Why is WorkingSmarts unique?

What makes our products and services so valuable?

Not everyone will ever see this section, and some who see it won't care to read it thoroughly.

That's okay.

Those who DO see it and DO read it are our peeps.

People who are drawn to our programs are curious, eternal learners, have the ability or desire to self-reflect, and are driven to make a positive impact on their work environments.

Wondering if you might thrive in one of our self-paced or group courses?
 

Here's a bit about what you'll find in all of our programs and materials . . . 

Lots of juicy research about how brains work, how people interact, how groups form and change, how change happens and more
and . . . all of that juicy research is made interesting, engaging, and best of all, practical for use at work!

Bonus: much of what you learn in our programs will also be applicable to your life outside of work too!

We give you the meat -- the practices and why the practices work, and then have you digest how you will use them -- when you will use them, with whom, and you'll get your feet wet practicing.

We create comfortable, respectful, safe spaces for learning and growing and consistently - year after year after year - have clients share with us the enormous impacts that their participation had on their lives. 
 

As you might expect, we use brain-based learning theory to build our programs, so you'll see things like frequent short breaks, music, humor, and a variety of activity types.

If you are a human, you are welcome and honored in our learning environments. 

Featured on YouTube: "Dr. Erika Salina: Radical Productivity, More Ease!"

Your Difficult Person Isn't the Problem

Does this sound hard to believe? Managers and leaders often connect problematic staff behavior with the person they think is the source. This can be premature and can be a mistake. Instead of reacting to the unwanted behavior by correcting the individual, it's important first, to assess what systems or procedures in the work group may be missing or unclear. The difficult person you think is the problem, may not actually be.

Individual problem employees are typically a signal that there is a misunderstood, unclear, or absent process or expectation held in the group. This is the place for a manager or leader to direct attention first. Then, address communicating the process, procedures, expectations. Lastly, address individual behavior as needed.

How to Improve Staff Accountability - Part 1

In this first part of a 3-part series on building accountability at work, Dr. Erika Salina shares a more useful way to look at accountability. Trying to push on accountability at work is largely futile, because it's not actionable. Accountability has components . . . ingredients. In this video, Erika shares the first two components -- responsibility and transparency. She also offers suggestions for what to do in order to improve each for your team or with your colleagues.

How to Get Over Workplace Bullying

Dr. Erika Salina (was Garms) of WorkingSmarts, Inc. shares three ways to get over workplace bullying -- understand your goal is not to "get over it" but rather to "get through it" to a more self-assured, focused, calm, and productive version of yourself. This is possible! The second way is to pick a scope that you want to put your energy into, and thirdly, take first action steps toward recovery at the scope level you chose.

Dr. Salina discusses how the RESTORE program uses a path with sequenced steps toward recovery after enduring a "work hurt", some sort of emotional injury at work.

Don't Focus on Resistance to Change

Instead of focusing on and talking about resistance to change at work, Dr. Erika Salina suggests focusing on living gracefully with transition as the "new normal" in our organizations. Our language reflects our mindset. When we (especially managers and leaders) use language that imply that a change initiative is separate from us, that it stands in confrontation with our organization or current systems, we signal to staff that the change is unwelcome, and an intrusion.

Using language that reflects the belief that we will always live and work in a state of transition, and this is expected and welcomed, greatly influences others' reactions to change. This is one of the roots of how our organizational cultures address change.