Dani Whitestone is an accomplished entrepreneur and business coach with more than 20 years experience managing small businesses and mentoring small business owners. She was President and Founder of Musical Resources as well as Co-Founder and Director of Sales and Marketing for TurboLaw Software.

In 2018, Whitestone founded the Women’s Small Business & Leadership Network, where she serves as a small business mentor. This community offers support and mentorship for women small business owners; women interested in participating can join now on Facebook.

The early approaches to studying leadership focused on identifying patterns of leadership behavior that resulted in superior performance. Such behavioral studies placed leaders' behaviors on a spectrum ranging from job-centered to employee-centered behavior.

In job-centered leader behavior, a leader focuses on the actual work of subordinates (e.g., explaining specific tasks and monitoring output), and her primary concern is the subordinates' performance. On the other end of the spectrum, employee-centered leader behavior seeks to elicit superior performance from subordinates by focusing primarily on the human aspects of the group (e.g., motivation, job satisfaction) rather than the subordinates' tasks.

Ángel Hernández is the International Business Director of Fetch Robotics, where he manages partners across twelve countries, builds relationships with Fortune 500 companies, delivers product and technical presentations, and more. He has an extensive background in technology, engineering, robotics, and industrial automation, including numerous roles as a robotics advisor and robotics engineer.

This week, Skye Learning is excited to spotlight Justin Kates, a subject matter expert for the AEM^®/CEM^® Prep Course (U.S. version). This new course was created in partnership with the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), who offer the nationally recognized Associate Emergency Manager and Certified Emergency Manager certifications.

Kates is a Certified Emergency Manager and Master Continuity Practitioner. He is Director of Emergency Management for the City of Nashua, NH and Region 1 Vice President for IAEM. What’s more, Kates is an advisor for Decision Aid, an emergency management and business continuity consulting firm; an adjunct faculty member at Rivier University; a board member and Vice Chair of Volunteer NH; and more.

This week, Skye Learning is spotlighting Ann Connolly, a retired management consultant with a specialty in business strategy. Connolly is a subject matter expert for the Certificate in Leadership for Women in Business. Throughout this certificate, she discusses networking, communication, management, negotiation, and other leadership skills, especially as they relate to women.

Connolly has more than 30 years of experience within the financial services industry. During her career, she specialized in retirement, asset management, banking, and insurance.

What behaviors and traits do successful entrepreneurs share? Research at Harvard Business School by Lynda Applegate, Janet Kraus, and Timothy Butler suggests that of eleven dimensions of entrepreneurship, founders (successful entrepreneurs) commonly excel in five key areas. The following infographic outlines those dimensions.

Stephen Palmer is a Lead Business Analyst at MultiPlan and a Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP). He has a long career in business analysis and project management. Palmer is a study group facilitator and coach for the Boston chapter of the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA). He has also been a panelist at Project Summit & Business Analysis World in Boston, both in 2014 and 2015.

Skye Learning is thrilled to feature Stephen Palmer as a subject matter expert for Skye’s Introduction to Business Analysis course!

Erika Wentworth has spent over 15 years as an educator, writer, editor, and digital curriculum designer. Currently, she works with nonprofits and education technology leaders as an independent curriculum developer and consultant.

Skye Learning is excited to feature Wentworth as a subject matter expert in the Certificate in Online Learning, available now on Skye!

For many people, grammar is something we absorb over time through reading and listening. We reflect our grammar knowledge in our writing without necessarily knowing why we're correct (or incorrect)—and oftentimes, that's enough to get by.

However, communication is key in the business world. Miscommunications slow down timelines, waste resources, and strain relationships. On the flip side, well-crafted emails, clear presentation slides, and effective business reports help you and your company succeed.

You don't have to be a grammarian to improve your business writing. Here are three strategies to better communicate in the workplace:

Cindy Hale is a transformational leader in the healthcare industry. She is Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Engagement at Walden Behavioral Care (WBC), a mental health system with 15 hospitals and clinics. Prior to her role at WBC, she held numerous senior-level positions in marketing at organizations like KHJ Brand Activation and Boston Children’s Hospital.        

Skye Learning is excited to feature Cindy Hale in its Certificate in Leadership for Women in Business. The courses within this certificate investigate body language, communication, leadership, management, negotiation, networking, mentorship, and work-life balance through a women-centric lens.