Biographical

Leaders Are Nourished By Daily Rituals

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In an episode of The Office, Michael (manager) is headed home for the day, and reports this to Jo (owner). He’s clearly uncomfortable that he’s ready to leave, while she is still there working harder and longer. She notices this and tells him, “If your work is done, and you’re proud of it, and you … Read more

How Much Hand-Holding? Onboarding and Situational Leadership

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Hersey and Blanchard’s concept of Situational Leadership dictates that we provide a level of leadership and attention that is appropriate to a follower’s levels of expertise and motivation. Often, leaders believe they are “empowering” and “granting autonomy” by being hands-off, and letting people learn on their own. While that sounds good, it only works in cases … Read more

The blog returns…

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The blog is back! 2014 has been a reality check for us at Group Dynamic. By June, it was clear that this year, we would exceed all goals and projections. So, we (and it is “we” now) have scaled up, re-prioritized time use and projects, clarified and expanded offerings, incorporated (S-Corp, for you curious business … Read more

Crunch-time Management for Leaders: Permission to Delay

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Leaders are always fairly busy. That’s okay – if we really truly finished our entire to-do list by the end of the day, we probably aren’t stretching enough.

In previous posts, we’ve explored some time/task management ideas for busy leaders in normally busy times, and in overly busy times.

In a personal post that I sometimes recycle, I shared my priorities when things get hectic; you may have even noticed I didn’t blog last week. (That’s only the 3rd time in the last 3 years, I think, that I’ve skipped a week.)

It’s true that I’m currently wrapping up a couple big projects, planning a new major project, and have some team-building and leadership training work coming up over the next couple of weeks in Florida. It’s also true that in the last couple of months, there has been much extra work on changing my business to a corporation, adding staff, and moving to (and fixing up) a new house.

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Being easy to work with! When your leader is an “Influence” type!!! :)

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So, you’ve read your leader as an “I!” And, you want them to read this post!  Of course you do!!! But – things go better when we work to adapt ourselves, rather than trying to force others to change!  In fact, our adaptation can inspire others to change. (Have you read Leadership and Self-Deception yet?) [Are you getting tired of all the … Read more

Leaders stay sensitive this time of year

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This is a “rerun” from last year; some events of the last month have convinced me to share it anew: We’re just a couple weeks from the Winter Solstice, the shortest darkest day of the year. A contrast to the holiday season, it can exacerbate hidden internal sadness in those around us. I love Christmas … Read more

Group Dynamic Primer Conclusion: Art’s Triangle and the Handwritten Matrix

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WARNING:  This post is nothing but a story, though you will find usable content at the end.  Also, it’s over 700 words.  If you’re a long-time loyal reader, though, it’s required reading.  (If you’re new to this blog, this is really the last thing you ought to read. I suggest starting here.)

As mentioned at the outset of this series, many in my life performed an “informal intervention” in 1996, and I started reading anything I could get my hands on.  From weighty, original source material to popular repacked wisdom, I devoured the literature on leadership and organizational dynamics.

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