Jon Lokhorst

Most leadership development focuses on a single direction within the organizational hierarchy: downstream to subordinates. While it is important to be a good boss, leadership is much more than that. The best leaders learn to lead well in all directions. They lead upward to superiors and across among peers throughout the organization. And it all starts with self-leadership. This often overlooked or misunderstood leadership principle is essential to building a thriving and productive...

Which leaders in your organization are you most afraid of losing? What are you doing to ensure these key leaders stay with you for the future? A recent Gallup study highlights significant challenges for organizations concerned about leader retention. Their research found managers more likely than non-managers to be disengaged at work, burned out, looking for a new job, and feeling like their organization doesn’t care about their well-being. Over half were a significant flight risk, saying...

Quiet quitting. Grumpy Staying. The Great Resignation. The Turnover Tsunami. Career Cushioning. Coffee badging. WFH. WFA. RTO.

Whatever the moniker of the moment, there’s no doubt leadership gets more challenging by the minute. A shrinking labor pool, generational differences, evolving workplace models, artificial intelligence, and rapid, constant change confront leaders like never before. How will you meet these challenges? Only with Your Best...

Persistent and pervasive changes in the workplace compel leaders to continually develop new skills to be effective. The World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report identified flexibility, agility, and resilience among the top skills leaders will need in the workplace of the future. Understand why these traits are more critical than ever, discover self-leadership practices to develop them in yourself, and explore opportunities to cultivate them throughout your organization. Don’t just...

When the COVID-19 crisis hit full force, it sparked a dramatic shift to remote work for much of the workforce. Since then, your “new normal” likely includes some degree of remote work or a hybrid work model. Set your leaders up for success as these new work arrangements continue to evolve. Design your workplace model to promote a healthy culture, collaboration, and productivity. Identify the challenges and opportunities present in each workplace model. Equip your team to maximize the...

You must develop strategic thinking skills to effectively navigate change and deliver exceptional value to your organization, clients, and customers. Learn the essence of strategic thinking, how it differs from strategic planning and how to integrate it with traditional planning activities. Discover a framework to become more innovative and relevant to changing customer needs and expectations. Explore questions that inspire strategic thinking and practices to proactively build it into your...

Coaching has become a crucial tool for professional development. Early career workers increasingly seek it from their leaders and view it as a workplace benefit. Yet, many leaders misunderstand even the basics of coaching and lack essential coaching skills. Discover the essence of coaching, why it is uniquely effective for developing your team, and how to develop valuable coaching skills. Expand the session to incorporate a live coaching demonstration and peer coaching practice.

Elevate your leadership effectiveness and organizational impact by fine-tuning these core leadership skills. Recognize the barriers to your effectiveness and reshape your mindset to gain confidence and become more proactive as you lead your team. Explore practical tools to optimize productivity, cultivate talent, inspire ownership, and free up more of your time to focus on crucial leadership functions like strategic thinking, innovation, and critical problem-solving.