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
Engagement matters. Gallup quantified this issue by studying employee engagement for 40-plus years. Some of their recent findings include: 34% of employees report active engagement in their jobs. 50% of employees report a lack of engagement in their jobs. 16% of employees report active disengagement. In world-class organizations, the ratio of engaged employees to actively … Read more
Star Wars nerds everywhere are scrolling to the bottom of this post to let me know I got the quote wrong. But, if you give me a few minutes, I will explain. Yes, the quote is wrong in the sense that Obi Wan actually said: However, I’d like to make a case that Obi Wan … Read more
You will need a piece of paper or a Post-It note for this blog. On that paper, write down an answer to one of these questions: What is your most troubling current issue? What is one task on your list you keep putting off because you are unsure of how to proceed? What is one … Read more
The essence of servant leadership is to meet the needs of your organization and your people. But arrogance creeps in when you assume you’ve got it figured out. Because you’re the leader. You ought to know. Peter Block calls this type of arrogance a paternalistic view of leadership. Block describes this dynamic as “taking care … Read more
Typically applied to human biology and exercise, the Adaptation Principle is the body’s way of adjusting to increased or decreased physical demands to remain in homeostasis. Applied to life circumstances and work, the Adaptation Principle says that when human beings get used to how they operate in the world around them, they stop noticing what … Read more
I’ve been working with organizations in all sectors for over ten years, helping them develop leaders who motivate and teams who love working together. However, it took a few years for some skeptical high-level leaders and large corporations to take me seriously. Why? Because I had no background working in a corporate environment. My degrees … Read more
I used to espouse this as a general rule: Successful leaders avoid saying “I,” “me,” and “myself” when offering thoughts and assigning tasks. Using team-oriented “we” language keeps the focus on others instead of the leader. However… I’ve revised my general rule over time (see below) even though the original still has merit. Leaders have … Read more
“Humility is the cornerstone of leadership.” –John G. Miller The word “leadership” brings to mind several adjectives: action-oriented, outgoing, visionary, confident, competent, problem-solving, and responsible. However, I would argue the most important quality in a leader is humility. But what is humility and what does it look like? Firstly, let’s start with what humility is … Read more
I got really annoyed at a hotel front desk clerk once. It was my first time at the hotel, too. One of the hotel staff originally said we (my extended family and I) would have adjoining rooms, but when we arrived, we found we weren’t in adjoining rooms. So, I explained the situation to the … Read more