If members of your team have lost sight of the big picture, you are facing a big problem. The natural gravitational pull for any member of any team (including you and me) is towards self interest. And that is why it is such a critical function of leadership to constantly reinforce the big picture; to…
3 Leadership ‘Wins’ Not Worth Celebrating
That which gets celebrated very quickly becomes embedded in your culture. If you celebrate teamwork, then collaboration will become a part of the culture. If you celebrate treating one another with kindness, then compassion will become a part of the culture. But be careful. Because you could be holding celebrations for accomplishments that could actually…
How To Generate Results By Adding Sizzle To Your Feedback
A lot of leaders set out to provide encouragement to members of their team. But in many cases, what is intended as positive reinforcement ends up being little more than cheer leading. Cheer leading is essentially empty “way to go” sentiments that have no lasting value or impact. They’re little more than happy-talk words, shared by…
Save Your Credibility- Avoid the “I’m So Busy” Trap
In a world that has attached a strange nobility to the notion of being busy, effective leaders stand out by avoiding the “I’m so busy” trap. Not long ago I casually asked a leader how he was doing. His response? He smiled and said, “My plate is full.” In other words, he had learned to…
To Lead Effectively, Know When To Tone Down the Optimism
As a leader are you supposed to be an optimist, a pessimist, an idealist, or a realist? The answer is “yes”. The key is knowing when to be which. This is not about being inauthentic. The reality is, in some circumstances a leader must be a grim-faced pessimist, while in others it requires being a…