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Category Archive: Leadership Development

Why Your Inner Circle Should Stay Small

Posted by on March 16, 2018

This idea is the exact opposites of what most people are advising today. The larger your network the better, which means the more people you are connected with on social media the better, right? Actually, wrong because they in reality are virtual connections and not real people who are committed to helping you reach your potential. This HBR post is a great read:

“When it comes to networks, the bigger the better, right? Not necessarily. Carefully curate your most trusted, inner circle and you’ll be surprised at how much more valuable you’ll become to the larger community of people in the world who care about the same things you do.

We live in a time when “bigger is better” is the prevailing assumption when it comes to, well, just about anything. So it’s only natural for us to want to supersize our network of connections — both online and off — because the more people we know, the greater our chances of being exposed to opportunities that may lead to professional advancement, potential mentors, material success, and so on.”

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When Empowering People Works And When It Doesn't

Posted by on March 7, 2018

Empowerment is a hot topic for most organizations and their workforce. It increases trust across the board and significantly improves the capacity of the teams to do more work effectively. However, if it becomes another branding trick to simply get more work done without investing in your people it can backfire. This HBR post is well worth the read:

“Research has regularly demonstrated that when employees feel empowered at work, it is associated with stronger job performance, job satisfaction, and commitment to the organization.

Many leaders today often try to empower their employees by delegating authority and decision-making, sharing information, and asking for their input. But our recent research found that this style of leadership works best in motivating certain types of performance and certain types of employees. “Empowering” leaders should know when they can be most effective.”

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7 Ways Clarity Powers Productivity

Posted by on March 5, 2018

One of the major problems we all face today is the enormous volume of new daily inputs. Should we delete, delegate, delay or do them today? Without a clear sense of clarity around what is the next most important thing to do based on what I know now, we waste tremendous amounts of emotional energy and capacity. This Forbes post was helpful:

“A clear destination opens the door to action. Specificity is the key here. When you know exactly what you are trying to achieve, you are able to focus. You don’t have to waste time guessing, fishing for more information, or convincing yourself that you are on the right track.”

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How To Build Resilience To Handle Increased Stress

Posted by on March 2, 2018

The greatest truth that I have ever learned from a leadership perspective on dealing with stress comes from Stephen Covey on his classic work Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People. Separating stress into my circle of influence which I can control or into my circle of concern which I cannot, has helped me to maintain margin. The HBR post takes the deep dive into building resilience:

“Wherever you live or work, stress is on the rise. According to the International Labour Organization, workers in developed and developing countries are facing increasing strain at work. The onslaught of mounting stressors include global challenges, such as climate change, terrorism, and political turmoil – as well as personal and professional challenges, such as illnesses, job changes, and organizational restructuring.”

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How To Create A Schedule That Really Works For You

Posted by on February 28, 2018

I think over the years I have made every mistake possible in working with my schedule. My high D wants everything down on the calendar to the minute only to see my plan get blown up within the first hour of most days. Today, there are so many new daily inputs that we must learn to block hours in our week to create the necessary capacity to stay on track. This Fast Company post was very helpful:

“Being over-scheduled leaves us no time for ourselves. The more “in control” we are of our calendar, the less control we feel like we have over our lives. Not to mention we’re notoriously bad at knowing how long tasks take us to do. When your schedule is this jammed, even going 15 minutes over on your morning task will throw your whole day out of whack.”

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Great Leaders Perfect The Art Of Delegation

Posted by on February 26, 2018

One of the most misunderstood aspects of delegation is the false sense that when I delegate, I just gave up some authority when in reality you just gained capacity. You can as a leader delegate responsibilities without authority by asking the person or team to develop and recommend. When trust is built, you then can pass on the appropriate authority as well. This Coaches Council post is excellent:

As Harvard Business Review puts it, “One of the most difficult transitions for leaders to make is the shift from doing to leading.” There’s a psychological shift to focus your attention on areas that are vital to the company and become less involved in the daily tasks. That shift can bring about fear.

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Tomorrow's Best Leaders Will Lead With Questions

Posted by on February 21, 2018

Most leaders who were trained in the last century in leadership theory were told to use their positional authority and to become the answer man. The best way to help your people was to be the smartest person in the room and to always be ready to give clear direction to your team. All of this thinking has flipped to the point that today great leaders ask more questions than they give answers. This Forbes post is excellent:

“Disruption, complexity and ambiguity are the new normal in today’s working world. As a result, many leaders are finding they can no longer rely solely on their past experiences. To lead well in the future, leaders need to ask questions that unlock better answers and better solutions.”

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10 Ways To Be More Productive

Posted by on February 19, 2018

I am a high D personality that likes to get things done. So over the years when things get tough, I tend to just work harder and try to push through it. Now I have come to realize that sometimes taking a walk in the middle of the day may be the most productive thing I could do. Smarter not harder is the game changer and Liz Ryan has an excellent post:

“The biggest problem with workplace productivity is mental. We think about productivity all wrong. We think that if we can tick three or five more items off our To Do list, we’re really doing a great job! We measure, value and reward the wrong things.

We praise people who work the fastest, instead of the people who work the smartest. That’s a big mistake!”

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Why Highly Engaged Employees Are At Risk For Burnout

Posted by on February 14, 2018

We all like to tell ourselves the little self-talk lie that yes I’m overworked today but very soon its all going to get better. Then we get hit with another list of critical projects and we have to push through with the every growing doubt setting in that this stress is never going to get better. Eventually, unless major changes are made burnout is coming. This HBR post is a must read:

“In the last weeks prior to the event, however, her stress levels attained such high levels that she suffered from severe burnout symptoms, which included feeling physically and emotionally exhausted, depressed, and suffering of sleep problems. She was instructed to take time off work. She never attended the conference and needed a long recovery before she reached her earlier performance and wellbeing levels.”

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8 Essentials Qualities That Define Great Leadership

Posted by on February 12, 2018

While many global markets are going through disruption, the best practices of leadership cannot remain static. Some things like leading with honesty and integrity will never go out of style but the generational perspectives of most millennial workers are forcing dramatic change. This Forbes post deals with many of the critical factors:

“Company leaders are facing a crisis. Nearly one-third of employees don’t trust management. In addition to this, employers now have to cater to the needs of the millennial generation. On average, after graduating from college, a millennial will change jobs four times before they are 32. Most of them also don’t feel empowered on their current jobs.”

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