Whether you manage employees from one to one hundred, you’ve probably said and done things that you wish you hadn’t. Take heart; there is no perfect leader, just as there’s no perfect employee; but there are perfect ways of irritating your staff members, forcing the best ones to leave and paralyzing productivity. And you’re probably already doing them. So before you continue … [Read more...]
There’s No “I” in Team, But There Should Be
I’m just going to come right out and say it. Being a team player is passé. Long the mantra of the corporate world, all employers babble about hiring a team player; every employee wants to be a team player (or feels like they have to say they’re a team player on paper). Well, I’m throwing it out there and saying the one thing you’re not supposed to say in the office. I’m done … [Read more...]
You Cannot Baby Anyone into Being Successful
Sometimes, I speak to people who have dabbled at entrepreneurship and when you ask them why they did not succeed, they start to tell me about all the reasons why someone else is responsible for their failure and I listen in quietly. On the other hand, some days I speak to business owners who are building a team and trying to accelerate the growth of that team and they are … [Read more...]
Entrepreneurship – A Lonely Quest?
Undoubtedly, entrepreneurs are traditionally seen as singular in their role---the founder, the lone-ranger, the decider of all, the solitary leader. That’s a tough place to inhabit and it sounds very lonely! As they say, “It’s tough at the top!” However, in this day and age, there is no excuse to exist in isolation, even if you’re running a one-person entity or small … [Read more...]
Handling Conflict on Your Team
It is inevitable that discord among team members will arise from time to time, and stepping in to tackle and resolve conflict ranks pretty low on most managers’ list of enjoyable activities. But unhandled friction erodes morale and productivity, and can turn even top performers into stressed out B-team players. When disharmony is affecting your group, you may be tempted to … [Read more...]
Leadership Redemption
So, you screwed up. Royally. You might have let down a team member, missed a major deadline, dropped an important meeting, or lost a critical sale. You feel helpless, hopeless and confused. You just don’t know what to do, though your mind is giving you a lot of conflicting guidance. The panicked side of you wants to overreact. It’s telling you to express your emotions and … [Read more...]
Establishing a Leadership Brand Within Your Organization
The term, leadership brand, was first used by David Ulrich and Norm Smallwood in 2007. Not only were these university professors describing---in their book with the same name---a way to assess the competencies that individual leaders must possess, but also to address the importance of leadership within the organization. In other words a company needs both individual leaders to … [Read more...]
Is Your Leadership Style Riddled with Blind Spots?
As a business leader, do you know if your leadership style has blind spots? At work, to accomplish what needs to get done in a timely manner and to hit established deadlines, employees and leaders create policies and procedures that can be consistently followed. The ways we do things become habits, and we become comfortable following the day-to-day routines, thinking that such … [Read more...]
The Woman-side of Leadership
In business, women often bring a different set of leadership traits to the table than their male counterparts. These are considered more feminine traits such as collaboration, empathy, patience, and humility. Not all women leaders possess these traits and some women actually possess more masculine traits such as aggressiveness and competitiveness. But in a current work … [Read more...]
Why Compassionate Objectivity is Important
Have you noticed leaders who have mastered the art of compassionate objectivity? Do they stand out in your mind? What is it about their style of leadership that proves so very effective? When dealing with people, employees or customers, they seem to have the ability to understand things from another person’s perspective while they also have the ability to stay detached … [Read more...]