A neighbor unexpectedly appeared at my door and wanted to come in. Was I ready? What if someone wanted to visit the teams we lead? What leadership messes would we want to get cleaned up?

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"Set and forget leadership" is all too common, and it can get us into trouble when it comes to delegating work; here's how to delegate without getting burned.

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How do we increase the odds of “winning” with the team we have? At the beginning of any game, everyone starts with the same number of players on the board.  And in the rush to get things done, we focus on moving those players around the best we can.  If we’re good, we might win. […]

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“Can Team Leadership really be boiled down into four steps?” Leaders are always busy, and whatever we are involved with, things only seem to grow more complicated over time.  As complexity grows, it can help to view our roles as leaders in the simplest terms possible. What should we be doing right now?  What should […]

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What skills does an introverted leader need to develop? Statistically, about half of us tend towards introversion (I’m definitely one of them).  That fact doesn’t exclude us from being effective leaders. In fact, many of the traits associated with introversion are actually strengths for someone who wants to lead well.  Often, we can lead very […]

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 How do you find the space to think in a noisy world? We are bombarded all day long by messages telling us what to do, and what to think.  Someone else is always trying to put their thoughts into our heads. Whether it’s friends, family, media, or the boss, all of them want our eyes, […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

The post Stop Yourself! 4 Ways to Grow Your Team by Shutting Your Mouth appeared first on RapidStart Leadership.

People will only willingly follow you if they trust you, and believe in your destination.  But like boarding a train, there comes a moment when they have to step from the platform into the passenger compartment and join you for the ride.  Crossing that gap is a leap of faith:  It requires trust. Yet a […]

The post Mind the Gap: 9 Ways to Close the Trust Gap on Your Team appeared first on RapidStart Leadership.

Lacking confidence in your leadership?  Are you an insecure leader?  Sometimes the things we are tempted to do to compensate for insecurity are the worst options, as Lieutenant Wilkes, United States Navy, found out the hard way in 1838.  Here’s what happened, how you can avoid these seven deadly habits, and build the confidence you […]

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