Delegating Effectively: It’s Not Tennis
If I’m delegating effectively, why do I always seem to have the ball? We all know that as leaders we need to delegate effectively. As one boss even told me, “You have to delegate or die!” But sometimes it can seem like that ball keeps bouncing back into your hands. You start to wonder, what’s […]
Keeping Your LeaderShip Afloat: 4 Ways to Get Your Head Above Water
Does it sometimes feel like your attempts at leading are like, oh, I don’t know, paddling a half-submerged pumpkin down a river? Last weekend I had the privilege of watching people attempt to do exactly that. Join me for a video of what happened, and some thoughts about how to keep your LeaderShip afloat, even […]
Secrets of Social Facilitation: Putting the Audience to Work
What happens to performance if someone is watching? The answer might surprise you. Performance isn’t just about the players, it’s also about the audience. Today we’ll unlock the power of social facilitation and show you how you can use the audience to get the best out of your team.
Listening Skills for Leaders: 8 Ways to be Sure You Get the Message
Have you ever been in a situation where you had something to say, but people didn’t seem to be listening? How did that make you feel? I’m guessing your response would not include words like “understood,” or “respected.” Listening skills are are often overlooked in leaders and yet are so essential to our ability to […]
Influencing Outcomes: 3 Ways to Get the Ending You Want
Can we change opinions by changing expectations? A professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology seems to think so. He conducted a simple but revealing experiment that speaks volumes about how humans form opinions. Spoiler alert: we are not nearly as independent-minded as we like to think. But that’s good news if you happen to […]
Stage Magic: 3 Ways to Amplify Your Leadership Message
Getting our leadership message across to the team can be a challenge. But as leaders, we can forget that by virtue of our position, we are up on a stage. And like the stage occupied by actors and musicians, there are some great tools available to us, if we’re smart about how we use them. […]
Book Notes – Wooden on Leadership: Think Small
Why should leaders sweat the small stuff? Someone said that you shouldn’t “sweat the small stuff” but based on what I just read, they have it all wrong. Sometimes it’s the small things that can make all the difference. If you want to be effective as a leader, there’s good reason why you should pay […]
Independence Day: 7 Ways to Defuse Conflict and Assert Your Freedom
Do our reflexive reactions cause unnecessary fireworks? Conflict is inevitable in any human enterprise; how we handle that conflict is where leadership comes in. Too often we seem bound to react instinctively: voices rise, pressure grows, and soon it’s fireworks like the 4th of July. But to lead effectively requires us to cast off the […]
Leadership Incubator
I think one thing often overlooked in the world of leadership is patience. We’re always in a hurry to get things done. We have to produce results immediately. Yesterday, if at all possible. To make that happen, some leaders reduce themselves to the idea of “the louder and harsher the better.” Kind of in the […]
Stop Yourself! 4 Ways to Grow Your Team by Shutting Your Mouth
As leaders we are responsible for getting things done through people. But in our rush to see results, we risk becoming our own worst enemy. If we are not careful, our well-meaning actions can breed frustration, cause discontent, and undermine trust. Today we’ll talk about leader patience and when to apply it in a way […]
Leader Isolation: 6 Ways to Conquer Loneliness at the Top
We are not alone… …but sometimes it can feel that way. Leadership can bring with it a sense of isolation. You seem to be the only one bearing the burden of responsibility, setting the standard, and trying to balance the demands of your boss with the realities on the ground. Today we’ll talk about how […]
Disrupting the Routine: 7 Ways to Change for the Good
There are some who will tell you, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” I don’t necessarily agree. “Functioning” doesn’t always mean “fully optimized,” and without change, we risk falling into a rut, losing perspective, and falling behind. To grow and stay competitive, you have to change. Here’s why it’s important to disrupt the routine […]