5 Steps to Set Goals You Can Achieve This Year

Happy New Year from Our Team at KCC! We hope this new year brings incredible success in both your work and personal lives. It’s a joy every time we help our clients achieve their goals, and we can’t wait to see what wonderful journeys we’ll be part of this year. 5 Steps to Set Goals You Can Achieve This Year Whether or not you’re a fan of setting New Year’s resolutions, the beginning of the year is a perfect time to revisit your goals and evaluate your direction and your progress. Are you happy in your current role at work? Do you have health issues you’ve been meaning to address but keep putting off? Setting goals sometimes feels daunting, especially if the goal involves significant changes. Thankfully, you can take specific steps to make achieving those goals more manageable and more likely. Here are 5 ways to set goals you can accomplish this year. 1. Be Specific and Intentional. Making vague plans for positive life changes is easy, but those loose ideas can leave us without momentum. Specifics and a meaningful outcome provide a motivating finish line. Getting started is much easier when you connect your goals to your “WHY” and know exactly how far you need to go. It also makes the goal more real and more personal. Here are some examples. Vague: Lose weight. Specific: Lose ten pounds by June first to get my health back on track. Vague: Get promoted. Specific: Advance to a level three engineer by September to feel more fulfilled at work. 2. Break It Down and Habit Stack. One mistake we sometimes make when goal-setting is not breaking a goal down into small steps. These bite-sized steps make even the most challenging goals more manageable. Instead of holding the whole project in your head, you can focus on one step at a time. I use a technique called habit stacking. For example, for my goal of getting super fit in 2025, one action step I implemented was to do counter push-ups and tricep dips every morning while my coffee brews. Much easier, right? 3. Write It Down and Keep It Visible and Trackable. Have you heard the expression, “out of sight, out of mind”? Don’t let your goals fall into that trap. Keep them in sight. Post a reminder on your bathroom mirror. Write it on your calendar. Set a reminder to pop up on your phone when you are most likely to need it. I recently started using an app called Structured to organize and track my daily and weekly action steps, and I love it! In a study by Dr. Gail Matthews at Dominican University in California, she found that participants were 42% more likely to achieve goals committed to writing. 4. Keep It Positive. When it comes to achieving goals, your self-talk is essential. It can feel overwhelming or discouraging if you miss a milestone, experience a slip-up, or encounter a setback. However, multiple studies have shown that guilt isn’t [...]

By |2025-01-08T17:36:24-04:00January 8th, 2025|Leadership Tips|Comments Off on 5 Steps to Set Goals You Can Achieve This Year
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5 Ways to Boost Engagement at Work

5 Ways to Boost Engagement at Work One element the long-term success of any organization depends upon is employee engagement. A team invested in the work they do has a contagious energy that helps an organization build momentum. Boosting engagement also helps to boost employee satisfaction and retention, creating an upward spiral. Investing in your individual team members leads to benefits for the organization, which adds to the success and happiness of the team members, which adds to the organization’s success, and so on. Here are 5 ways to boost employee engagement on your team. 1. Recognize and Invest. Take a genuine, personal interest in the members of your team. What are their individual talents and goals? What do they do well? Recognize the value they bring to the team individually and to the group. When someone notices the hard work we’re doing, it helps to energize us to continue performing… tell them when you notice, and I will quote the famous book, The One Minute Manager, “catch them doing something right” on purpose! Additionally, invest in getting to know each member of the group. What excites them? How do they spend their free time? Cultivate respect for each person by getting to know them a little bit. 2. Solicit Feedback. What does the team think is going well? What obstacles make their work more challenging? Give your employees a chance to express concerns or issues and hear them out. Resist the urge to explain or defend. What action can you take to address the group's concerns? If something can’t be addressed in the way the team desires, be frank about that, too. Openness cultivates trust, another essential component of boosting employee engagement. 3. Communicate. Communicate. Communicate! Meet regularly to discuss what’s new, provide status updates, share success stories and talk about issues as they arise. This helps ensure that everyone stays focused on the same priorities, is informed of new information, and has an opportunity to ask questions or point out any challenges that have arisen. Communicate changes clearly and make sure your team gets the answers to the questions they have, even if it means you have to research answers first and respond later. Make sure you follow through with promises to provide further information. Failure to do so can make the team feel like their concerns are unimportant or that you’re unwilling to address concerns. Both can sap motivation. 4. Support Initiative. As the team builds working relationships with one another, you may notice certain members emerging as natural leaders. Make space for people to take on additional responsibilities or lead initiatives that make sense. This recognition and response to new ideas can foster a creative and positive work environment. This allows the group to run more effectively, boosting not just engagement but also outcomes. 5. Provide Professional Development Opportunities. Professional development is critical for any organization to stay ahead of shifting customer expectations and advancing technologies and solutions. Provide opportunities for your team members to earn [...]

By |2024-10-21T09:30:28-04:00October 21st, 2024|Leadership Tips|Comments Off on 5 Ways to Boost Engagement at Work
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5 Critical Keys to Collaboration

5 Critical Keys to Collaboration Now more than ever, succeeding at work involves teamwork. The great news is that the right team generates results that far exceed what its individual members could achieve. An ineffective team, however, can slow down the group’s processes and innovation. Full team engagement comes from knowing their “why” and using their unique talents to contribute to the common goal. That’s why these 5 critical keys to collaboration are so important. These pillars of successful teamwork will help boost employees’ investment in the group and their confidence in their own work. They promote innovation and creative solutions that simplify workflow and improve performance. Read on to learn how these 5 keys to collaboration contribute to effective teams. 1. Time Management. Collaboration doesn’t always require a lot of face time. Once the team establishes clear goals and tasks, each member needs focused time to work on their tasks. Make sure that the ratio of time spent as a group to time spent individually working best suits the needs of the group and doesn’t distract from getting the work accomplished. Can you guess the most common complaint that we hear when we give our time-management session? Too many meetings! 2. Communication. Communication is a make-or-break component of any team project or collaboration. To boost successful communication, give some thought to how the team will communicate. How will members share issues or ask questions? Is this best done via chat? Emails? Holding questions until a set meeting time each day or week? Establish the preferred communication methods for each type of situation and evaluate whether this works for everyone after a few weeks. 3. Innovation. In the best collaborative teams, the sum far exceeds the abilities of the parts. How does this happen? One key to successful collaboration is to encourage innovation through brainstorming, engaging new ideas, and supporting out-of-the-box thinking. Even ideas that are not themselves feasible solutions can be useful because they tend to trigger other, potentially more useful ideas. Ensure that the group remains a safe place to brainstorm new ideas. 4. Celebrate Team Successes. As the team develops new ideas, builds useful tools, and adopts new processes, find ways to celebrate each of these successes. Call out team members whose ideas have solved problems or moved a project forward. Acknowledge those who went above and beyond to ensure that deadlines were met. Thank team members whose diligent work keeps the project on track. Celebrating these successes reminds the team of their power and effectiveness as a group and reminds each team member of their value to the group. 5. Collect Feedback. Ask your team for feedback on what practices best support their collaborative efforts and what can be improved. Having a say in how the team operates will boost its efficiency by allowing adjustments that directly aid its members, but it also generates deeper investment in the team. Build Your Own High-performing Team Join us for a training session that will show you how to [...]

By |2024-09-23T19:29:33-04:00September 23rd, 2024|Leadership Tips|Comments Off on 5 Critical Keys to Collaboration
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3 Big Benefits of Ongoing Training

3 Big Benefits of Ongoing Training In today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving job market, ongoing training isn’t just a luxury—it’s a necessity. As industries transform and technology advances, the once cutting-edge skills can quickly become obsolete. Investing in regular professional development can unlock new opportunities, boost performance, and ensure that both individuals and businesses remain competitive in a rapidly changing world. As kids head back to school, take a moment to think about how returning to the classroom (literally or figuratively) would benefit you and your team. Ongoing training provides much more than critical opportunities for career advancement. It offers a path to increasing your team’s productivity and boosting employee retention. Continued development for your employees also enhances the organization’s reputation. Let’s take a closer look at how this works. 1. Increased Productivity. Learning new skills allows your team to streamline workflow using new tools. From improving technology to optimizing processes to increasing customer satisfaction and retention, training offers a multitude of benefits to an organization. Training also improves accuracy, and efficiency and boosts confidence. There’s no replacement for the satisfaction that comes from doing a job well. 2. Improved Employee Retention. Not only does continued training help your team members do their jobs more efficiently, but it also improves engagement. Training is an investment. It sends a signal to employees that you value them and want them to succeed in their careers. In many cases, it also provides opportunities for advancement or job enrichment within the organization. Though continued training takes time away from the daily tasks employees must manage, improving employee retention means you spend more time boosting your existing team’s productivity and less time bringing brand-new employees up to speed on performing basic tasks. 3. Enhanced Company Reputation. Another big benefit of ongoing training is that it enhances your company’s reputation. In this competitive economy, finding something that sets your organization apart from others can be the difference between success and failure. Continued education is a great way to differentiate your team from others in the field, as it shows dedication to excellence and investment in a positive customer experience. A better reputation also benefits the organization in the job market. When it comes time to add a new team member to the group, having a great reputation in your industry will help attract high-quality candidates who recognize the organization’s value for its employees. Get Back to School Now is the perfect time to invest in continuing education for you and your team. Start a wish list of training topics your team would benefit from and commit to a budget for continued training. Need help getting your list started? Check out our 30 interactive sessions, based on scientifically proven methods and led by industry experts. Have questions about our topics? Contact us today for further information on how we can help you and your team work smarter, not harder.

By |2024-08-19T16:10:18-04:00August 19th, 2024|Leadership Tips|Comments Off on 3 Big Benefits of Ongoing Training
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5 Ways to Boost Client Satisfaction

5 Ways to Boost Client Satisfaction No matter the industry, creating happy clients or customers is critical to a business’s success. A satisfied client is more likely to return with future needs, and they may also leave favorable reviews or share the positive experience with other potential clients. In other words, a happy customer can become your best ambassador (the same idea applies to happy employees, by the way)! Cultivating practices that create happy customers is a powerful investment in your success. Here are 5 ways to boost client satisfaction and build trust and loyalty with your clients, keeping them coming back for more. 1. Communicate Clearly. Manage your clients’ expectations by ensuring they understand precisely how your products or services operate and what to do if they experience issues or questions. This is especially critical for any new clients. Make sure you are extra clear and responsive so that their first impression and first experience is a positive one. Additionally, clear communication means discerning your clients’ needs. As the saying goes, seek first to understand and then to be understood. Sometimes, we need to differentiate a client’s needs, wants, desires, and expectations. Take the time to ask questions and never assume anything. Correctly assessing your customers’ needs allows you to propose the best solution for them. 2. Be Consistent and use an “ACE”. Another component of the customer experience depends on how consistently you deliver results. Can your clients expect a response to inquiries within a predictable timeframe? Do you consistently deliver products or services that meet their needs or, even better, surpass them? We love the ACE concept: aim for Above Customer Expectations…an element of positive surprise could help develop the feeling that they are special and unique. 3. Be Responsive. Clients need to feel seen and heard. Whether they’re reaching out with an issue or a compliment, it’s important to respond promptly. Keep responses professional and courteous, and avoid using canned or generic text. If you can, adapt and personalize your methods of communication to their preferences, especially if you strive to offer a high-end experience. 4. Anticipate Needs and show initiative. Think of a holiday display in a grocery store or pharmacy. When you walk into the store at the beginning of February, you’ll find an eye-catching display of Valentine’s Day cards, boxes of chocolate, and stuffed bears. The store has anticipated a need and created an easy-to-find selection of popular products that someone might purchase together. Creating a “Frequently Asked Questions” page on your website is another way to anticipate clients’ needs. This page collects common inquiries in one place so clients can quickly and easily find the answers they need. 5. Value Feedback. We live in an imperfect world, and nothing reminds us of that, like our mistakes and those who take note of them. When a customer has a less-than-perfect experience, listening to their feedback is essential. Thank them for their comments. If possible, ask how the client would prefer the situation be [...]

By |2024-07-23T09:49:29-04:00July 23rd, 2024|Leadership Tips|Comments Off on 5 Ways to Boost Client Satisfaction
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Making Decisions with the Six Hat Method

Making Decisions Using the Six Hats Method Most of our decisions are made quickly and unconsciously. Once a decision is made, we often engage our analytical brain to search for data that supports our choice, creating the illusion of a rational decision-making process. Making sound decisions can be challenging and even stressful. Therefore, it's beneficial to learn new decision-making techniques rather than relying on old patterns and habits. One excellent tool for decision-making and problem-solving is the Six Thinking Hats created by Edward de Bono. The Six Hats method encourages parallel thinking and communication in a group. This reduces conflict by keeping the team focused on one aspect of a situation or problem at a time. Each “hat” represents a different style of thinking. Moving methodically through each different style leads us to consider a problem from multiple angles and fosters more balanced, comprehensive decision-making. Here’s how to use the Six Hats to separate your thoughts into distinct categories. 1. White Hat (Information) Put on the White Hat to tackle a decision through objective thinking and focus on the facts, data, and information. While your team looks at a decision with the White Hat approach, avoid the temptation to interpret data or include opinions. Ask your team to examine questions like, what information is available? What are the facts? What do we need to know? 2. Red Hat (Emotions) Put on the Red Hat and listen to your emotions as you think through a problem. Channel your inner Obi-Wan Kenobi and trust your feelings. What does your gut say? What emotions come up as you think about the decision you face? How do you feel about the options? 3. Black Hat (Critical Thinking) Put on the Black Hat and explore the potential problems that may arise with the decision your team faces. What might go wrong? What are the risks? Make critical judgments. Where might the proverbial wheels come off? Why might the potential solutions to your problem not work? 4. Yellow Hat (Optimism) Put on the Yellow Hat and think positively. Look for the benefits and opportunities each outcome may bring. List the reasons this idea is worth pursuing. What good outcomes can we achieve? How can these choices benefit the group or organization? 5. Green Hat (Creativity) Put on the Green Hat and get your creative juices flowing. Brainstorm potential solutions. Think outside the box. When your team wears the Green Hat, no idea is a bad idea. You never know what will spark a great solution or alternative course of action. 6. Blue Hat (Process) Put on the Blue Hat to organize your thinking. Use the Blue Hat to step back and look at the process as a whole. This is the time to set goals for your team and summarize outcomes. Ask questions like, what is the next step? How can we organize our thinking? Learn How to Make Great Decisions Making complex decisions is one of life’s toughest tasks. The great news is that there [...]

By |2024-06-18T11:26:24-04:00June 18th, 2024|Leadership Tips|Comments Off on Making Decisions with the Six Hat Method
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Get Ready for Summer: Update Your Goals and Make Time for Joy

Get Ready for Summer: Update Your Goals and Make Time for Joy Starting the year with goals in mind is a great idea. What makes that approach even more effective is checking in periodically to evaluate what’s working, what isn’t relevant anymore, and when we need to reprioritize. With the summer approaching, now is a perfect time to sit down with our list of New Year’s Resolutions and see how we’re doing and how we feel about the goals we set at the beginning of the year. Here are 3 steps to update your goals and make time for joy. 1. Are your goals still relevant? Let’s spring clean! When reviewing the goals you chose in January, consider which ones you've already achieved. Have you finished that big project? Have you been going to the gym? Take a look at your list of goals and check off the ones you've done. Celebrate what you’ve accomplished so far. Also, think about which objectives are no longer relevant and remove them from your list. We all change our minds and that’s fine. I call this “spring cleaning my to-do lists”! Any new summer goals you want to add to the list? Family, health, nature…what inspires you these days? Remember to pick only what’s most important to you and to be realistic in order to set yourself up for success. Often, less is more…I even have a “Not To-Do List” and I love it!! 2. Acknowledge the Progress You’ve Made. Acknowledging your progress can help energize you to keep moving forward. What’s working for you? What’s going well? What’s almost done? Take a few moments to think about how you achieved progress. Perhaps you have an encouraging note taped to your bathroom mirror. Maybe you have reminders set to pop up on your phone or calendar. What tools and strategies work for you? Make sure you continue using the techniques that support your growth. Consider updating the notes or reminders with a fresh message and try some new ways to continue doing things that make you happy and successful. 3. Add Joy. As summer approaches, perhaps it’s time to shift your focus to creating time for family and friends or simply enjoying the outdoors. Think about what adds joy to your life and where that happiness boost fits into your daily or weekly life. It might be as simple as taking a ten-minute walk at the end of the day or enjoying a cup of tea outside in the morning. Make time to engage with the people and activities that help you recharge. This helps break up the fog of monotony that can come from getting lost in our daily work and life routines. Add a breath of fresh air, whether it’s from a literal walk outside, coffee with a friend, or a visit to a meaningful place, like a museum or art gallery. You can learn more ways to increase your happiness in my book, 21 Days to Happiness. Each day of the [...]

By |2024-05-21T09:07:55-04:00May 21st, 2024|Happiness Tips, Leadership Tips|Comments Off on Get Ready for Summer: Update Your Goals and Make Time for Joy
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5 Ways to Influence People at Work

5 Ways to Influence People at Work Influencing people effectively at work is very important for various reasons. It helps you promote your ideas and achieve your goals and is critical for leadership development and career advancement. For some individuals, having influence may seem like an innate trait that cannot be learned. However, the truth is that anyone can develop influence with others. Like any other skill, it just requires a bit of learning and practice. Here are 5 ways to influence people at work. 1. Establish Credibility. Take some time to think about your experiences, education, and passions. Identify the areas where you feel most knowledgeable and skilled. Share your expertise and opinions in those fields to establish credibility. Remember, credibility also involves acknowledging when someone else knows more than you do and being willing to defer to their expertise. 2. Listen First and Be Curious. When people feel heard, understood, and respected, it fosters a positive work environment. In a culture of open communication, where ideas are valued, everyone feels empowered to contribute. Listening to others builds trust, a necessary component of influence. Therefore, before making yourself heard, take the time to listen and understand what others are saying and what’s important to them. Be genuinely curious and interested. Additionally, it's essential to connect your ideas with their needs to make sure that your contribution is valuable. 3. Be Flexible. Remaining flexible is crucial in persuasion as it allows us to adapt our approach to different situations and individuals' needs, increasing the likelihood of success. By being open-minded and willing to adjust our strategies based on feedback and new information, we can build stronger connections and achieve more effective outcomes. 4. Show Initiative. Have a good idea? Spot a solution that may have been overlooked? Speak up and step forward to help implement your ideas. Good leadership fosters influence, and being willing to step forward with a solutions-oriented attitude helps build people’s confidence in you. 5. Build Connections. The key differences between influence and manipulation lie in your intent. Influence involves shaping others’ behavior with integrity, transparency, and respect whereas manipulation involves exploitation and disregard for the well-being of others in pursuit of our individual goals. Building genuine connections demonstrates respect and promotes team well-being. Understanding team members' goals, needs, and expertise positions the entire team for success. Increase Your Influence Individuals who can effectively influence others tend to excel in their careers. Whether it's persuading clients, negotiating with stakeholders, or leading projects, influence skills are highly valued in professional settings. Training sessions can enhance your skills and help you achieve more with others. Our Persuasion, Influence and Political training session presents techniques to adapt to different personalities and situations in order to maximize your impact on those around you. Contact us today to learn more.

By |2024-04-29T10:42:00-04:00April 29th, 2024|Leadership Tips|Comments Off on 5 Ways to Influence People at Work
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4 Steps to Introduce Change Successfully

4 Steps to Introduce Change Successfully Introducing change successfully doesn’t happen by accident. Gartner, a research and advisory group, estimates that only about 34 percent of change is successfully implemented, with an additional 16 percent reporting mixed results. Those aren’t the best odds. Using a little organization and some other vital strategies will boost your likelihood of being among the 34 percent who report success with implementing changes on their team. Here are 4 steps to introduce change successfully. 1. Acknowledge the Need for Change. The first step in introducing a change is understanding why it is necessary. What issue will a change improve? What happens if the problem remains unaddressed? Most importantly, how does the change impact the individuals on your team? Remember, people will always want to know the “WIIFM”… What’s In It For Me? Many people find themselves intimidated by big changes. Change is risk; it feels unpredictable. Giving up the comfort of a routine can be hard. Understanding the need for change helps you communicate to your team why the new idea is positive. If your team has a clear vision of how a new practice will benefit them, they will be more likely to support it. Gaining that support is a critical component that will determine whether your change is successful. 2. Create a Plan with Your Team. Once your team clearly understands the reason for the change, it’s time to craft a plan. What are you asking your team to do differently? How will they accomplish these new tasks? If support and/or training is necessary, when and how will that take place? Map out a process for implementing the new procedure with them. If you involve them in the planning, it becomes “our change” instead of “your change”. Together, consider the team’s overall calendar as you decide when the change will occur. For example, it may make more sense to postpone a change for a short time if key team members will be out of the office on vacation or are nearing a critical deadline. 3. Implement the Change. Even when we do our best to anticipate all the possible outcomes, new processes can cause unexpected ripples impacting our team or customers in surprising ways. As you introduce the change, ensure you are available to answer questions or address unexpected effects of the new procedure. Check in regularly with your team members to see what’s working and address any concerns or questions they may have. 4. Evaluate the Results of the Change. Sometimes, change has quantifiable results with numbers that tell the story of its success or challenges. At other times, you’ll have to gather information from your team and customers about how the new process impacts them and addresses the issues that prompted the change. Consider your criteria for success. What was your highest priority outcome? Did the change make it possible to achieve that outcome? What has improved as a result of this change? If not, what new information have you learned [...]

By |2024-03-27T17:02:00-04:00March 27th, 2024|Leadership Tips|Comments Off on 4 Steps to Introduce Change Successfully
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3 Ways to Boost Confidence and Happiness by Moving Your Body

3 Ways to Boost Confidence and Happiness by Moving Your Body Nonverbal communication, such as body language, can be a powerful tool to communicate with others, but did you know your body language can change the conversation in your own brain? Your body reacts to your thoughts and emotions in predictable ways, smiling when you feel happy or grimacing when you stub your toe. What we don’t often realize is that the communication from brain to body that creates body language can work the opposite way, too. In other words, you can flex your muscles, change the position of your body, and boost your own mood. Here are 3 ways to increase your happiness with your body language right now. 1. Smile: Your Happiness Superpower When you smile, the tiny muscles in your face do some serious heavy lifting. According to Stanford research scientist Nicholas Coles, smiling actually sends signals to your brain to boost your happiness. It helps you recall positive experiences and feel greater joy when someone shares a funny story, for example. What’s even more interesting is that you can “hack your brain” because this works even when you don’t already feel happy. Try it next time you reach a low-energy moment in your day. Flex those happiness muscles—smile—and note the changes in your mood. Feel better? Smiles are contagious, too. What better way to spread happiness than to share a smile with someone else? 2. Boost Your Confidence with Power Poses Smiling isn’t the only way to signal our brains to boost our mood or change our feelings. Our brains also react to our posture and the position of our bodies. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy says poses that open the body, like what’s been termed the “Wonder Woman or Superman Pose”—standing with feet slightly apart and hands on hips—make us feel more powerful. Try standing in a “power pose” for two minutes before a challenging meeting or social situation that would usually make you anxious. Note the difference in how you feel. 3. Become a Mirror to connect with others Building strong relationships is one of the keys to being happy. You can use body language to connect with others. Your body language signals alertness, engagement, and understanding of a conversation. Using eye contact and angling your upper body toward the speaker are good ways to communicate that you’re listening. You can also subtly mirror the speaker’s body language. What’s the energy level of the person speaking to you? Try matching that energy as you listen to them talk. For example, if they have a relaxed posture, relax yours as well. Quick tip: don’t overdo your mirroring, remain yourself to remain authentic. Learn About the Connection Between Happiness and Performance The benefits of boosting your happiness extend over nearly every part of your life. Better happiness can increase the quality of your relationships, health, and work productivity. Learn more about boosting happiness at work in our Happiness and Performance session. We’ll teach you key strategies to [...]

By |2024-02-27T19:31:16-04:00February 27th, 2024|Happiness Tips, Leadership Tips|Comments Off on 3 Ways to Boost Confidence and Happiness by Moving Your Body
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