Tag: leadership and management
Who’s Got Your Back?
Along with the cornerstone activity of setting goals and imagining them to be true from my last post, “The Slow Death of Idle,” another tried-and-true quality among leaders we respect and admire is having a long list of supporters. We all know despite technological advances in the workplace we still need meaningful face-to-face exchanges, particularly when ...
The Slow Death of Idle
There isn’t a lot more you can say about the New Year holiday that hasn’t already been said. However, one concept is worth repeating, every year. It’s because our bodies and minds are in a constant state of contradiction. There is a part of our brain that strives for homeostasis, to have things stay the ...
Answering One Question Could Change Your Life
In the context of being inspired, doing purposeful work and subsequently becoming an authentic leader, there is one question that is sure to give insight to anyone that answers it. Better, it could literally transform you, if you let it. It comes from a fantastic little book called, “Find Your Great Work,” by Michael Bungay Stanier, ...
100,000+ Books on Leadership, Why Aren’t There More Leaders?
A former colleague that I admire and respect proposed writing a leadership book together. One of the first things I did was scan what was already out there. To my surprise, a basic “leadership” search on Amazon.com resulted in over 100,000 titles. While I admit my blog post title is presumptive (maybe there are more ...
http://hbr.org/2013/07/connect-then-lead/ar/1
http://hbr.org/2013/07/connect-then-lead/ar/1 Excellent article on influence — in this case, the delicate balance of being liked and showing strength and why the former is more important.
The Time Has Come to Manufacture a Crisis
I have a favorite quote, “Nothing breeds motivation like necessity.” It sums up the challenge that plagues any person or entity in a position to try to change others: despite earnest attempts the last two decades in the fields of change management and engagement, the fact remains, people don’t like to change unless they absolutely ...
Turn on the Light
No matter who you are or what job you have, there’s a leader in you. However, sometimes leadership stalls between who you are and what others see. What do others see in you? One might call this self-awareness. I call it self-management. With the goal of being adaptable for anything that comes your way, knowing ...
Find Your Way Home
Have you ever gotten lost before? Most people have, such as, taking a wrong turn when driving somewhere. Others have been REALLY lost, like in the wilderness on a hike, or a long camping trip. One thing is true in either scenario: staying lost is not an option. You have to find your way back: ...
A Foolproof Process For Acting Courageously
Over the years I have found and seen in others that courage is easy to talk about: put into corporate “core values,” notice when someone does a courageous act, proclaim it as key to leadership. We inherently know that even the smallest acts of courage cause an enormous, positive ripple effect to ourselves, others, places ...
I Changed, Where is Everybody Else?
Some of the best advice I got from a senior leader during a Leadership Challenge 360 feedback process was, “You’re always three meetings ahead of everybody. Where you want to go is right for the organization, but you need to bring everybody along.” I struggled with that feedback, until I actually tried “bringing others along” and ...
McLaren Consulting 