September, 2025 - Lisa D. Foster, Leadership Coaching & Training

birds flying in formation as a metaphor for team alignment

Team Alignment: How To Build Better Teams and Exceed Expectations

September 29, 2025

When leaders build trust, demonstrate confidence, and practice empathy, team alignment becomes possible. Key Takeaways Team alignment drives performance. Here’s what matters most: Team alignment is what happens when everyone is working to achieve common goals with the least possible amount of friction. The result: great teams that pull together to exceed expectations. There is no wasted energy protecting turf, fighting internal battles, or advancing personal agendas. Instead, everyone is working hard and enjoying group success. Alignment at Work is…

Human hand pushing a red button, representing stress response at work and emotional triggers

When Small Things Set You Off: Understanding the Stress Response at Work

September 26, 2025

Confidence at Work

Have you ever snapped over something small—a late email, a missed comma, a colleague’s tone? You’re not alone. A stress response at work can often feel bigger than the moment, leaving you wondering, “Why did that set me off?” Key Takeaways When you learn how to recognize your triggers at work, you can learn to interrupt you stress response at work and reset to calm. Proven strategies—like pausing to breathe, stepping away briefly, or validating others’ feelings—help interrupt the impulse…

Confidence at Work: How to Build It and Why It Matters

September 24, 2025

Confidence at Work

Confidence at work isn’t about being the loudest voice in the room, the one with all the answers, or the person who never shows doubt. Real confidence at work is quieter—and stronger. Key Takeaways Real confidence is about knowing your strengths and leaning into them. It’s accepting your weaknesses instead of hiding them. And it’s leading from your values so you stay calm under pressure and make steady decisions. That’s what authority without ego looks like—the kind of confidence people…

How to Build Trust at Work: Five Everyday Actions

September 22, 2025

Trust at Work

Trust or mistrust is a choice that every leader has to make: build trust at work to unlock performance or sow distrust and shut it down. Key Takeaways Most organizations fall in the middle between high trust and low trust cultures. In these organizations, managers can vary widely in how much they trust others. Employees are sensitive to even the smallest hints of mistrust. To build trust at work, trust must be a consistent and fundamental part of your leadership…

A mother duck leading ducklings in a line, symbolizing influence at work through guidance and respect.

Influence at Work: 4 Proven Ways to Build Trust and Respect

September 19, 2025

Team Alignment & 1:1s

Everyone wants influence at work, whether it’s with their boss, their team, or colleagues across the organization. The question is: what’s the best way to earn it? Influence is a subtle art. Sometimes even when you have the best advice, pushing too hard can backfire. In this post, I’ll explain what influence really is, how it works, and why it so often goes wrong. What Influence Is Influence at work is about advocating for an idea—not issuing a command. Many…

Validation in Leadership: The Most Important Way to Help People Grow at Work

September 17, 2025

Empathy in Leadership, Trust at Work

Validation in leadership is an often overlooked skill that builds trust and performance. Key Takeaways Validation at work is one of the deepest human needs—and one of the most overlooked leadership skills. Nothing motivates people more than feeling seen, heard, and valued. When managers learn to validate their team members’ feelings and experiences, they unlock hidden potential for trust, learning, and motivation. Validation isn’t just “being nice.” It’s a powerful, practical tool for leading people. Used well, it can transform…

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