articles

Why closure is key to happiness and high performance

Why closure is key to happiness and high performance

Have you ever experienced leaving a team or a project without an opportunity for closure? Or the departure of a dear colleague or leader without a chance to express how you felt about working with them? In this article, Paula Benetton outlines the importance of completion to clear the path forward and fully embrace a new experience.

Hacks for a sustainable work culture

Hacks for a sustainable work culture

“Hybrid work” has been the buzzword phrase of the past year. In our day-to-day interactions with executives and teams, we hear of a whole range of approaches, all with their own advantages and flaws. Trying to make everyone happy is impossible, but sending everyone “back to the office” because companies have long-term, expensive leases on big buildings is not the right answer either. In an effort to reach an amicable conclusion that serves more than just a few – we’ve collated our learnings here.

How I got my power back: discovering and being myself

How I got my power back: discovering and being myself

In June 2021, Vishal Chiripal, the Director of the Chiripal Group, a STEM enthusiast, and investor in startups in India, participated in The Zone’s Reboot coaching program. Over the course of those six weeks, he immersed himself into a journey of self-exploration. The personal insights he obtained as a result of that experience have been very powerful. Here were a few of his main takeaways.

“Doubt your doubts” From one female leader to many

“Doubt your doubts” From one female leader to many

Female leaders -- and all aspiring leaders -- can face uncertainty, imposter syndrome and other battles within their industry. Melissa Palazzo Hart, a leadership coach at The Zone, executive consultant, and Board Advisor sat down with our founder, Liam Forde, to talk about how she has overcome these challenges in her professional journey, and why she tells her clients to “lead from the heart, trust your gut, and doubt your doubts.” Here are a few highlights from the conversation.

How do you want to spend your waking hours?

How do you want to spend your waking hours?

The holidays and end of year are coming closer, they are a time for reflection and giving for many of us. We’re living in a time of heightened uncertainty in the world; natural disasters, families that are separated, othering and the ongoing pandemic. How might we spend this holiday season when quite literally borders are closed or travel isn’t possible?

Giving the gift of compassion

Giving the gift of compassion

The holidays and end of year are coming closer, they are a time for reflection and giving for many of us. We’re living in a time of heightened uncertainty in the world; natural disasters, families that are separated, othering and the ongoing pandemic. How might we spend this holiday season when quite literally borders are closed or travel isn’t possible?

Mission (im)possible: an eco-friendly holiday season or how to save a Christmas tree

Mission (im)possible: an eco-friendly holiday season or how to save a Christmas tree

This month I gave myself a practical values challenge: Can I celebrate the holidays in a way that doesn’t cause more damage to the planet? Can I blend my values of kindness, creativity and joy with my love for nature and my family while participating in the biggest consumer spend and rubbish-producing season of the year?

What's your level of alignment?

What's your level of alignment?

One thing we observe is that teams often take this for granted, especially in cross functional leadership teams. We assume that of course we are all aligned and then quickly turn our focus to execution. If you are feeling that as a group you are not as much in the zone humming to creative outcomes of collective intelligence as you could be, then this is a place to start. What are we not aligned on?

Give the gift of feed-forward

Give the gift of feed-forward

With everything else going on in the world we might feel that we don't have time to stop and give feedback. The clock is ticking and we need to move even faster. Taking time to make time is key. It activates learning, leverages best practices, releases energy, and even prevents burn-out, all of which lead to better and faster collaboration, performance, and team spirit. The key is to focus on helping the other person up their game for the next round.