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Category Archive: Leadership Development

How To Establish Yourself As A Leader

Posted by on February 9, 2018

Leadership is certainly not for everyone. It requires in my opinion a passion to make things better and not to settle for the status quo. A leader is a change agent who sees potential in other people and is highly committed to bringing that talent out for everyone to see. This Forbes post covers the bases:

“Anyone can be a leader, whether it’s your official job title or not. Leadership is most often thought of in terms of title, but it’s also a mindset. If you view yourself as a leader, you’re already on the path to success. There are a few defining characteristics of leadership that will help you stand out and excel. These apply to leaders at all career stages – from the aspiring manager all the way up to the CEO. Good leadership is the same at all levels.”

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5 Ways To Make Sure Your Meeting Will Be Productive

Posted by on February 7, 2018

There is nothing worse than a bad meeting. The lost productivity for everyone in the room not to mention the ongoing withdrawals of trust are painful. In a collaboration culture they are necessary but they must be prioritized for maximum effectiveness. This Fast Company post is helpful:

“Meetings can be the bane of working life, but they don’t have to be a waste of time if you ask yourself a series of questions before every meeting, and only attend meetings that are really necessary. So before you click “accept” on that new calendar invitation, look out for these signs that indicate it’s not going to be a waste of your time.”

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8 Things Leaders Should Do More Of This Year

Posted by on February 5, 2018

One of the major characteristics of all great leaders is that they are lifelong learners. That is not because they are insecure but they always want to be improving so they can make an even bigger difference. I read every post by the Coaches Council and this one is worth posting:

“The dawning of each new year offers all of us the opportunity to evaluate and adjust our leadership approach. Effective leaders stay curious and open about how they can improve. This is especially true since new challenges are always presenting themselves, situations are ever-changing, and our organizations continue to evolve.”

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How To Maximize Your Confidence Every Day

Posted by on February 2, 2018

I think I have tried almost every motivational idea over the last 30 years to maintain the best possible attitude. I have gained a lot of momentum from the health benefits of routine workouts. I also am inspired by reading great personal development books and listening to podcasts. However, the one thing that has helped me the most is the major theme in this Fast Company post:

“If you’re anything like me, mornings can be mentally intractable. You wake up in a dark cloud and feel everything but positivity–as though you were an orphan in a Charles Dickens novel with nothing to look forward to but the obliterating comfort of your pillow, almost picturesque in your please-don’t-make-me-face-the-day despair.”

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4 Ways To Go From Manager To Leader

Posted by on January 31, 2018

It still amazes me working with clients when there is such confusion between the roles and responsibilities of managers compared to leaders. It’s almost like a zero sum situation where one is more highly valued than the other. Both roles are absolutely necessary and you should be helping your best people find their seat on the bus. This Forbes post is excellent:

“Perhaps you’re in a leadership role but don’t feel like you’ve earned the respect from your team. Maybe you feel like they don’t even like you. As a career coach to millennials, I’ve had plenty of new managers come to me, desperate to win approval from their team. It’s a classic case of manager versus leader: they are managing their team effectively, but they aren’t leading them.”

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How To Set Goals That Support Life Balance

Posted by on January 29, 2018

There is more and more pushback, especially from Millennial workers, about the expectations about doing work almost 24/7. I also often remind executives the other side of the coin is that we all bring home to work. Bottom line, if we don’t have work life balance it dramatically impacts our sense of well being and productivity. This Forbes post was helpful:

“This time of year, pretty much everyone’s talking about goals. The clean slate of a new year is pretty irresistible, after all, and any leader knows how important it is to set goals. Most of us are pretty goal-oriented people.”

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How To Build Great Teams

Posted by on January 26, 2018

I have learned more from Patrick Lencioni than anyone else on all of the dynamics involved in teamwork. My advice, read everything he has written at least three times. Great teams don’t just happen but the good news is they can be built with the right process and people. This post by Women’s Media is spot on:

“Building a great team isn’t a matter of luck. The highest performing teams don’t depend on simply hiring smart people, great chemistry, or even good timing. The most productive teams are not some happy accident.”

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GE The Need For A Single Overarching Strategy

Posted by on January 22, 2018

The best advice I have received in a long time was from a client who insisted that I become competent with Michael Porter’s work on strategy. It is clearly still a work in progress but I now realize that without a sustainable competitive advantage you will eventually fail. Growth for growth’s sake improves short term revenue but could destroy long term profitability. This Forbes post is excellent:

“GE has failed the cocktail napkin test. If you can’t explain your strategy to someone on the back of a cocktail napkin, it’s too complicated. The best-performing organizations have a single, overarching strategic posture that everyone in the organization understands.”

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How To Have A Good Debate In A Meeting

Posted by on January 19, 2018

Collaboration as a style of leadership has been both overvalued and underutilized. From the overvalued side we spend far too much time talking and not enough time working. Everyone does not need to be involved in every decision or know everything to be supportive. The whole point of collaboration is the value of collective input and development which almost always requires debate. This HBR post is really good:

“The modern workplace is awash in meetings, many of which are terrible. As a result, people mostly hate going to meetings. The problem is this: The whole point of meetings is to have discussions that you can’t have any other way. And yet most meetings are devoid of real debate.”

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The Critical Need For Different Leadership Voices

Posted by on January 15, 2018

Directive leadership has taken such a hit that it almost seems out of place in any leadership situation. Tell that to the passengers on any plane or to the patients in any major surgery and they would beg to disagree. Delegation on the other hand is never appropriate until the person has developed the confidence and competency they need to be successful. So leaders need the situational skills to develop different voices. Excellent post by Amy Jen Su:

“Ultimately, you should cultivate enough parts of your voice so that no matter the leadership situation or audience you find yourself facing, you can respond in an authentic, constructive, and effective way.”

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