Tag: Business
What Do Writer’s Block and Leadership Have in Common?
Bear with me for a short story. A former colleague and I are working on a book. Something initially inspired my former colleague, and as we began to work together, further content planning was inspiring. Writing the outline was say, “exciting” — a sense of accomplishment that we were getting closer to the goal. But, ...
What’s the Best Leadership Advice You’ve Ever Received?
What’s your secret? What was that special tip you received along the way that transformed how you approach leadership? This post will feature just that: a few real leaders, and the advice that continues to guide them. Kelly McCleary, Sr. Director, Finance Process, Walmart “If you’re explaining, you’re losing.” “If you think you’re over communicating, ...
Debunking Assertiveness: Real Reasons There Aren’t More Executive Women, Part I
Attend most leadership conferences or read any book geared toward women, you’ll probably hear someone telling women they should be more assertive. I’ve been in professional roles since the early ’90s, and it irritated me back then. To hear that in 2012 is infuriating. Even worse, in our most respected business periodicals, we’re still telling women ...
7 Steps to Finding Your Next Superstar on LinkedIn
If you read my last post, “Please Accept My Resignation,” I presented this concept that everyone is responsible for finding talent. Particularly with senior talent, recruiters don’t hire leaders, leaders hire leaders. Using social media can be an easy, effective way for CEOs and executives to find, establish and maintain important contacts to reduce talent ...
Please Accept My Resignation
Imagine that today your #1 person turns in his/her resignation. This is a shock. Your company has a robust talent management process. You identify people from within, precisely defining each level of their leadership lives with accompanying training. You analyzed this person’s compensation and paid them above market. Maybe they even had a development ...
Four New Leadership Types Found in the Most Unlikely Place
No matter where I go, I can’t help notice people leading. It’s fascinating because you can find leaders just about anywhere. However, I wasn’t expecting to see such a blossoming petri dish of leadership during, of all things, a large family reunion at a popular Lake Superior lodge. Specifically, I observed four leadership types. What ...
Are “Best Companies to Work For” Really the Best?
Every time I see the results of any “Top Workplaces” survey, I grow very suspicious. Yet, I read on. Maybe THIS time a best company to supposedly work for found the magic formula, and actually is a great place to work. Because at times, I am surprised by some of the names on the list. For ...
Knowing Yourself First, Part III and Final
Recall from Parts I & II, our intent is to develop the foundation of being a great leader, inspiring others and getting great results with customers: Modeling the Way. In order for you to Model the Way, I said you need to Know Yourself First through identifying your values and getting feedback from others. Knowledge ...
Knowing Yourself First, Part I
There is no magical formula to leadership, but one thing that many leadership “models” or courses will encourage is to know yourself first. One of my favorite leadership books is “The Leadership Challenge” by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner. This popular executive leadership process is based on 30 years of research and millions of users ...
Give Your Voice a Week Off
Opening your eyes and ears is a lot harder than opening your mouth, but its effects are profound. Executive or employee, small business or large, I’ll bet you’re constantly worrying about setting expectations, reiterating key messages related to your company’s goals, offering an opinion on all the things you feel you should, making sure the ...
McLaren Consulting 