Self-Improvement

Two Leadership Checklists

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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

What Three Things Make the Biggest Difference? (Part One)

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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

Effective Leaders Stand Out (part one)

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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:

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Effective Feedback is About the Future

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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

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Things successful leaders avoid saying (part 3)

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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.

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Nervous about speaking in front of others?

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When presenting, stand still. Too much walking around makes your audience nervous and projects fear and nervousness. Also, when you stand still, it’s easier to make eye contact. If you’re talking longer than five minutes, it makes sense to deliberately move to a different place. Then stand there, feet shoulder width apart, looking at your audience.