I was recently at a formal event where a few dozen individuals were honored with a “once-in-a-lifetime”, very selective, award. Presenting the awards were leaders from the various sponsors of the event. And, on several occasions, honorees’ names were pronounced wrong. Some were difficult, or confusing, but still it was clear that some presenters simply … Read more
A fellow consultant and I once worked with a small services firm that had some retention and engagement problems. At first, everything seemed in place – the people were good; the quality of their work was sound; the CEO and leadership team cared about their folks. But, looking closer, there were some misguided notions in … Read more
While flying last week, the man sitting to my left kept accidentally jabbing me with his elbow – repeatedly. I’m empathetic; he was in the middle seat. Still, there are “rules,” and he was often in my space. With his elbow, with his newspaper, and with his leg and feet. He was a textbook example … Read more
When someone dies in an emergency operating room, it is the moral obligation of the doctor to report this to the family: “We did everything we could possibly do.” Before leaders remove team members for non-performance, they have the same obligation. Ask yourself: “Did I do everything I could possibly do?” It’s easy, especially when … Read more
Recently I was asked to be a guest blogger for a business leader focused blog. (www.upatdawn.biz) I provided an older post from this blog that I’m pretty proud of, but Jeffrey Kirk over at Up At Dawn helped me understand that his audience was different from mine. Nonsense! My audience is also business leaders, … Read more
This week’s book is Called to Serve by Max DePree — my shared nugget involved board member accountability.
A: When the relationship is strong enough, AND, according to coach John Robinson: “Never criticize until the person is convinced of your unconditional confidence in their abilities.” When I think of the people in my life that I willingly take criticism and feedback from, without taking it personally (though my wife and friends may point … Read more
Just a nugget for you this busy week, prompted by a client email I received. The client wanted follow-up material, aids, activities, or any other way to make training stick. While those things have their place, the absolute best way to make any training stick is this: use it. The most effective — and, conveniently, … Read more
When doing DiSC with a group of leaders, at some point someone asks “which is the best style for leaders? Probably ‘D,’ right?” Then, the “S” folks in the room get even more quiet, as concern rises that the answer may be “Yup. ‘D’s rule the world.” Well, that’s not the answer. It’s important to get … Read more
Jayson and Alan discuss: Sometimes leaders need to walk the fine line between consistency and flexibility. Related Post: Grace vs. Enabling