A leader must be as relentlessly protective of their people as they are zealously focused on their goal. And as the Christmas season is upon us, you can find a vivid picture of how these two vital leadership principles can be intertwined by looking at one of the time-honored carols of the season. In Good King Wenceslas you…
Why You Need to Avoid These 6 Culture Killers
What you allow, you encourage. In leadership, this nugget of truth is especially true when it comes to the building of a healthy culture. When the leader allows fun, candor, initiative and diligence, those qualities will be encouraged to flourish. Similarly, when you allow Culture Killers like grumbling, selfishness and laziness, so too are you…
4 Ways Your Predictability Drives Strong Performance
If you want to unleash the full potential of your team, the key might be found not in the exuberance of your leadership, but in your simple predictability. This is not to say that boring routine is the answer. Nor is it to dismiss the role of a dynamic personality. But teams simply thrive under…
Why Your Team Decisions Are Doomed to Fail
Teams don’t make decisions. Individuals make decisions. Every decision must have someone’s name written next to it. The idea that there is such thing as a “team decision” is one of the biggest myths in leadership. And correcting that myth could represent a significant leadership breakthrough. Someone must own the outcome. Someone must pace around thinking…
How To Know When Your Eye Is Off The Leadership Ball
One of the most important roles of the leader is to ensure that they, and their team, are keeping their eye on the ball at all times. That means providing clarity of focus and helping each person know which priorities require attention. Many years ago this hit me with full force during a particularly hectic…
