As a young Boy Scout, I enjoyed hiking and camping in the beautiful mountains of New Mexico. One area where we occasionally camped was near an irrigation canal that brought water to the dryer, lower elevations. We were always warned to stay away from the canal. Even though the surface… Read More »What is the Inside Scoop on Your Team?
I knew I had the answer. From the head of the table I had the power to end the discussion and let everyone know my answer. I really wanted to do that because I knew I was right. Finally, I could stand it no longer. With an air of confidence… Read More »When You Know You Have the Answer, Stop!
Did he really just say that? I was sitting in my new boss’s office. I had just been moved to a new position which I was not very excited about and was in the office for the traditional “meet the boss” session. I had been snatched from a job I… Read More »It’s OK to be an Ignorant Leader
When I was a brand new Air Force maintenance officer, my unit’s superintendent informed me that it was time for our annual breakfast. Each year the unit’s senior leaders cooked breakfast for the troops and he invited me to join in the cooking. It was a fun morning and I… Read More »Some Random Thoughts on Leadership
The door opened and the doctor rushed into the exam room with my chart in his hand. Without looking at me he quickly said, “I’m going to tell you what’s wrong and what we need to do, then I’ll take a look at your records and examine you.” He hurriedly… Read More »A Story of Two Doctors
It was a Saturday morning and no other customers were at the pharmacy. My wife and I were at a large military hospital’s pharmacy to get a prescription filled. The gentleman at the counter looked at the prescription form I presented and said he could not fill it until eligibility… Read More »Are You Telling Your People to do Stupid Things?
Command and control (the beast) is not a popular form of leadership these days. Most of the time the method is unnecessary and a sign of a weak and insecure leader who knows no other way to be effective. The most effective leaders find some version of servant leadership (beauty)… Read More »Beauty and the Beast: Servant Leadership vs. Command and Control
A prerequisite for effective and high-performing teams is trust among its members. According to Patrick Lencioni, author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, trust is foundational to team effectiveness. Improving an absence of trust due to unfamiliarity, personality and cultural differences, or ambiguous roles and responsibilities is “relatively†straight forward… Read More »Toxic Behavior Destroys Team Trust
Are your team members engaged? Unfortunately, many business leaders complain that some of their team members are not reliable and will shirk their responsibilities whenever they can? Since much of my leadership experience comes from a long career in the military, I’m often asked why the military seems to have… Read More »The Three-Step Foundation for Employee Engagement any Leader Can Use