Over the years of my inter-personal communications consulting work, I’ve heard leaders from various industries and organizational types share similar frustrations. They say that it’s a challenge to find “good people.” They often struggle with office politics or strife within their team. Many report “too much drama and emotion.” There is a near universal sense that the younger generation of employees are often not serious, dedicated, and focused enough on their work.

As a leader, you have a choice to make. You can play the cards you’re dealt, the best you know how. This is the choice of most. You hire qualified people and hope they’ll do what they claim they can do. You may spend time, effort, and money on team building and training. You may feel like you’re beating your head against the wall trying to make the same points with the same people over and over again.

Or you can stack the deck in your favor. You can utilize proven methods and tools to better define organizational priorities and find those specific people who are best suited for your organization and their role within it. You can equip them with powerful development plans to maximize their engagement and their performance. You can align expectations for those with whom an employee interacts so that the person is set up to succeed. You can create a culture of continuous learning and growth.

The second path takes more effort. At least initially. Once established, however, an achievement culture is far easier and more rewarding to lead. It is characterized by mutual respect, goal achievement, personal accountability, and substantive mutual support. Relationships thrive. Stress levels plummet. Performance soars. It really is the only way to fly.

So why is this environment the exception and not the rule in today’s workplace? More importantly if the second scenario doesn’t best describe your team, why not? The answer may be tough for you to hear. It’s your fault as a leader. You need to raise your game. You need to put into action the precepts that create a more enlightened organizational culture.

Good news – help is here! Dardick Inter-personal Communications, LLC is all about helping leaders put in place those practices that will uplift their team and reach far more of its potential. And I’m excited to announce a brand new way that interested leaders can get more of this kind of assistance. It’s a new Google Community and its working title is: The Magic Mirror – Reflections for Leaders in the 21^st Century.

Here’s how it’s going to work. Every Monday at 2pm Eastern, we will be ‘live’ in the community’s Google Plus Hangout. We will discuss topics from categories such as:

• Best practices in your People Strategy
• Actions that Elevate Organizational Culture
• Building the right Inter-personal Skills
• Honing your Leadership Style
• The Philosophy of Achievement

We will cover the latest tools and methods, answer questions, examine specific case studies, and even interview subject matter experts. We will build a valuable reference library of these discussions and add white papers, Power Point presentations, and possibly even e-books. The Google Plus format allows us a wealth of flexibility, and we will use the available tools to maximize the value for Community members. It will be a private, subscription-based service. I’m not currently aware of its like.

To get The Magic Mirror Community up and running, I’m going to need your help. We’re going to run a few sessions to polish and hone the format. But I can’t do it by myself. If these topics are of interest to you, I’d like you to consider becoming a beta member.

For those who become active beta members, you will be grandfathered into The Magic Mirror Community when it officially launches – free of charge. That’s right, in return for your participation and feedback, you will receive Total Consciousness! No, sorry, I was channeling Bill Murray for a second there. You will receive permanent access to The Magic Mirror Community – a bazillion dollar value! (Well, no, probably not. I’m thinking of initially charging something like $10 or 20 per month so that the reach can include numerous members on a particular team.)

Our very first Hangout is scheduled for Monday June 8^th @ 2 pm Eastern. To join us for our maiden voyage, just CLICK THIS LINK at that time. You also may want to get a free Google Plus account and complete your profile if you don’t already have one. If you know someone who you think would benefit from participation in this community, please forward this information to them. I would be honored and pleased if you would kindly drop me a quick note to let me know if you plan to be there so I know whether or not I have to twist arms and call in favors. Thank you so much for your consideration.