https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal Advice and information to help you support your business, your people and you. Fri, 01 Apr 2022 03:31:22 +0000 en-CA hourly 1 https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/hr/what-is-toxic-positivity/ https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/hr/what-is-toxic-positivity/#respond Fri, 08 Apr 2022 13:00:40 +0000 https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/?p=10510 Toxic positivity is the belief that no matter how dire or difficult a situation is, people should maintain a positive mindset. It's a "good vibes only" approach to life. And while there are benefits to being an optimist and engaging in positive thinking, toxic positivity instead rejects difficult emotions in favour of a cheerful, often falsely positive, facade.  To learn more about toxic positivity and how to manage it, check out this article.]]> https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/hr/what-is-toxic-positivity/feed/ 0 https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/wellness/6-ways-to-become-a-nicer-person/ https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/wellness/6-ways-to-become-a-nicer-person/#respond Mon, 28 Mar 2022 03:05:19 +0000 https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/?p=10496 Being kind to others is beneficial to the people around us and ourselves.  This article outlines several ways to hone your kindness skills and the benefits we experience when we are kind. Worried that sometimes you are too nice?  The article outlines ways to combat that too.]]> https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/wellness/6-ways-to-become-a-nicer-person/feed/ 0 https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/wellness/why-are-some-people-irritable-all-the-time-and-what-can-you-do/ https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/wellness/why-are-some-people-irritable-all-the-time-and-what-can-you-do/#respond Tue, 22 Mar 2022 11:00:03 +0000 https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/?p=10485 What happens when a few hours of feeling grumpy turns into an extended period of irritability? It is hard enough when this happens to us, but when our colleagues or partners are chronically upset, or in a bad mood, the irritability can spread and negatively impact those around them. Check out this article to learn more about irritability and how to manage it. ]]> https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/wellness/why-are-some-people-irritable-all-the-time-and-what-can-you-do/feed/ 0 https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/business/what-is-empathy-and-why-is-it-so-important-for-great-leaders/ https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/business/what-is-empathy-and-why-is-it-so-important-for-great-leaders/#respond Mon, 15 Nov 2021 11:55:22 +0000 https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/?p=10192 As Bill Gates pointed out in a Stanford commencement speech, “If we're going to make our optimism matter to everyone and empower people everywhere, we have to see the lives of those most in need. If we have optimism, but we don't have empathy — then it doesn't matter how much we master the secrets of science, we're not really solving problems; we're just working on puzzles.”]]> https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/business/what-is-empathy-and-why-is-it-so-important-for-great-leaders/feed/ 0 https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/business/5-reasons-why-knowing-how-to-listen-is-one-of-the-most-sought-after-skills-to-work/ https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/business/5-reasons-why-knowing-how-to-listen-is-one-of-the-most-sought-after-skills-to-work/#respond Mon, 27 Sep 2021 10:55:42 +0000 https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/?p=10108 Active listening is one of the most important skills for both leaders and employees, in work life and our personal life. Why? It's where communication truly gains its power.]]> https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/business/5-reasons-why-knowing-how-to-listen-is-one-of-the-most-sought-after-skills-to-work/feed/ 0 https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/wellness/high-performing-teams-need-psychological-safety-heres-how-to-create-it-2/ https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/wellness/high-performing-teams-need-psychological-safety-heres-how-to-create-it-2/#respond Mon, 30 Aug 2021 16:25:50 +0000 https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/?p=10074 Research tells us that high-performing teams have one thing in common - the presence of psychological safety.  In psychologically safe environments, team members have the confidence to speak their mind, be creative and take a risk - without the fear of being chastised for it or having it be held against them.  However, creating psychologically safe spaces is not always easy.  Check out the tips in this article to learn more.]]> https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/wellness/high-performing-teams-need-psychological-safety-heres-how-to-create-it-2/feed/ 0 https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/wellness/10-signs-youre-emotionally-intelligent-and-5-signs-youre-not/ https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/wellness/10-signs-youre-emotionally-intelligent-and-5-signs-youre-not/#respond Tue, 03 Aug 2021 10:55:25 +0000 https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/?p=9892 The ability to recognize your own emotions as well as the emotions of others, and react appropriately is emotional intelligence at its very core.  Do you already have EQ?  How can you increase it?]]> https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/wellness/10-signs-youre-emotionally-intelligent-and-5-signs-youre-not/feed/ 0 https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/wellness/the-most-needed-but-counter-intuitive-leadership-skill-self-compassion/ https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/wellness/the-most-needed-but-counter-intuitive-leadership-skill-self-compassion/#respond Sun, 20 Jun 2021 11:00:40 +0000 https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/?p=9547 "Leadership has long been defined by the ability to take risks and learn from setbacks, and this is all the more vital now. You might be afraid that self-compassion will lower your standards and that you’ll lose your ambition, however Kristin Neff’s research shows that self-compassionate people have similarly high standards as those who lack self-compassion. However, those with high self-compassion are much less likely to be unduly and unproductively hard on themselves if they didn’t meet their own standards."]]> https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/wellness/the-most-needed-but-counter-intuitive-leadership-skill-self-compassion/feed/ 0 https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/hr/nonobvious-ways-to-have-deeper-conversations/ https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/hr/nonobvious-ways-to-have-deeper-conversations/#respond Sun, 30 May 2021 11:00:34 +0000 https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/?p=9961 “Humans need to be heard before they will listen” (Amanda Ripley).  Although we are physically disconnected, it is still possible for us to connect deeply with the people in our lives, but sometimes this is not easy to do.  We tend to rely on a standard set of conversation questions, and some lead only to one-word answers that kill instead of developing a conversation.  In this article, we quickly become familiar with nine nonobvious ways to have deeper conversations and better connect with those around us.]]> https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/hr/nonobvious-ways-to-have-deeper-conversations/feed/ 0 https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/wellness/set-better-boundaries/ https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/wellness/set-better-boundaries/#respond Mon, 01 Feb 2021 14:03:19 +0000 https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/?p=9689 We all encounter "boundary predators" in all areas of our life.  While they might be easier to spot at work, our family members and our friends can all, at times, encroach on our boundaries.  It can be hard for us to enforce our personal boundaries but maintaining them is up to us.  This article provides seven quick tips on setting and enforcing boundaries, including a script to help you navigate tough situations.]]> https://johnstongroup.ca/the-advisor-journal/wellness/set-better-boundaries/feed/ 0