For a while, “Nobody wants to work anymore” became an easy explanation for turnover, poor performance, and staffing problems. But I kept noticing something that made that explanation difficult to accept: organizations in the same region, facing the same economy and labor market, were having very different experiences. Some could not keep people. Others had … Read more
A while back, I advised leaders to focus more on building strong relationships and less on using their role power. This idea is still important today. You can see my original post here. It used to be easier to give examples of role power — people could be bossy, “my way or the highway”, and … Read more
About seven years ago, I wrote a piece about managing up, and loaded it up with thoughts that hold up, and I want to lift out the best parts, since the original version was a bit too long. 1: Before seeking influence with your own manager, consider how safe you make it for your own … Read more
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: This article summarizes some recent changes in employee engagement over the last ten years. Gallup has two bits of advice. Sound interesting? If so, I highly recommend you read the article. In it, you’ll recognize both … 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: Now, put the piece of paper aside and continue reading. Many of us drag our feet because of uncertainty. That’s normal. Because we’re leaders, we might fall into the … 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