It wasn’t my first difficult conversation as a manager, but it was one of the toughest. At the time, I was working as a consultant on a program for a large, household-name company. The team I led consisted of project managers who oversaw lots of data specialists and other technical types, all...
For a leader who develops leaders, there is something scarcer and much more important than ability. It is the ability to recognize ability. One of the primary responsibilities of any successful leader is to identify potential leaders. So, how do you do it? How do you identify good potential...
In the best of times, leading and managing is hard work. After all, people are complicated, our business challenges are increasingly complex, and anyone called upon to regularly make tough decisions is bound to feel the strain. In this era, the demands are unceasing -- ripple effects of this...
Leadership is a complex endeavor, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. We often tend to make things more complicated than they need to be, and that’s true in the field of leadership. To prove my point, go to Amazon.com and search their book listings for the word “leadership” and see how many...
A coaching client said, “I need to think of myself as the mini-ceo.” He and his team manage a $2 billion year over year growth plan. You don’t want to walk around like the CEO when you aren’t, but the term ‘mini’ doesn’t float my boat. Stop acting like a blind mouse in a room full of cats. How to...
#1. I should have. ‘Should have’ is backward facing. Do your best to speak into the future. Instead of should-ing yourself, say, “Next time.” #2. You should have. Why didn’t you? See #1. ‘Next time’ is better than ‘last time’. #3. What can we do about that? “‘We’ is a tiny act of cowardice that...
Leadership is hard, demanding work. It’s also one of the most rewarding ways to spend your career. It would be nice if leading well was as easy as it is rewarding. It’s not. It would be nice if leadership was easy. If leadership was easy, more teams would be more effective. More people would enjoy...
The best benefit of effective coaching is improved employee engagement. The pillar of every successful business is happy employees, and effective coaching is a crucial ingredient to satisfied employees. Effective coaching leads to improved performance, knowledge transfer, skill improvement, and...
Welcome to leadership. Welcome to your newly appointed position as the team leader. Or if you’ve been in leadership for a while, welcome to the realization that we are always growing and learning as leaders. And part of that growth involves examining our past beliefs and actions and considering...
Successful leaders challenge people. Jerks are just pushy. But the opposite of pushy – being a pushover – isn’t an option for leaders.7 fundamentals of assertive challenge: Rushing to challenge is pushy. Talent enjoys healthy challenge. Healthy challenge brings energy, growth, and confidence. Too...
When it comes right down to it, the emotionally intelligent leader looks before she leaps, this data analytics CEO says. Leaders are glorified for trusting their gut and making on-the-spot decisions, but in my experience that’s the easy part of the job. Controlling impulses is far more...
Coaching isn’t therapy. It’s product development, with you as the product. — Fast Company magazine Business experts often cite coaching as an effective way of enabling employees, by making sure they embrace their jobs and maximize performance. By coaching, I don’t mean those all-hands-on-deck...