Just because you know everything is going well doesn’t mean everyone else does. That’s something I had to learn during my leadership career. I can remember times when I was working on a project, everything was moving along as expected, and I felt pretty good about where things stood. The work was getting done. WeContinue reading “Leadership Lesson #23 – Transparency Creates Confidence”
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Leadership Lesson #22 – Difficult Conversations Build Strong Organizations
A difficult conversation today can prevent a much bigger problem tomorrow. Have you ever known you needed to have a conversation with someone but kept finding reasons to put it off? I think we’ve all been there. Maybe you’ve got an employee who’s not meeting expectations. Maybe two people on your team aren’t getting along.Continue reading “Leadership Lesson #22 – Difficult Conversations Build Strong Organizations”
Leadership Lesson 21 – Listen To Understand
Are you listening to understand, or just waiting for your turn to speak? Have you ever been in a conversation with someone and realized that while they were talking, you were already thinking about what you were going to say next? I have. More times than I probably should admit. And here’s the funny thing.Continue reading “Leadership Lesson 21 – Listen To Understand”
Leadership Lesson #20 – Your Legacy is the Leaders You Developed
Great leaders are remembered not just for what they achieved, but for the leaders they helped develop. At some point, every leadership assignment ends. You change positions. You retire. The organization restructures. Someone else is promoted. Another person eventually takes your place. When that happens, the title you once held belongs to someone else. TheContinue reading “Leadership Lesson #20 – Your Legacy is the Leaders You Developed”
Leadership Lesson #18 – Develop Strengths Before Fixing Weaknesses
Great leaders do not define people by their weaknesses. They help people grow by building on their strengths. For many years, the traditional approach to employee development has been fairly predictable. -Identify the gaps. -Find the weaknesses. -Create a plan to fix them. The logic seems reasonable. If someone has an area where they areContinue reading “Leadership Lesson #18 – Develop Strengths Before Fixing Weaknesses”
Leadership Lesson #13: Diversity of Thought Makes Better Teams
A team is not stronger simply because everyone agrees. A team in which everyone agrees may appear to be working well. Meetings are comfortable. Decisions are made quickly. Conflict is limited, and the leader’s ideas receive immediate support. But agreement is not always evidence of alignment or effective teamwork. Sometimes people agree because they genuinelyContinue reading “Leadership Lesson #13: Diversity of Thought Makes Better Teams”
Leadership Lesson #11: Hire for Character, Train for Skill
Skills influence whether a person can perform the work. Character influences how that person will perform it Building a strong team begins long before the first team meeting, coaching conversation, or performance review. It begins with the decisions leaders make about who is invited to join the team. Hiring is one of the most importantContinue reading “Leadership Lesson #11: Hire for Character, Train for Skill”
Why Great Leaders Don’t React—They Respond
I’m not entirely sure Warren Buffet said this, but the message is powerful—and more importantly, it’s true. Early in my career, while leading a training and development department for a national organization, I received feedback that stopped me in my tracks. My supervisor told me that I could come across as defensive when others offeredContinue reading “Why Great Leaders Don’t React—They Respond”
