Articles by Elif Suner about Learning and Leadership Development
Forbes Expert Panel
Leadership
Articles by Elif Suner
15 Productive Ways To Disagree With A Colleague's Idea
Teamwork requires cooperation with many different people, and there are bound to be some ideas floated in meetings that you will disagree with. In situations where you don’t see things in the same light another team member does, letting a negative, knee-jerk reaction slip—or worse, dismissing the concept outright—can not only create tension, but also stifle creativity and communication.
When the entire point of bringing teams together is to spur innovation and new ideas, shutting down debate or staying silent to avoid conflict will have the opposite effect. How can you have a positive impact when your ideas clash with someone else’s?
If you can do it in a constructive way, you won’t destroy the harmony your team has worked so hard to create. Here, 15 experts from Forbes Coaches Council discuss the most effective methods of voicing dissent.
My view is # 10
10. Take Steps Toward Mutual Understanding
As human beings, one of our fundamental needs is to be heard, seen and understood. Following these four steps can add art to your communication: First, listen actively. Listening is not a time to think about your answer, but rather a time to understand the other party. Second, check your understanding. Third, start your sentence expressing disagreement with, "I see your point as..." Fourth, and finally, back up your comment with data or a reason. - Elif Suner, MBA, M.Ed, PCC, CTDP
12 Key Lessons In Leadership We Can Learn From Famous (And Infamous) CEOs
German statesman Otto von Bismarck once said that the only man who learns from his own mistakes is the fool. Wise people learn from the mistakes of others.
There are numerous examples we can learn from in the world of business, both positive and negative. If we want to become wise leaders in our organizations, we must study the actions of other managers, not only so we don't repeat their faux pas, but so we can emulate their most admirable and effective traits.
To this end, 12 experts from Forbes Coaches Council share valuable lessons from well-known CEOs that demonstrate the things we should and should not be doing when in a position of leadership.
My view is # 5
5. Upgrade To A Growth Mental Model
While failure to failure widens the doors of innovation and creative problem-solving skills, it’s not easy to give space to mistakes for perfectionists and leaders who have type A personalities. Besides, stories have the power of healing. Listening to failure stories and starting to tell them are the first steps of upgrading to the growth mental model which is an invitation for success. - Elif Suner, MBA, M.Ed, PCC, CTDP
14 Ways To Pick Yourself Back Up After A Major Failure
We all face failure at one point or another, whether it’s at work or in our personal lives. When you’ve experienced a major failure, finding the strength to move forward can be one of the most difficult parts of the process.
The members of Forbes Coaches Council have experienced their fair share of setbacks—and they've learned how to recover and keep going. If you’re facing a major failure, all hope is not lost. Read on for their best advice on picking
yourself back up, then coming back stronger and better than before.
My view is # 9
9. Shift Away From A 'Winning Versus Losing' Mindset
The story isn't written with what we're facing, but how we respond to it. After the first shock and some reflection, changing the mindset from winning versus losing to winning versus learning helps to gain our confidence back. This might help to change the mindset: What should I do and what actions should I take now so that two years later I can say I'm happy that I've had this experience? Elif Suner, MBA, M.Ed, PCC, CTDP
15 Ways To Inspire New Enthusiasm At Work When You're Feeling Apathetic
When you start a new job, you're usually excited about all the new possibilities and opportunities. But after a few years, it’s easy to lose that excitement—especially if you weren’t particularly thrilled about the job in the first place.
While in some cases this loss of enthusiasm can indicate a need to find another position, many cases simply warrant a change in attitude. Even the members of Forbes Coaches Council and their clients have experienced these slumps, but they’ve also discovered how to move past them. Below, they share 15 ways you can inspire new enthusiasm about your current job.
My view is # 13
13. Go Back To Learning Mode
Learning brings excitement! Instead of seeing everything as the same, being curious about how and why things are the way they boost our curiosity and invites us to learn more. There is always something we could work on. Developing a report or a relationship, putting your strengths more into work, networking, learning about how to feel better at work—these are just some ideas we can try to learn more! - Elif Suner MBA, M.Ed, PCC, CTDP
14 Smart Ways For Leaders To Balance Tech Adoption With Employee Well-Being
Today, creating a work environment that keeps pace with tech developments is essential to staying afloat in business. But as a leader, you’ll want to ensure you’re also being cognizant of your employees’ ability to adapt to such changes—especially at the pace you might expect.
To help you strike the right balance, we asked a panel of Forbes Coaches Council members for their best advice on this topic. Here’s what they recommend business leaders do to stay nimble and tech-forward while helping employees better adjust to any new changes.
My view is # 7
7. Practice Emotional Agility
Change is about adaptation and resilience! It's about how we cope with the inner resistances. When we feel safe, it's easy for us to deal with it. If the leaders are good at boosting positive emotions, then employees will feel safe and be more equipped for change. The focus of the leader should be how the followers can feel safe and positive, which will bring an emotionally agile climate. - Elif Suner, MBA, M.Ed, PCC, CTDP
15 Outdated Practices Managers Shouldn't Follow In The Modern Workplace
Managerial advice and “how-to” articles on leadership are everywhere. From online forum participants to your former bosses, everyone has an opinion on how to be better leaders. However, even well-intentioned advice has an expiration date.
We asked the members of Forbes Coaches Council for their take on common managerial practices, particularly focusing on what they consider to be outdated for today’s managers. See their responses below to understand which older practices to keep out of today’s work environment.
My view is # 8
8. Focusing On Fixing Weaknesses
Focusing on the weaknesses of employees could be one of the most outdated pieces of advice. It triggers employees to feel consistently insufficient, which is one of the most difficult emotions to deal with. Concentrating on developing weaknesses takes a lot of energy and time while making it hard to achieve good results. Contrary, strengths are resources that can easily be activated and are motivational by nature. -Elif Suner MBA, M.Ed, PCC, CTDP
How Young Professionals Can Gain The Status Of Workplace Expert: 15 Strategies That Work
For younger professionals just entering the job market, being taken seriously can feel like climbing a mountain—it may take a bit of experience under your belt before you can indeed be considered an expert.
However, in specific areas of expertise, the young professional may be more well-informed than even the most established personnel that the office currently has. But leveraging this expertise to prove yourself as “the go-to person” still hinges on whether the rest of the office takes your contributions seriously.
Fifteen experts from Forbes Coaches Council delve into how younger professionals can position themselves to be taken seriously at the office and potentially become the workplace expert in their skilled areas.
My view is # 15
15. Influence Others Through Emotions
Depending on the context, leadership has two dimensions: tasks and people. As the people side is about emotions, young leaders can benefit from working on emotional intelligence to strengthen their presence as a leader by understanding themselves and others. In this way, they will have the chance to be in contact with their inner strength, which helps to improve self-confidence and influence others. - Elif Suner MBA, M.Ed, PCC, CTDP
15 Techniques Businesses Can Use To Ensure Balanced Employee-Customer Happiness
ne of the standard rules of business is that "the customer is always right." While trying to enforce this sort of policy is an excellent place to start, a company can quickly find itself in hot water if it spends too much time trying to meet the wants of the customer at the expense of its own employees.
Finding the point where employees are happy and customers are satisfied seems like it may be difficult, especially since demands from both sides are important and, often, justified. To provide clarity, 15 members of Forbes Coaches Council explain how businesses can aim to balance the needs of the customer with the expectations of the employee to bring about long-term success.
My view is # 8
8. Focus On Clarity, Confidence And Care
When a policy is communicated by a confident employee in a caring way, both parties might feel satisfied. Policies should be clear so that employees will be sure what to say. Employees should be trained for emotional intelligence and be good at managing themselves to be resilient in case of conflict. Caring customers can be established just by communication or offering an alternative service or good. - Elif Suner MBA, M.Ed, PCC, CTDP