I am often asked about the keys to leadership. Of course, there are core characteristics that we can list and quantify. Most often, however, I hearken back to sound advice. The best bosses I have had assisted my career development through very human interactions. The strategy book is thrown out the window and you talk to one another…
DetailsAdmit it; you’ve had managers you wanted to see succeed and you’ve likely worked for others that you didn’t respect or trust. And you’ve had occasions where you threw everything you had at your job and other times where you dialed it back to idle. Managers and supervisors often think that the wages or salary…
DetailsLast year, I was blown away by The Lean Startup by Eric Ries. It was the top read of the year for me, and the most impactful book on my business life since Good To Great. Why? Because the Lean Methadology changes the game, whether you are a startup or a big-old-company. When you are…
DetailsEncourage v: to inspire with courage, spirit, or confidence- Random House Dictionary A story is told about the Duke of Wellington, the British military leader who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo. He was not an easy man to serve under. He was brilliant, demanding, and not one to shower subordinates with compliments. Yet even Wellington realized…
DetailsEqually important to creating a powerful future vision is how that vision gets communicated to your people. This is where the art and skill of storytelling becomes very important. Done well, storytelling can be a powerful catalyst for driving transformational change. Effective leaders tell stories that position them and their organizations as change agents instead of defenders of the…
Details“To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. That’s all there is to it.” – Adam Vinatieri As a writer I expound on certain events to bring metaphorical significance to different walks of life. Such is the extended purpose of the media. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people with a lot of…
DetailsAnyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young – Henry Ford In a recent Sports Illustrated article, Lars Anderson writes of the learning curve and challenges of rookie NASCAR driver Danica Patrick. A former IndyCar driver, Patrick is not new to racing but is new to…
DetailsOne of worst techniques you’ll pick up in business is “let’s do lunch.” It sounds like a great device for conducting business, be it a pitch or project work. Often, your offer is accepted, after all, we have to eat! It sounds less ominous than, “I’d like to setup a meeting to come talk to…
DetailsIn my workshops and training sessions over the last 20+ years on improving customer and workplace relationships I have found that there are 50 key ingredients that play a major factor in everything from employee engagement, leadership and team building to customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and sales. To establish excellent customer and workplace relationships and…
DetailsRecently I heard a presentation by Jim Gibbons, President & CEO of Goodwill Industries. In it he said that “every job matters.” Every job has someone relying on the incumbent of the position to do their job well so that the other person can either: benefit or do their own job well. Your client/customer is…
DetailsA good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well to do even better. – Jim Rohn Last week, for the seventh year, the Hay Group released their findings that identify which organizations have the best leadership practices and what we…
DetailsYou’ve likely heard the expression, “What gets measured, gets managed.” And companies have improved their capability to measure dozens, or sometimes hundreds of data points that reflect how the business is performing. Unfortunately, managers are falling into the trap of “teaching to the test” which means that they harp on the metrics without coaching the…
DetailsIf you are getting too many emails, it’s likely you are a manager. Depending on your corporate or company culture, it’s easy to get 100 or 200 emails a day – all expecting your precious attention. There are less leaders than two years ago, so more people report to you or feel the need to…
DetailsThe latest issue of McKinsey Quarterly contains a case study titled Developing Better Change Leaders. Using the backdrop of a multi-national operations improvement initiative, it addresses leadership development and organizational change and highlights the factors that make it possible to drive and sustain profound transformation. The case study underscores a number of important change leadership practices. Below, we touch on…
DetailsInfluence – “the action or process of producing effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of another or others.” – Random House Dictionary Jeremy Lin, Hillary Clinton, Warren Buffet, Adele, Justice Anthony Kennedy, Tim Tebow, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, and Stephen Colbert; what do these people share in common? These individuals are on the Time magazine…
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