Many professionals, whether in business, academics, military, government, or non-profit organizations have taken personality or personal style assessments that give them a snapshot of their general characteristics. In today’s affirming environment, some assessments focus only on our strengths, which is important because all too often we obsess about our weakness or shortcomings. Being aware of …
Although we’ve always recognized the power of stories, over the last several years, we have become aware of how storytelling with a purpose can be an important leadership tool for aligning and motivating others. While charts, graphs, statistics, and facts validate one’s credibility, thoroughness, and hard work, stories give life to the data and can …
No matter how hard you try to create a safe, egalitarian atmosphere in your workplace, you are still the boss or, at the very least, a major influencer. When people realize this fact, what they say to you becomes delivered through that lens. Surprised that you never hear bad news until it’s too late? Don’t …
Teams typically outperform individuals because they benefit from the team’s collective IQ as well as a variety of backgrounds, viewpoints, skill sets, and perspectives. Ideally, teams make everyone feel that he or she has a voice in outcomes, thereby democratizing organizations, enhancing the learning process, and inspiring commitment. However, we may have been on dysfunctional …
Five Techniques for Successful Team Communication Read More »
Being a mentor is both a humbling and rewarding experience. Most of us shy away from asserting ourselves as “experts” on something, and facing the responsibility of influencing someone eager to gain words of wisdom (and possibly a magic formula) from you can be daunting. Too often, we forget that mentoring is primarily about developing …
Avoid Traps that Inhibit your Mentoring Effectiveness Read More »
You made it through the interviews and got a great job offer. The salary was more than you expected. Now it’s up to you to make this transition a success. We all know how critical first impressions can be, and you can be sure that everyone is sizing up the new employee and making an …
Three Critical Success Factors for Starting a New Job Read More »
In today’s flatter, team-based organizations, you must successfully engage others in order to benefit from their expertise and advice. However, in our aggressive, largely individualistic culture, we recognize that other people may be turf protective and reluctant to share information that appears to give another person an advantage. How, then, do we encourage others to …
Keep your promises, follow up, and follow through Leadership today is increasingly about leaders who serve and followers who empower that person to lead them. Once the leader stops serving, the followers may cease to empower or recognized that person as their leader. The result is wasted energy, lower productivity, and damaged morale. What a …
Leaders need to be able to discover what’s really going on in their organizations and identify solutions to solve problems facing the company. Whether you are a senior manager, a department head, or a team leader, if you know how to ask good questions and then listen carefully to the answers, you will be ahead …
Getting the Answers You Need: Asking Questions Effectively Read More »
People who lead or who aspire to leadership have plenty of available advice about how they should behave as inspiring leaders. However, sometimes we benefit from knowing what behaviors to avoid, and leadership is no exception. Often, well-intentioned leaders may overlook some action or inaction that can derail their leadership effectiveness. One of the challenges …
Five Critical Mistakes that Leaders Should Avoid Read More »
