First of all, I love Seth Godin. If you haven’t ever read any of his stuff please do so immediately following the end of this blog post. He is a genius. I love him for many reasons, but mostly because he speaks to my urgency addicted, results driven frame of mind while helping me embrace […]
“I Want”
Unless you are a toddler or a 17th Century Monarch the words “I want” really don’t belong in a leader’s vocabulary. The difference between “I want” and “I’d be interested in knowing why…” are the difference between creating a culture of indifference or creating a culture of engagement and productivity. The response you may receive […]
Leadership
Leadership is about commitment to others and process. It is not about convenience.
Being A Leader Isn’t Always Convenient.
Being a leader isn’t always convenient. It means goals and team first, ego second. Anyone can say they are a leader, but then place blame, point fingers, pout, complain, bully, etc. But only true leaders have the strength to rise above listening to their egos. It isn’t easy, but that is what makes a true […]
Brainstorming…Maybe Not The Right Path
In Susan Cain’s brilliant book, Quiet, The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, `there is a passage which discusses brainstorming and the psychological dynamics. Turns out psychologists often identify three reasons for failure in brainstorming, social loafing, production blocking, and evaluation apprehension. Social loafing, we’ve pretty much all experienced it at some […]
You Get What You Settle For
It doesn’t matter if you are the employee or employer, you will get what you settle for guaranteed, probably even less. Sure it is important to set realistic and achievable goals for all involved in the work place, but if you don’t know your people, how do you know what they are capable of doing? […]
Discretionary Effort
I had a discussion this past week with a manager for a firm that had a poor last quarter showing. He couldn’t quite put his finger on the slip in dynamic. It was a great conversation and a testament to paying attention to employee relations. It is important to remember positive or negative production/outcomes can be […]
If You Want To Maximize Productivity, Don’t Minimize Sleep
An article in Inc. recently talked about the ten reasons working too much and sleeping too little is just plain wrong. It doesn’t matter who you are and what you believe, sleep matters. So whether it is you skipping sleep or your employees’ workload making them cut back, the bottom line is this. Lack of sleep, […]
The Latest Leadership Styles
I came across the article below while browsing my twitter feed. While I believe in the dynamics of positive production and contribution these styles can produce I have one reservation. How does a leader bring this style into the company’s culture if it is a profit driven dynamic? After all it is a business. Is […]