One of the most common sources of information on how to be a leader comes from observation of previous leaders. For many this is often the only source and it is very natural to emulate what we see. An exercise we use in our leadership development workshops is creating a… Read More »Are You Doing to Your Team What Drives You Crazy?
You’ve probably heard the question before; is the glass half empty or half full? It’s the wrong question. It’s better to ask, what the glass is full of. Unless it’s in a vacuum, the glass, or any container, is always full of something. Even the glass that is filled halfway with liquid is still full. The rest of the volume is taken up with air, dust, and other things you can’t see and probably don’t want to think about. People are like that too.Read More »The Glass is Always Full
The pile of boulders called Little Round Top is one of the most visited spots on the Gettysburg battlefield. It was there on July 2, 1863 that a thirty-four year old professor of rhetoric and his volunteer soldiers defended the vulnerable left flank of the Federal Army against repeated rebel… Read More »Are You Coachable?
“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
Is it that time of year again for you? Time to write a performance report! Everybody loves performance reports, whether you’re giving them or receiving them…ok, nobody really likes them. They’re kind of a pain. Often that’s because we make them more difficult than they need to be. Have you… Read More »That Annoying Performance Report
No one’s perfect and when the average imperfect individual finds him or herself in a leadership position, there are suddenly many more opportunities to mess up. As the scope of responsibility grows the likelihood of making mistakes increases. That’s why your leadership skills training should include a look at mistakes… Read More »Leadership Skills Training – Mistakes to Avoid
Managing change in organizations is an important step in your leadership development. The hardest part is dealing with resistance to change. You’ve worked hard to make your section a place people want to work. Everyone is familiar with your leadership philosophy and you’ve had a productive coaching session with everyone. You’ve involved… Read More »Managing Change in Organizations – Dealing With Resistance to Change
Employee coaching is a critical element of your leadership development. Good coaching is a key to effective team development, but it can be a difficult skill to master. Here’s an example of an employee coaching session that did not go well. … Read More »Is Your Employee Coaching Effective or Are You Just Talking?
Are you treating all your employees in a fair and equal manner? Those two words are often considered synonymous; Roget’s Thesaurus even lists equal as a synonym for fair, but understanding them as very different concepts is a critical leadership skill to embrace in your leadership development. I often write… Read More »Leadership Development – The Difference Between Fair and Equal
Jill[*] was a little depressed when I spoke with her. She had just started a new job and should have been happy. She wasn’t. A little probing revealed that her previous supervisor, Jack, had made some negative, and completely unexpected, comments in her final performance report. Apparently, Jack didn’t like… Read More »Leadership Tips – The Courage to Coach