Human capital is a crucial driver of business value. By advocating leadership and culture as pivotal contributors to transferable enterprise value, professionals can benefit their business owner clients. Understanding the impact of leadership and culture on business value is imperative in client discussions, where emphasizing the potential positive or negative influences on their business's worth is essential. Learn more in this article.

When we reframe our understanding of risk to anticipate the unknown and the unexpected, we open ourselves up to asking more open-minded questions that ultimately, help us overcome our bias for safety. We move away from entrenched modalities and begin thinking like a start-up.

While both Yellowstone and Succession showcase a variety of exaggerated conflicts rooted in drama, they do an incredible job of capturing the power of family dynamics and headlong emotions. We see animosity, resentment, avoidance and tensions between siblings and generations, all reflections of reality we can learn from.

Performative allyship is especially insidious because it can be incredibly difficult to identify and address. The kind of workplace engaged in this performance is almost certainly seeing high rates of attrition from underrepresented employees who feel powerless to do anything about the unfair and unequal treatment they experience. Learn about the difference between good and bad allyship, why your people care and why you should too.

From being ostracized or penalized because of success or achievements, to being told their ambition is annoying or makes superiors look bad, women are actively being punished for expressing interest in and pursuing success.

Whether you’re a diehard fan of new year’s resolutions or you’d prefer to ditch the resolutions in favor of something less rigid, there is something to be said about the power of strategic planning, specifically the act of setting goals, at the beginning of a new year. Much like wayfinding, goals are the signposts helping us navigate through uncharted or difficult territory. They’re how we can step back and take stock of our progress and determine what remains to be done.

It feels so good when you have a great conversation. But what makes it great? Is it the person, topic, location or some other key feature?

In her book You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why it Matters, Kate Murphy argues conversations are best for all parties when each person feels truly heard. This requires truly listening. Learn more.

Quiet quitting is more about defining personal boundaries than “sticking it to the man.” Perhaps quiet quitting is an answer to an extended period of time where “going above and beyond” at work has become normal and expected. This article will explain more about quiet quitting.

What if at your last innovation or strategy session the million dollar idea wasn’t said out loud? People are less likely to speak up and share their ideas if the environment doesn’t promote psychological safety.

Diversity and inclusion help in obvious ways and also in subtle ways. These may sound like “fluffy” HR issues, but for more and more employees they are becoming a reason to stay or leave an organization.

If your business relies on innovation to grow and make money, then consider the value of diversity to your team. According to statistics from Deloitte “cognitive diversity can enhance team innovation by up to 20%.”

RFN Academy contributor Felicia Johnson exposes the three biggest diversity and inclusion myths.

Some people might be hesitant to explore diversity and inclusion because they believe acknowledging difference is a divisive act that creates rifts and inequality when in fact, the very opposite is true. individuals are wanting more connection within their workplace.

Read this blog to dispel these myths and how diversity and inclusion can build value in your compnay.

For those interested in excelling in complex environments, RFN team member John Lazar recommends Jennifer Garvey Berger’s book, Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps – How to Thrive in Complexity.

At Ready for Next we often discuss VUCA - volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. This book challenges us to consider mind traps and how our instincts may be outdated and lead us right into one.

Your 2022 goals mattered at the beginning of the year. Do they now?

While writing down goals is an important step in achieving them, so is regular review. If it’s been a while since you looked at your 2022 goals, there is no time like now to see how you are doing.

What would it look like if you were “pre-forgiven” in your conversations? Would it change your approach? Would it improve conversations?

A pit crew demonstrates teamwork in a unique and very visual way. Ranging from a handful to a couple dozen people with a single purpose. It brings together multiple people with specialized skills and one shared goal.

Learn how your team can achieve similar purpose.

At RFN, we’re proponents of making the most of smart ideas. We’re resolute in our belief that thought leaders are life-long learners, committed not only to improving themselves but to sharing valuable resources with anyone who may benefit.

Enjoy this book review.

As a business owner, one of the best ways to ensure your business is both attractive and competitive is to have a retention strategy that addresses current, real-world employee stressors and needs.

Unlike favourite sweatshirts, which should be treasured, favourite conclusions should be viewed with suspicion.

Building trust with a client is not just about questioning effectively, it is also about asking quality questions.