Candice Gottlieb-Clark

Candice Gottlieb-Clark has built two decades of expertise in helping organizations raise their level of business functionality, by focusing on healthy leadership, collaborative teamwork, enhanced communication, and effective conflict management. As the founder of Dynamic Team Solutions, a certified woman-owned business, Candice and her team of expert coaches, trainers, and facilitators work across all industries to help support the one thing all industries share – people.

Candice is a sought-after speaker and trainer on topics of communication, leadership, organizational culture, and conflict management.

Articles by Candice Gottlieb-Clark

• Managing the new normal: Working from home amid COVID-19

  Thursday, March 26, 2020

  Be careful what you wish for. Many have long wanted more flexibility or work-life balance, and to sleep in or avoid traffic. Well, now you have it. But all kidding aside, this change presents both a new challenge and an opportunity to make the case for this shift in work-life balance. Below are several ideas for making this shift a successful one.

• What to do, when there’s nothing you can do

  Tuesday, March 24, 2020

  We're all in a state of shock, or maybe it's confusion or concern. For some, possibly quarantine. What was in China is now everywhere and it's affecting everything. What we thought we could weather, or even pay only mild concern, is now overwhelming us and impacting our every thought, decision, and plan. And, we don’t know what’s next. What does one do, when there's nothing you can do? First, remember there is always something you can do. You can make good choices. You can look at the big picture and evaluate what matters to you, and what doesn't.

• An employer’s guide to COVID-19: Top 5 strategies for keeping your team and business successful

  Thursday, March 19, 2020

  Business owners and leaders, there is no doubt that these are challenging times. COVID-19 has required you to change business practices overnight. Teams that normally buzz with momentum are now separated, and you must hope are still able to work effectively to get things done. Technology that was once optional for getting things done is now essential, whether your employees feel ready or not. While fear and stagnancy may be unavoidable in the first few days of change, this process is not going to be a short one.

• Seek and you shall find: 3 tips for setting negative interactions straight

  Wednesday, March 11, 2020

  You often find what you seek. In my years of helping teams resolve conflicts and build better communication, I've seen this simple truth to be an underlying component in countless circumstances. I believe it's why we inevitably have strong opinions, and it's how we end up attracting the exact energy and outcomes we assume to be right and true. Consider for a moment how this occurs in a workplace setting.

• How company complaints can guide your organization’s growth

  Monday, March 02, 2020

  Maybe it's human nature to complain. Don't we all have moments when we gripe or openly voice our frustration? And, if we're being honest, wouldn't we all agree that venting feels good? It's a release of stress, anxiety, frustration, fear, etc. The problem is we also view complaining as counterproductive to progress. Maybe it is. But have you ever considered that there is an upside to complaining? Consider this: When we complain, we are often viewing a situation from the lens of experience.

• 6 steps to earning employees’ trust

  Tuesday, May 07, 2019

  I am often asked how I get people to tell me things that they won’t share with their manager, boss, or human resources. Certainly, part of my success is that I’m simply an outsider. I present much less of a threat to an employee or staff member than internal players poking around and asking questions. Another reason may be an esoteric quality I bring that makes people feel safe. But beyond those intangibles, here are six tips for earning trust and getting complete and honest responses from your team.

• Unraveling the mystery of miscommunication

  Wednesday, February 13, 2019

  Communication always comes with a level of messiness and ambiguity. Even with the best of intentions and clearest of communication we can portray mixed messages, leading to misunderstandings or conflict. Add to that the array of communication platforms we deal with: meetings, email, Google chat, passing remarks in the hall, phone calls. The opportunities for miscommunications are introduced at almost all hours of the workday. These miscommunications are at the root of distrust, misled beliefs, and conflict, especially in a corporate culture.

• Lessons on conflict management from my 6-year-old

  Friday, January 11, 2019

  As I was driving my daughter home from school one day, we discussed her most recent, holiday-inspired work of art. I suggest that we temporarily place it where we had hung her "Blue Dog" painting. She agrees — and then, a few moments later, asks, "Don’t you like my Blue Dog?" Surprised, as I absolutely love her artwork and frequently tell her so, I say, "Of course I do." Then, I go on to explain the limited space we have for hangable art. "But," she says, "I heard you say you didn’t like Blue Dog." And she was right. I had said exactly that a couple weeks prior. 

• Handling inappropriate questions

  Monday, November 19, 2018

  Shock. Horror. Disbelief. These are the reactions we have when asked an inappropriate or uncomfortable question. These include questions like, "How much did you spend on your last vacation?", "What brought on your sudden weight change?" or "Are you dating?" Questions like these are not just inappropriate, they are intrusive. Most often our goal is simply to bring the conversation back onto neutral ground gracefully and tactfully. Below are some guidelines and some suggestions for doing just that.

• Gender equality in the workplace is more than a ‘women’s issue’

  Thursday, November 08, 2018

  Many of us often carry around biases that we don’t even realize. They’re ingrained in us from how we grew up, who our parents are, and from the societal and cultural norms that have been feeding us. As a result, when it comes to equality in the workplace, many of us feel like things are pretty good. In fact, almost half of men and a third of women agree that a mere 10 percent of female senior-level executives is a sufficient amount, according to the 2017 Women in the Workplace study. Is 10 percent of women leadership in business really good enough?

• You only get one chance to fire an employee, so you better do it right

  Tuesday, August 16, 2016

  "I've had it. I'm going to fire her," Ernie said as I answered the phone. He was fed up with Barbara, his COO, who had been with him from the early days of his business's inception. I knew Barbara and Ernie well. I'd worked with them separately and together as they helped build Ernie's business. Ernie, your quintessential leader, was free-spirited and visionary. He had a passion and exuberance that inspired his employees and transitioned prospects into customers.

• Rethinking the millennial puzzle

  Thursday, August 04, 2016

  Millennials. The business world has spent the last decade fixated on this growing part of the workforce, yet still seems to be getting it wrong. Armed with a belief that this population requires flexibility, fringe benefits and fun to be happy at work, businesses are bending over backward to make that possible.

• How to keep political talk in the office in check

  Thursday, July 28, 2016

  Politics may be something we all talk about in the office — but in an election year, particularly this election year, the expression takes on a whole new meaning. Strong opinions and reasonable criticisms of both major-party nominees can cause employees to polarize. Even employees who typically get along may find themselves involved in tense discussion, or worse. The best strategy for keeping these office politics at bay is to get in front of them and plan ahead, as much as is still possible.

• How leaders can avoid being the naked king

  Tuesday, November 10, 2015

  Brian was a proud leader. He had driven his organization forward with growth and innovation and developed a team of high-performing individuals. Yet as Brian exuberantly pushed toward greater investor returns and new opportunities, he simultaneously generated friction among his team. Unbeknownst to Brian, the team felt restrained, held back and at times disengaged.

• Why descriptive phrases like ‘big black man’ are a problem

  Monday, October 26, 2015

  I learn a lot from my clients. While listening to their concerns, I also learn about them — and sometimes about myself. A few weeks back, while interviewing a young man, the question of racism came up. The man described how he had been subjected to racism at work when a colleague had referred to him as a "big black man." I waited for the rest of the story, but that was it. That was his story.

• How indecision can cripple your business

  Tuesday, August 11, 2015

  Gary and Jason (not their real names) have been business partners for more than a decade. But while their joint practice is blooming, their partnership is in trouble. Why? Decision-making, essential to the forward momentum of their business, has been stalled.

• Stop checking your email

  Tuesday, July 28, 2015

  I mentioned to a colleague my desire to have a day of work — when everything else in the world is on hold — so I could feel caught up. He laughed and expressed a shared interest in that "extra" time. I started wondering: If everyone I know is feeling overextended, why does no one seem to have a handle on what's causing it?

• Be a leader worth following

  Monday, July 13, 2015

  Before I begin any workplace engagement, I ask the person informing me of the problem one important question: "If I determine you are at the core of some of these issues, how do you want me to tell you?" I ask this because problems do not happen in isolation. Commonly, they trickle down from the top. From leadership missteps to flaws in the organizational structure. My role, as I see it, is not just helping the individuals, but the company as a whole.

• Reclaiming control of your temper

  Wednesday, May 28, 2014

  Have you ever thought about your anger? About what pushes your buttons, sets you off or really frustrates you? I've been thinking a lot about that lately. And I'm not talking about the people — and behaviors — that are likely triggers. They will always be there. Instead, I'm thinking more broadly and introspectively.

• Lessons employers can learn from the Donald Sterling incident

  Thursday, May 08, 2014

  Do you have a Donald Sterling at the helm of your agency? Perhaps he or she is on the board of directors, in a position of leadership or serving as a manager or supervisor. Maybe he or she is even your newest hire. The thing is, you usually don't know until their hateful thoughts or behaviors are somehow exposed.