We think a lot about leadership here at the Daedalus Group and some of those thoughts are even worth sharing! So, from time to time we’ll bring you some of our Random Musings on Leadership. Do you know the mission? When I help organizations create mission statements and goals, I… Read More »Random Musings on Leadership
Even though I was new to the organization and not exactly a technical expert on the job itself, I knew we needed to take a specific action. I had a feeling; that famous gut feeling that we all get from time to time. At the time our organization was in the throes implementing Total Quality Management and we were all worshiping the ideas of W. Edwards Deming. One of Deming’s precepts was that decisions should only be made when supported by data; gut feelings were to be suppressed. Since I knew any decision not accompanied by significant statistical data would be questioned, I hesitated and ignored my gut.
It turned out my gut was right. Read More »That Gut Feeling May Not Be Gas – It’s Probably Your Brain Talking to You
As I was finishing a conversation with a couple of my team members, my boss saw me, walked over and said, “You haven’t answered your email.” I told him I hadn’t been in the office for a while so I hadn’t seen the email. He pointed to the Blackberry attached… Read More »You Are Supposed to Answer Your Email; Immediately! (Really?)
“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