“Captain, are you sure you want us to x-ray this panel?” The phone call sent a chill down my spine. I had failed in leadership and open communication. While it is common to use an x-ray to detect cracks in aircraft parts, this panel had an explosive device attached which… Read More »Did I Really Say That? – Leadership and Open Communication
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
Did you know that the smallpox virus is a possible weapon in the fight against cancer? I didn’t. And what does that have to do with leadership anyway? A couple of years ago I was a volunteer judge for the speaking portion of the Health Occupations Student Organization’s contest. One… Read More »Leadership and Smallpox
Effective communication is one of the most important skills in leadership development. While a lot of time and effort is spent helping leaders learn how to communicate, it’s just as important to think about what you communicate as a leader. You are always communicating so it’s vitally important to make… Read More »Leadership Development: What Are You Communicating as a Leader?
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
Do you watch a person’s eyes as they review the document you just presented? You should. A persons eye movement can be a good indicator of their real reaction. How about feet? Do you look at a person’s feet? Probably not, though they are also good indicators. Does the person… Read More »Leadership Development: The Silent Language of Leaders
Last summer I checked an item off my bucket list and took up the sport of powered paragliding. It’s a unique perspective from a couple hundred feet up, moving slowly across the landscape. I’ve seen coyotes lying in long grasses waiting for prey, jackrabbits actually forming small “herds” for mutual… Read More »Sharing the Vision, Do You See What You See?
O wad some Power the giftie gie us To see oursels as ithers see us! Robert Burns Improving leadership communication is a critical part of your leadership development. One way to be more effective is to understand what we don’t hear. With apologies to Robert Burns, we also don’t hear ourselves as… Read More »Leadership Communication: Did They Hear What You Really Meant
Influence: the ability to affect the behavior of others. Is influence one of your leadership skills? With the trend toward virtual teams and matrixed organizations, leaders often find themselves in a position where they don’t feel they have real authority. Years ago I was in a leadership position in which… Read More »Three Secrets to Being an Influential Leader
Note: This post comes from Ed Rugerro Sicily, July 1943 Captain Ed Sayre peeked over the edge of the trench and down the hill, where the German infantry had disappeared into a grove of trees to prepare a counter-attack. Sayre’s eighty exhausted and foot-sore GIs had just pushed the enemy… Read More »High Priority: The Leader Gets a Haircut