“Everyone can’t be outstanding; therefore, employees should be evaluated such that they fit a normal distribution with some below average and some above average.†That’s the philosophy I was taught early in my leadership career. The general belief was that, while it wasn’t a perfect fit, ratings should resemble a… Read More »How to Make Your Employee Evaluation Process Less Painful and More Valuable
There’s an old Gillette razor commercial with famous personalities of the day encouraging us to “Never let them see you sweat.” The premise was that successful people never let it appear that anything bothers them. The phrase has become part of our vocabulary and is often applied to leadership as… Read More »Should You Let Them See You Sweat? Maybe A Little
Politics provide an interesting show. Like a multi-act play, there are heroes and villains, plot twists and surprises. Everyone in the audience sees the show a little differently and when it’s all over, everyone applauds and returns to their normal lives, though some stay to watch the repeat performance which… Read More »Leadership Lessons from the Political Follies
Jigsaw puzzles can be difficult. There are many pieces, each a little different then the next. It’s obvious where a few of the pieces fit, but for many their part of the bigger picture is hard to see. Occasionally, a guess is correct, but usually it takes some trial and… Read More »How Teams Are Like Jigsaw Puzzles – And How They Aren’t
There are very few leaders who don’t have a boss and sometimes it’s helpful to lead your boss as well as your team. Isn’t it a little presumptuous to think you can lead your boss? Not if you approach it as an effort to help you both succeed. You want… Read More »Lead Up: The Secrets to Leading Your Boss
“You don’t understand; I can’t do this leadership stuff with my team; they don’t report to me!†I’ve heard variations of this statement on a regular basis from students coming into our leadership courses. Sometimes it has to do with particular aspects of leading, such as coaching or accountability, while… Read More »Leading Without Authority, You Can Do It!
“I want to have more influence beyond just my small team.” The client was a little hesitant to say that, fearing it would sound arrogant or maybe power hungry. To the contrary, influential business leaders are more effective in leading their teams because they have impact outside their own sphere… Read More »How to be an Influential Business Leader
You’ve just moved to a new position, or perhaps a new boss has just come on board. The change, no matter how smooth the transition, is disruptive. A critical step in leadership development is establishing a good relationship with your boss. You want the new boss to understand how you… Read More »New Boss? Here’s What to Do
I recently saw two separate and contradictory articles about goals. The first suggested that goal setting was an artifact of management by objective and was no longer necessary in today’s business world. The other encouraged leaders to set “stretch goals” for their teams; goals for which the leader is willing… Read More »Why Stretch Goals Aren’t Effective
A friend recently lamented to me that he didn’t feel he was as good at leading as he should be. He is something of a perfectionist and so I know it bothers him that he isn’t a flawless leader; as if there was such a thing. Leadership success depends… Read More »You’re in the Arena and You’re Doing Fine