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
“I’m not sure about that new guy. He doesn’t seem to be fitting in and doesn’t seem to know what he’s doing. Why’d you hire him?†Ever have someone walk into your office and say something like this? Ever find yourself wondering why a new person on the team isn’t… Read More »Five Steps to Helping the New Hire Fit In
As we went around the table, each staff member introduced themselves with their name and a brief job description. When it was the custodian’s turn, instead of telling us she was the custodian, she proudly announced that she was the “Manager of First Impressions.” It was obvious that the rest… Read More »The First 4 Essential Steps to Achieve Team Engagement
“Sure, I know where we’re going, follow me.†As you set off for the restaurant with friends in tow, you are filled with confidence. But after a couple of wrong turns things aren’t looking familiar and it occurs to you that you really don’t know where you are going. Embarrassing?… Read More »â€œFollow me!†Are you ready to say this?
Many years ago, as an aircraft mechanic in the Air Force, I was selected for a small, four-person team challenged to reassemble two F-111 aircraft which had not flown for some time; one for over two and a half years. It was a daunting challenge, made even more so by… Read More »The Power of Risk: A Team Challenge Story
“Sam is a great leader.†“Why do you say that?†“Well, because…†What follows is usually a rather subjective description of certain characteristics that generally follow a pattern of traits we’ve found common to good leaders. As many times as I’ve done the good boss/bad boss exercise with leadership students… Read More »Are you an effective leader? Five ways to know.
“I have an interview for a new position. I know they are going to ask me how I would view my role as a supervisor but I’ve never been a supervisor before. I don’t know what to tell them?” It’s all too common to move people into supervisory positions without… Read More »Wow Them With Your Leadership Philosophy
Have you ever had one of those sleep-deprived nights where you hear Drip…Drip…….Drip? I have. You would think this would have been annoying enough to get me to prioritize fixing that leaky faucet the next day. You would be wrong. It seems that during the day when I’m not reminded by… Read More »Leaky Faucets and Leadership
Accountability has been prominent in the news lately. Unfortunately, it’s more about people assigning accountability to others rather than accepting responsibility themselves. We watch as public figures frantically look to find someone; anyone to blame for their own actions. They seem unable to separate finding fault in others from accepting… Read More »The Buck Stops With You
Having recently been promoted, one person told me about over-hearing someone mention getting an email from “the bossâ€, only to come to the frightening realization that she was the one being referred to! Taking charge of a team of individuals is no trivial task. After all, not only are you… Read More »You’re the new leader, now what?