As a leader you must certainly project optimism. But when you cross the line into exaggeration or hyperbole, your leadership is facing significant risks. A leader in my orbit once described a very average meeting we had been in as “Quite possibly our best meeting ever!” The statement was so over-the-top, and so removed from…
10 Qualities of the Leaders I Want on My Team
The starting place for building an effective “dream team” is in having a crystal clear picture of the qualities you want in the people. If you were to make a list of the attributes you would want on the members of your leadership team you would likely include such characteristics as: Go-getter. Someone who ‘makes…
How To Know When NOT To Say ‘I Don’t Know’
When a leader responds to a question by saying, “I don’t know”, it can reveal transparency and authenticity. But it can also reveal areas of a leader’s weakness. Increasingly, leaders are being coached that “It’s okay to say ‘I don’t know’”. This is a largely positive trend and, in the right context, can indeed point…
3 Lies That Will Shipwreck Your Leadership
“The water should be deep enough here.” Many a ship’s captain has believed that lie, and many of their ships have ended up stranded on a sandbar or dashed against a reef. In the same way, there are lies that leaders are tempted to tell themselves every day. And some of these can shipwreck their…
How to Avoid the Copy-Cat Leadership Trap
One of the best ways to develop in your leadership is to learn from other leaders. One of the worst ways is to merely copy these great leaders. Growing leaders will read about other great leaders, will seek to discern their leadership traits, even emulate their leadership skills. Copy-cat leaders do little more than mimic…
