It’s summer! Summer is a very busy time for me, personally and professionally. I originally planned to take the blog on hiatus, but there are too many people who are counting on it every Wednesday, which is great! So, to balance out the demands, here’s the summer plan:
Self-Improvement
Two Leadership Checklists
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 –
Effectiveness trumps Efficiency
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 the goal is to be fast and loud, I win! If the goal is to win, I lose. I am efficient, but not effective.
In high school chemistry, my lab partner (Steve Uslabar, for you curious old cronies) and I had a motto: “Accuracy is not important; speed is of the essence.” We were both fairly good at chem, and would rather get a B and goof off part of the period, even though we were capable of an A. Efficient, not effective.
“Learn from your mistakes.” Nonsense!
What Three Things Make the Biggest Difference? (Part One)
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 time, though.
My Favorite Equations
Keeping it simple is something I like other people to do. I, however, am not always so good at it. That’s why I like simple equations – they help me focus, and help me explain things to others.
p=P-i
…where p is
Effective Leaders Stand Out (part two)
Last week, we covered the first four of nine simple things that an aspiring leader can do in order to stand out. Here are five more – I’m anxious for your opinions! 1) Whenever possible, communicate by phone or in person. Is the person you need to visit with in the same building? Walk up … Read more
Effective Leaders Stand Out (part one)
In preparation for a breakout session at an upcoming conference, I developed a list of ten things a leader can do to stand out and get noticed. Not in a “look at me!” kind of way, but in a way that will help the leader connect more to others, and to enable others to connect as well.
While all ten pointers are applicable to all potential leaders, there are four that newer, more fast-paced leaders, might relate to more than the experienced. So, those four this week, the rest next week. Here we go:
Effective Feedback is About the Future
The title is lifted verbatim from the tenets of Manager Tools, and the brilliant minds of Mark Horstman and Michael Auzenne. I encourage you to go to the source if you want to go deeper.
But the short version is this:
Any feedback on any behavior is most helpful to the individual and the organization if it is
Things successful leaders avoid saying (part 3)
Don’t say don’t.
Really. Two reasons- one is pretty esoteric and provokes skepticism in me, but the second is nearly self-evident:
1) Some research shows that the use of words/phrases involving “not” or even “-n’t” (like don’t) are subconsciously turned into the positive by the listener, because negative talk is rejected. So if a person is told “don’t be late!” they actually perceive “be late!”, increasing the likelihood of non-compliance.
Nervous about speaking in front of others?
Not all leaders love to speak in public. Here are five quick tips to soothe your nerves, and two book recommendations.
Two tips that take no time at all, but make a huge difference in the confidence you project and in your effectiveness: