Over the last few weeks you have probably become tired of watching politicians stumping for a job. Well, it’s over now and we’ll have a short, merciful reprieve before it all starts again. Even though the incessant political posturing wears us out, there is something to learn from it. Whether… Read More »Five Ways to Project Confidence When You Speak
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 sand suspended in the air was worse than usual. A recent sandstorm had made the air almost opaque and I could only see for a few feet. I could barely see the 26 airplanes parked in front of me, or the approximately 200 mechanics who were working to get them ready to fly. (The picture was taken in the daytime) As I walked towards where I knew the planes were, I could begin to make out their shapes, and see the outline of the troops scurrying about. Within the next hour or so, at least 20 of those airplanes would be airborne.
The airplanes were C-130 transports many of which were more than 40 years old. They had spent their years in hard use, carrying heavy loads around the world often landing in barely improved dirt strips. They were old, tired airplanes. But because of the mechanics that toiled day and night to keep them mission ready, they could still do the job.
Those mechanics worked in conditions that were uncomfortable at best. Read More »Heat, Wind, Sand, and A Critical Mission
Embedded leader, leading from behind, leading without authority, informal leader; we have a variety of terms for situations when we find ourselves leading without having the positional title designating us as leaders. I’ve coached a number of individuals who were in similar positions. Some because of natural progression; they’ve reached… Read More »Ready to take the next step on your leadership journey? These tips will help.
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
“Lead, do you have the target in sight?†Those words coming over the radio from my deputy flight lead, the third aircraft in our four aircraft formation of F-16’s, caused immediate consternation in the lead aircraft, of which I happened to be the sole occupant. It took just a few seconds to realize I had made a navigation error; I had inadvertently selected a navigation point beyond our target. Correcting the problem revealed that I was indeed overflying our assigned target. Now, what to do about it?Read More »Leaders, Check Your Ego at the Door, Please
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?)
I was recently reminded of the pomp and circumstance surrounding the military change of command ceremony. The ceremonies I’ve attended almost always relate a version of the following:
The change of command ceremony is rooted in military history dating back to the 18th century during the reign of Frederick the Great of Prussia. At that time, organizational flags were developed with color arrangements and symbols unique to each particular unit. To this flag and its commander, the soldiers of the unit would dedicate their loyalty and trust.
When a change of command took place, the flag was passed to the individual assuming the command. This gesture was accomplished in front of the unit so that all could see and witness their new leader assuming his dutiful position. He who held the flag also held the soldier’s allegiance. This tradition has survived throughout military history.
The ceremony, and the festivities surrounding it, provides an opportunity for outgoing commanders to say farewell to their troops, but more importantly, it allows incoming commanders to begin to set the stage for their tour of command. Taking charge of a unit is no trivial task; after all, not only are you assuming responsibility for accomplishing the mission and goals of the unit, but as a leader you are also assuming responsibility for the people who accomplish them.
While civilian organizations typically don’t have formal “change of command†ceremonies, the task of “assuming command†is no less important. Read More »You’re the New Boss, Now What?
“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