leadercommunicator Blog

How to Build Trust in the Workplace: 8 Steps for Leaders

davidgrossman@yourthoughtpartner.com (David Grossman) — Wed, 13 May 2026 14:57:53 GMT

There’s a great deal of discussion on trust in the workplace today – why it’s declining, how important it is, and how to build it among your teams. And no wonder. For decades, leaders have often succeeded or failed largely based on their ability to establish trust.

Working with leaders and teams at many different organizations across industries for over 25 years, I’ve seen how trust opens doors to opportunities and can help leaders grow companies beyond their wildest expectations. I’ve seen leaders and teams work through trust issues and get to the other side stronger and better. I’ve also seen how business can slow or stop without trust.

Those who get it right champion humanity, empathy, and authenticity to build strong, trusting relationships, which improve employee engagement, retention, and business results.

This guide explores the environment of trust that we’re living and working in these days, and provides practical steps for leaders to build and strengthen trust inside their companies.

How to Increase Adoption of Technology in the Workplace

davidgrossman@yourthoughtpartner.com (David Grossman) — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 15:08:20 GMT

Finding better ways to successfully integrate technology in the workplace is top of mind for many leaders today. Yet too often, organizations still fail miserably on this challenge by rushing in without being strategic. The result? Frustrated employees and lasting cultural damage throughout the organization.

The good news is there are a lot of lessons learned and best practices to lean on for leaders looking to up their game. One of my favorite pieces of wisdom comes from a recent point IBM Chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna shared with author Malcolm Gladwell: “The biggest change is not the technology. It’s getting people to accept that there’s a different way to do things.”

I couldn’t agree more with Krishna. Technology adoption is essentially about people and culture change. I’ve seen it time and again in our work with Fortune 500 clients. Very frequently, the most important piece is ignored: employee buy-in for how the new technology not only improves the company’s bottom line but makes their daily work life seamless, efficient, and rewarding.

What Is Technology Adoption?

As a formal definition, I define technology adoption as leaders using digital tools as superpowers that can unlock creativity, learning, and human potential. The focus should be on leaders asking how they can transform technological change from a challenge into an opportunity for growth.

8 Leadership Qualities Separating Good from Great

davidgrossman@yourthoughtpartner.com (David Grossman) — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 14:35:28 GMT

One question I’m often asked seems simple enough: “What makes a great leader?” Still, the answer – as we all know – is hard to sum up. Given all that’s expected of leaders in a complex business culture, the list of what matters grows by the day.

And yet, there are universal themes that pop up again and again. Many of them surfaced in a recent study we conducted with The Harris Poll (full report coming later this year), we found that only a third of employees felt their leaders were exceptional. However, those employees had a clear sense of what it takes for leaders to get there. In essence, exceptional leaders gave employees the feeling that they were valued and appreciated. As a result, employees felt inspired to reach their full potential.

I wrote about the research themes in my upcoming book, The Heart Work of Modern Leadership.

Beyond the book’s research is something else I find important to reflect upon – the leadership qualities that define great leaders. In this post, I’ll share some of those qualities from my personal perspective, drawing from decades of advising leaders at top companies.

I’m also excited to share the perspectives of many other leaders featured in my book, who each wrote guest columns on the leadership qualities they most admire. I’ve included highlights of their thoughts throughout this piece. Some speak directly to the eight qualities I’ve identified, others share new perspectives in a separate section highlighting their takeaways. So much wisdom in their words!

How to Measure Internal Communication Metrics and KPIs

davidgrossman@yourthoughtpartner.com (David Grossman) — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 14:51:32 GMT

As any communications leader can attest, one of the biggest challenges in their roles is convincing top leaders just how much high-quality communication matters to the overall success of the business.

After all, if communicators can’t prove that communication matters, the function becomes an easy target for budget cuts, particularly in a business culture increasingly focused on data and analytics.

The good news is that the importance of the communications function is no longer an elusive thing to measure. The best companies are increasingly using a variety of internal communications metrics to demonstrate how investments in better communication positively impact the business.

From our work with companies across industries, we know that building a thorough internal communication plan that includes multiple measurement tools has numerous benefits. Measurement helps create credibility for communication among an organization’s employees and leaders, and ensures that communication has a place at the table in any strategic business discussion.

The key to successfully measuring communication effectiveness is to focus your metrics on the big-picture outcomes you’re pursuing. Since the goal of internal communication is to drive action and behaviors, it’s not enough to know that a message was distributed to employees. Rather, measurement needs to focus on whether the message was received, heard, and acted upon.

AI-Powered Resume Review: How to Use ChatGPT to Improve ATS Compatibility

Rebecca Weinstein — Fri, 08 Mar 2024 20:24:28 GMT

In a highly competitive job market where every applicant is qualified and somehow has at least five years of experience, more companies turn to Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to expedite the hiring process. Every applicant’s resume gets “scanned” into this software, and based on the keywords it finds and other technical jargon, the ATS selects the best candidates for the role to then be seen by a real person.

Maximizing Strategy Rollout with Your Company’s Top Leaders

Jason Greenspan — Mon, 07 Aug 2023 14:20:06 GMT

Think about the last time you went to a leadership meeting to hear about a new strategy, direction, or business plan. Did you leave that meeting feeling optimistic, energized, and accountable for what was presented? Or did you come away from the experience feeling apathetic, skeptical, and that the new plan was more of the same?

Unfortunately, the latter is the case for most strategy rollout or refresh meetings today – even at the leadership level. That’s because more time and attention is given to building an agenda to “tell and sell” versus creating an experience that brings attendees along on a journey.

That’s, in part, because sharing decks full of strategy slides – often done by well-intentioned consultants – is an easy approach. It takes work that’s already been done and fills up the hours of a meeting. It allows the company’s leadership team to check off a box and say they’ve engaged their top leaders in the direction of the business.

But we know there’s a better way – one that concurrently informs, involves, and inspires leaders on the path forward, and moves them from bystanders of change to inspired catalysts.

We’ll share some thoughts on how to do that in this blog post along with some examples of how we’ve successfully accomplished this.

Changing Organizational Culture: A How-To Guide for Leaders

davidgrossman@yourthoughtpartner.com (David Grossman) — Tue, 16 May 2023 13:47:03 GMT

Every leader who has attempted organizational change knows how tough change can be to implement, especially when the company seems to be in a constant state of evolution. “Oh great – another re-org!” is a common response from employees in many companies today.

At the same time, leaders know change is critical for companies to compete and respond to the ever-evolving needs of customers, investors, and stakeholders. And culture change – truly revising the core DNA and ways of working inside a company – is the hardest change of all. It’s also the kind of change that’s the most meaningful and important for leaders to get right.

The following guide walks leaders through the context behind culture change – why it’s so important and just how much getting culture change right can lead to a whole range of positives (i.e., people's attitude toward work, their motivation, and the company’s bottom line). We also provide tips and case studies to help leaders see what positive culture change looks like.

Communication Takeaways from the 2023 Page Spring Seminar, Influence at Work

davidgrossman@yourthoughtpartner.com (David Grossman) — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 16:23:56 GMT

Last week, our team attended the Spring Seminar hosted by the Arthur W. Page Society – whose mission is to strengthen the enterprise leadership role of the chief communications officer by embracing the highest professional standards, advancing the way communications is understood, practiced and taught, and providing a collegial and dynamic learning environment.

We met and reconnected with so many fellow communications colleagues – and walked away with many rich insights that we feel should guide communications leaders in their work, and we want to share those with you, too.

Key Headlines for Communications Leaders From the thoughtpartners at The Grossman Group

100 Day Plan for New Leaders (Examples + Template)

Kate Bushnell — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 14:07:37 GMT

When I dropped my son off at school on his first day of kindergarten, he looked at me and said, “I can’t wait to not be new anymore.” Thinking about the many people changing roles and companies these days, I can’t help but wonder how many may be counting the days until they’re not new anymore, too.

No matter how many years of experience a person has – even the most senior of leaders – being the “newbie” is daunting for most and hard enough that many avoid taking the new job in the first place. Add to it the complexity of the workplace these days – exhausted teams, workforce shortages, supply chain and business disruption, the war for talent, and constantly shifting ways of working and connecting as teams and organizations – being a leader in a new role is even more challenging.

For those talented and brave souls venturing to new roles and opportunities, congratulations. Instead of a new coffee mug or new decoration for your Zoom background (or at least, in addition to it), give yourself the gift of preparedness so you make the most of your first months on the job and set yourself up for success.

7 Employee Growth and Development Ideas for Leaders

davidgrossman@yourthoughtpartner.com (David Grossman) — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 14:33:49 GMT

Taking an active role in the development of your team demonstrates confidence and concern for the future of the organization. It also gives employees feelings of significance, community and value – which is always important and even more so in today’s work environment when so many companies struggle to attract and keep top talent.

We also know for remote and hybrid employees there’s often less of a focus on development, which has its downsides. And, with up to 80% of employees working remotely at least part of the time, according to Gallup, that means there’s a big risk for leaders who don’t prioritize employee development.

If you want to boost productivity, morale, engagement and retention, create a culture that values employee growth and development. When employees are encouraged to have a growth mindset, set and achieve goals, and feel like their needs are being met, they’re going to stay longer, contribute more, and help you achieve results and differentiate your employee experience.