Servant leadership is about looking for opportunities to meet the needs presented to us. So, when we have simple tasks on our plate, it’s natural to ask someone: “Would you please do that for me?” The “for me” is such a common phase, we do not think much about it. In essence, we are asking … Read more
Note from Alan: One of my best friends, Matt Pries, is a wise man and a great writer. I’ve asked him to share some of his thoughts about leadership. Matt is Iowa’s 2021 Coach of the Year, and many of his writings have gone viral online. You’ll read more from him over the next couple … Read more
In the latest book by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, Everyday People, Extraordinary Leadership, they share research showing who people identify as their most influential leader. Options included political leaders, historical figures, business leaders, and celebrities. However, the majority of people did not select famous individuals as their most influential leader; instead, they chose from … Read more
I’ve brought up this topic before, but the importance of being clear in your communication can not be over-emphasized. There’s a subtle vocal tick careful leaders avoid using–“honestly.” Often we use this word to get the listeners attention and emphasize our message. As a communicator, you lose credibility when you begin conversations with phrases that … Read more
We’ve all been there—a training session, a professional development day, or leadership workshop we enjoyed but never applied the concepts. Maybe it was good information, delivered decently, with acceptable materials. Yet something kept us from applying it. Perhaps we blame it on the session itself for not having enough takeaways. Or maybe it was great … Read more
Roughly 80% of our decisions are based on our emotional state and 20% are based on logic. There are three reasons for leaders to know what drives decision-making: During corporate workshops, we have great conversations around this topic. Participants see a change in team effectiveness when they embrace this concept. This topic has been coming … Read more
One of my first experiences with Alan happened in October of 2018, when I enrolled in the Madison County Leadership Institute. During the class, Alan taped a large piece of paper on the wall and asked everyone to write down words to describe a good leader. The list included the following words: I admit I … Read more
Following a recent training session, a manager expressed their frustration about not getting buy-in from a team member. “Almost everyone on my team puts this into practice, except for a few. What am I supposed to do when someone doesn’t buy in—especially when I know how well it works?” We dug into the problem and … Read more
My daughter Mara makes astute observations. During a conversation about the importance of self-care, she said, “Even when you do something in your time off, it’s focused on reaching goals. “Do you ever just do something to do it?” I proceeded to give her examples of how I practice self-care. Mara was unimpressed. She pointed out the intentions … Read more
I love systems. My bookshelf contains several books which show the importance of processes such as The E-Myth Revisited, Traction, and Good to Great. More recent reads, Atomic Habits, Yes to the Mess, and Inner Game of Work also stress the significance of systems. These books illustrate how the combination of clear systems and the ability to operate within the process leads … Read more