In 1968, Dr Laurence Peter published The Peter Principle. He said that, in any organization, employees will rise to their own level of incompetence. Kind of a sobering thought. I’m sure you have seen organizations that seem to prove his theory. I know I have. That’s unfortunate because it doesn’t… Read More »Avoiding the Peter Principle
The question was posed to me recently by an executive level client. He was upset that his project managers didn’t seem to want to go beyond the way things were normally done. He wanted them to try different approaches and new ideas. The executive is an engineer and very experienced… Read More »How Do I Get My People To Be More Innovative?
A basic tenet of a military organization is the ability to pack up and move out quickly. Being proficient at that skill requires planning and practice. Although I’ve been involved in many such efforts, both as rehearsals and as real deployments, one example has always stuck in my mind. It… Read More »It’s Okay to Have Fun – In Fact it’s Necessary
Articles lamenting the failure of leadership training to produce lasting effects have become a regular addition to my article feeds. All sorts of experts are telling me that, although companies are spending more than ever on leadership training, the results are universally disappointing. My experience tells a different story and… Read More »Is Leadership Training Really Failing? If It Is, Here’s Why
He was a new supervisor and he seemed frustrated as we spoke. “Why do I have to ask people to do things? Shouldn’t I be able to just tell them to do it?” The short answer is, “Yes, you can tell them and they should respond.” But is that the… Read More »The Magic and Power of Please and Thank You
I was asked this question in a workshop recently. In addition to my team in the company, I work with subcontractors. It’s like a team, but they don’t really report to me and they work for a completely different company. How can I be effective when I don’t have such… Read More »Tips for the Authorityless Leader
Congratulations! You just received a promotion. The selection process was very competitive and several of your peers in the company were also in the running. Some of those peers are now on your team, but that’s okay because they are all happy for you and want to help you succeed.… Read More »Five Actions to Take When Your New Team Includes Friends and Former Peers
When an aircraft mishap occurs, specially trained investigators are sent to the scene to examine the evidence and determine a cause. Investigators examine physical evidence, witness statements, and hopefully participant’s testimony in an attempt to piece together a sequence of events that result in finding a cause. It’s an exercise… Read More »A 10-Step Approach to Problem Solving
The last few weeks have seen an embarrassing display of unrestrained and generally unhealthy conflict. Although public debate is good, it is usually uncontrolled and can rapidly produce a toxic environment. That environment can quickly affect your team. A toxic work environment can be defined as a condition that exists… Read More »Four Steps to Healthy Conflict
The Rocky Mountain Aviation Leadership Workshop. Investing in good leadership is what makes the difference between an average team and a great team. As studies by McKinsey, Deloitte, and others have shown, effectively leading people requires a specific skill set so leadership development positively affects a company’s success. If you work… Read More »Rocky Mountain Aviation Leadership Workshop