Joan received an opportunity to lead a large organization in a new industry. Her background prepared her for many of the expectations of the new role, but she didn’t have industry specific knowledge and she didn’t know the company or the people. While she is hardly the first person to be in this situation, she… Read More
What Does It Mean to Be a Genuine Leader?
Genuine. It is one of the words used when I ask people to describe a highly effective leader. Yet when you ask them to define what the means, they often struggle. Like I often do, as I started to write this, I went to the source – the dictionary. Here are the two relevant definitions… Read More
What Every Leader Can Learn from the TSA
There is a phrase that TSA uses over the speakers at airports, in public service advertisements and on billboards like the one I recently saw (and took this picture of) in a baggage claim area. If you see something, say something. TSA is wisely using this catchy phrase for several reasons: They want to reinforce… Read More
What I Learned at My Class Reunion
Recently I attended my 35th High School Class Reunion. Actually, I did more than attend it; I hosted it at our farm. I graduated with about 115 other kids in 1980, and as Class President, I have been involved in the planning of all of our class reunions (though early on, my role was much… Read More
What it Means to be Successful Working Remotely
While the trend toward remote work is undeniable, and is happening in more and more types of jobs, it may seem like the norm to you. After all, there have been field sales folks working from home or away from the office for many years. For many of those years I have heard concerns and… Read More
What Leading by Example Really Means
Any discussion of great leaders will include the cliché that the best leaders lead by example. Stated in conversation, everyone will nod and agree. And if you are reflecting personally on the attributes of those you have willingly followed, you will find that common trait too. It seems there is little doubt that we influence… Read More
What to Look For In Future Leaders
It is a fundamental quandary in any organization. Someday, the current leaders won’t be there and someone else will need to fill their shoes. It might not be soon, or it might be very urgent due to demographics, turnover or organizational growth. Whatever the reason, the question needs to be posed and answered – who… Read More
What Transparency Really Means to You as a Leader
It is one of those buzzwords, created by and repeated by consultants and “experts” (people like me). They pick a word or phrase and use it so much it gets a life of its own. And whatever relevance it had to begin with is lost in the faint nodding of heads (because everyone is supposed… Read More
When Are You at Your Best?
One of the first and most influential inspirational speakers I learned of and learned from was Earl Nightingale. Today I reread one of his profound quotations . . . “We are at our very best, and we are happiest, when we are fully engaged in work we enjoy on the journey toward the goal we’ve… Read More
Why Accountability is So Important
Accountability is consistently on the Top Ten of my Hit Parade. Leaders regularly ask me questions about it, hoping I will have the magic answer. They ask: “How can I get my people to be more accountable?” “Why aren’t people accountable anymore?” “Can I coach accountability?” And more. I can answer those questions, but the… Read More
Why the Best Leaders Do the Dirty Work
Some people think that once they ascend to a leadership role (or to a certain level of leadership) that they are immune from doing “real work” anymore. And even if you don’t feel that way, if you spend a little time as a fly on the wall with groups of front line employees, you will… Read More
Why the Best Leaders Have a Big Heart
To be clear, there are as many different leadership styles as there are people. Yes, lots of smart people have created models to define and describe basic leadership styles, and yet all of us bring our uniqueness to the equation too. Perhaps the simplest of leadership style models divides leaders into “people leaders” and “task… Read More
You Can’t Coach Attitude
I wish I had a dime for every time I have experienced this story . . . I’ve just finished giving a workshop or a keynote, and someone walks up to me with a question. It is seldom a question asked in front of the group, but rather separately on the side, alone. “I’ve got… Read More