Make Sure Results Match the Mission

In a post I wrote called “Leaders Make Sure Results Match the Mission,” I shared Gino Wickman’s approach, presented clearly in the book Traction, called the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). I noted that measuring results against the mission is important to do on a regular basis. I’m not an official EOS implementer — those are … Read more

Healthy Conflict: Does it hold up?

A few years ago, I wrote that great teams embrace healthy conflict. Does it hold up? Yes, the “healthy conflict” approach holds up. Teams still suffer from lack of productive conflict and healthy debate. There’s a lot of “sparing feelings,” and this extends into remote relationships, too; maybe even more so. The daily casual interactions … Read more

Dialing Back the Hasty Email – Does it hold up?

Seven years ago I wrote about what to do when you hit “send” on an email while in an agitated or emotional state, and then immediately regret it: How to Dial Back the Hasty Email Does this still happen? Unfortunately, yes. Does the advice hold up? Not quite, although I’d still handle the example situation … Read more

Vote One to Five – Does it hold up?

~ Alan Seven years ago I shared the technique of conducting a “Vote One to Five” in situations where you’re short on time but need to check a team’s response to an idea, action item or new direction. You can read the specifics of the technique here: Leaders Use This Quick Buy-In Check For Teams Not … Read more

Working with Naysayers – Does it hold up?

Seven years ago, I wrote about “the two kinds of naysayers” in a post titled: Leaders Know the Two Kinds of Naysayers. I wrote this because I was seeing a lot of leaders miss out on two things: 1) their power to make a difference, and 2) their responsibility to be a steward of their … Read more

Level Two Clues – Does it hold up?

You may have heard me talk in the past — or recently — about The Four Levels of Maturity model. I’ve been talking about it for a long time, because it holds up! In a nutshell: Level 4 is the generous level where problem solving takes place and self-awareness is the highest. Level 3, which … Read more

Research and Development: It holds up!

Around this time in 2016, I wrote a post called Production versus Research and Development for Leaders. I think it holds up as a concept, and I have used this analogy hundreds of times since then. The nuance works better than some more mainstream alternatives, which can include… – When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. … Read more

Tips for Dealing with Work-Related Anxiety

Several of my current clients are struggling with anxiety at work. Some are nervous about getting laid off, while others work in vocations that are short-staffed, so they are overworked. So, below is a list of tips for dealing with anxiety at work.

Leaders Know Their People

This week, I want to touch on a big role of leaders, which is the importance of getting to know their people. When I was getting my Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, one of the required classes was Career Counseling. I had worked at Group Dynamic for three years when I took this … Read more

The “Rules” We Live By

Last week, I gave one of my couples “homework” to complete by their appointment this week. I handed them a piece of paper with a list of fifty or so open-ended questions, and I said, “Ask each other these questions this week and discuss your answers together.” I gave no other instructions. They came to … Read more