Several posts have had a focus on behavior and giving frequent specific feedback. These things are among the wisest a leader can do, and yet they can be quite uncommon. Here are five posts that deal with these issues, and the “plus one” is one of my favorite sources on the topic… What’s the Magic … Read more
Here we are at Avonlea Village (for you Anne of Green Gables fans) on our last trip to Canada in 2009. As I wrote this, I was preparing for family vacation to Manitoba. Yes, that’s right, Manitoba. That’s where we were when this was going to get published on June 29. Unfortunately, I goofed up … Read more
Everyone loves stories. Stories inspire and motivate and help things “stick” so much better than facts, data, and research findings. Stories combine facts and emotion, the best of both worlds. That’s why I try to use them as much as possible. Below, the five blog posts with the best stories. Two Stories Beware acting while … Read more
Some of us enjoy the tidy list. Nice to have as a touchstone, though if we’re serious, we’ll dig deeper. Regardless, here are two for your consideration. The first is seminal for me — the summarization of the far-reaching work of Kouzes and Posner. The second is the one that summarizes the Group Dynamic leadership curriculum. … Read more
Sometimes when I bowl, I make it my goal to bowl fast and loud. I accelerate my approach, and fling the ball as fast as I can. The result? It’s really loud when the ball hits the pins (if it hits the pins) and my game ends more quickly. My score is also lower. If … Read more
It is good to be efficient, yes. It is also good to be comprehensive. Sometimes, however, those two things don’t work well together. Since starting this business, most of my work helping groups has been through 4-8 hour workshops. There is a demand for leadership training that can be delivered in much shorter periods of … Read more
T=r+d
…where T is “trust,” r is “reliability,” and d is “delight.”
I attended EntreFest 2011, and one of the best sessions I attended was
As a guy obsessed with maxing out potential in groups and individuals – and one who believes the person at the top is the one most responsible for making it happen – I was pretty fired up about the concept of Undercover Boss. In each episode, a CEO goes undercover, in disguise, to work next to front-line employees.
The format got tired quickly – boss leaves fancy home and doting family, stays in fleabag hotels, realizes he/she is totally inept at frontline tasks, discovers that employees are (gasp!) real people with real problems, cries (most episodes), promises to change, and gives lavish rewards to the episode’s featured employees.
What a great concept – and what a disappointment in a show.
Dig the little things. The best leaders, businesses, organizations, churches, workers realize this.
My dentist has a cool aquarium in the waiting room, with fish that he periodically rotates from his collection. I only stay at the Savery Hotel once per year, but Ross in sales knows what room I like. I bet you have examples, too.
It all comes back to the basics of leadership: meet needs, build relationships, and provide meaning. No one, of any generation, really enjoys, say, “vacuuming to the corners.” But we can all be led to play a role in “comforting weary travelers by providing the cleanest hotel room they’ve ever seen.”