5 Questions to Surface Your Leadership Beliefs
What you don't see CAN hurt you. . . and your team. Unexamined beliefs can undermine your good intentions. Here are five questions to help surface some important leadership beliefs and to consider how well your actions reflect them. ...
Three Blogging Essentials
After five years of writing my weekly leadership blog, I have taken some time to reflect on what has contributed to its success. These are my major lessons learned on how to establish a blog that people want to read. Three Blogging Essentials 1. Content, content,...
How to Write a Blog People Want to Read
This is the 5th anniversary of my blog! With over a half million views last year and near the top of almost every list of best leadership blogs, it has been successful beyond anything I had imagined. I am passing along the biggest the lessons I’ve learned. In this...
The 4 Decision Styles: When to Involve Others in Decisions
You face countless decisions each day and must determine which to make on your own and when to involve others. This is true no matter what your role or level, whether you are CEO, a project leader, or a team member. How do you know when to involve others in decisions?...
Caught in Team Drift? Consider Honorable Closure
Has your team’s performance fallen off lately? Was it once exciting to be part of the team, and lately you find you’re not having fun? Perhaps your team has succumbed to team drift. In my Harvard Business Review article, “Diagnose and Cure Team Drift,” I explain how...
Self-disclosure, Leadership and Trust
One of the leadership dimensions that often gets marked lowest on 360 assessments is the one related to “disclosing information about self.” When reviewing assessment results with coaching clients, I have noticed that those who are rated low on this trait are often...
It’s Time to Take a Stand for a #TrueLeaderCreed
The news these days is filled with disturbing accounts of bad leadership behavior. The current U.S. elections have been particularly contentious… with attacks on the personal instead of the issues… reinforcing fear instead of articulating a vision for the country....
The Dimensions of Trust
Trust is like a bank account. You start a new relationship with a certain amount of trust, and then over time you add to that account to build a solid foundation. And like a bank account, it can be emptied overnight if you’re not careful about your investment. Why...
The Planning Doing Cycle
Rarely will you have the luxury of time to plan everything out before you start a new project or change initiative. And even if you do, it’s likely that unforeseen circumstances will send you back to the drawing board. However, jumping ahead with no plans is a recipe...
If You’re Careful Enough
Thursday Thoughts "If you're careful enough, nothing bad or good will ever happen to you." ~ Ashleigh Brilliant * * * * * * * * * * * * * * In addition to my regular leadership blog, I...
The True Test of a Vision
The true test of a vision is whether it continues to inspire and guide people after the leader is gone. Consider the seamless transition at Southwest Airlines when founder Herb Kelleher stepped down compared with Disney's two decades of floundering after the death of...
Mindfulness and Vision are Complementary
As mindfulness comes more and more into the mainstream and business world, I am often asked where vision fits. Since mindfulness is about being fully present with the experience of each moment and vision is about a future you desire, how can you do both at the same...