity you should never pass up is the opportunity to recognize a job well done.

More Than Sex?

Mary Kay Ash, the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, said that there are two things people want more than sex or money – recognition and praise

If you are like me, you have probably worked for…

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Do You Give Rewards or Reprimands?

Do You Give Rewards or Reprimands?

Mistakes Make Relevance When someone makes a mistake, would you rather it be a calamity or would you rather it be a lesson? Many people are worried now about staying relevant. Large and small corporations are learning the lesson that innovation drives your ability to stay current in the marketplace. This is something most entrepreneurs have known all along. The saying goes that you can’t make…

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Worthwhile Investments - Investing in Employees

Worthwhile Investments – Investing in Employees

Investing in What Really Matters [snaptweet]No matter what the process people tell you, the real secret of sustained productivity is to care for, equip, and empower your people.[/snaptweet] I made an investment in what matters. This past week I had the privilege of hosting a great World-wide event called Live2Lead. It’s put on by the John Maxwell Company and of course features John C. Maxwell.…

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The Secret to Great Expectations

The Secret to Great Expectations

Expectations Shared

If we want our team or our employees to accomplish great things, they have to know what those great things are.  That’s what setting expectations is all about.

Thrown to the Wolves

Too often, we throw employees out there to do the job without really communicating what the job is. It’s not a job title or a written description of duties.

An employee or a team’s real job is…

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Shiny Objects Can Blind You

Shiny Objects Can Blind You

Shiny Objects in the Workplace

Are you great at starting but not so great at finishing? Do you get a lot of great ideas but very few pan out? Is the next great program for your team the one you just read about? You may very well have Shiny Object Syndrome!

No doubt about it, it’s a great world we live in! There is something new every time you turn around. New technology, new experiences, new ways…

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Vision is the Secret Sauce to Leading Teams

Vision is the Secret Sauce to Leading Teams

Vision Takes the Trip Beforehand

Would you pack the family in the car and set out on a trip and have no destination in mind? Just get in the car, take your hands off the wheel and say, “Let’s see where the car takes us today!”  Of course you wouldn’t. You have to have a destination in mind.  You must have a vision of where you want to go.

It takes a lot for a team to accomplish anything. The key…

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Rewards or Punishment - What If You Are Both Wrong?

Rewards or Punishment – What If You Are Both Wrong?

Rewards Are Just the Start Do you believe in the carrot or the stick to get great performance out of your team?  People tend to go with one or the other, but what if you’re both wrong? The popular thinking is to either motivate employees with a kick in the pants to get them going or with rewards for great performance. It might be a bonus, a promotion, added responsibility, or simply praise.…

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Why Picky Mentoring Pays Off

Why Picky Mentoring Pays Off

Mentoring Value

When you have something of value, it has no real value unless you share it. Just as important as sharing something of value is the people with whom you share it. Mentoring allows you to share with the right people at the right time.

Picture This

I just purchased a delicious, mouth-watering, steaming pizzaand I want to share it with all of you. Based on the number of people who see…

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How Core Values Build Extraordinary Teams

How Core Values Build Extraordinary Teams

The Core Value Foundation

Building a team or an organization takes time. You build it one block at a time. And you build it with the strong foundation of your core values.

In my mentor John C. Maxwell’s book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership he talks about the Law of Magnetism. This law states that who you attract is not based on what you want, it’s based on what you are. In other words, if…

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Fostering Empowerment for Fun and Profit

Fostering Empowerment for Fun and Profit

Empowerment Frees You Too! What would your life be like if all of your employees were a high-producing sales force and an outstanding customer service staff rolled into one? What if you could take a day off, confident that effective work would be done and problems would be solved without you having to step in? It’s not just a dream, it’s what happens when you practice empowerment.Smarter People…

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Why Common Ground Isn't Commonly Done

Why Common Ground Isn’t Commonly Done

Where is Your Common Ground?

So, the studies prove it; more engaged people are more productive people. We also know that we better engage people when we communicate with them and connect with them. The starting point for better communication and for connecting with others is when look for common ground.

My mentor John C. Maxwell said it best: If I had to pick a first rule of communication—the…

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