I’ve seen plenty of teams work together reasonably well when the workload is manageable and nothing especially difficult is at stake. The real test comes when a major account arrives, the workload spikes, a leadership transition begins, or a conflict that has simmered for months becomes impossible to ignore. That is often when I hear … Read more
Trust is a big topic for us in 2024, and there’s a lot we can do to make things better. Less than half of us trust our bosses, and even fewer trust the top leaders, even though almost everyone agrees trust is super important. One thing we need more of is being open and honest, … Read more
A significant factor eroding trust is the failure to deliver, whether it’s products to customers or resources to colleagues, often due to overly optimistic promises. To rebuild and maintain trust, here’s a straightforward plan: 1. **Pause Overpromising:** If we can’t guarantee delivery, it’s better not to promise. Let’s set realistic expectations from the start. For … Read more
Some people push back when you ask them to take a positive approach in their leadership. They equate positivity with being nice, but being kind is deeper than empty hype like, “Good job” or “Nice work” or “Super!” You can’t be too kind. But, I agree you can be too soft. There’s a difference between … Read more
Star Wars nerds everywhere are scrolling to the bottom of this post to let me know I got the quote wrong. But, if you give me a few minutes, I will explain. Yes, the quote is wrong in the sense that Obi Wan actually said: However, I’d like to make a case that Obi Wan … Read more
You will need a piece of paper or a Post-It note for this blog. On that paper, write down an answer to one of these questions: Now, put the piece of paper aside and continue reading. Many of us drag our feet because of uncertainty. That’s normal. Because we’re leaders, we might fall into the … Read more
I used to espouse this as a general rule: Successful leaders avoid saying “I,” “me,” and “myself” when offering thoughts and assigning tasks. Using team-oriented “we” language keeps the focus on others instead of the leader. However… I’ve revised my general rule over time (see below) even though the original still has merit. Leaders have … Read more
Jim, the principal at my first teaching job, often said, “Most days, we have fun around here.” He said this to me at my job interview and followed it with “…and you can’t say that about most jobs.” I accepted the job and realized he was right. But that was 30 years ago, and Jim … Read more
We all know the value of modeling for team members. We also know it’s appropriate to delegate tasks in order to develop others. Here are some thoughts on the relationship between modeling and delegation: Delegated work makes people feel valued, included, and appreciated. When people are empowered at work, you can expect more productivity and … Read more
We are at our best when we feel in control of our fate. In other words, when we have a sense of autonomy, we are more likely to make better choices and take ownership of those choices. Additionally, we inspire confidence and trust when we take responsibility for our choices. Words matter. Generally, we use … Read more