There were plenty of reasons not to be in Philadelphia in June and July of 1776. It was hot, muggy, and mosquitoes and horseflies filled the air. But, in spite of the discomfort, a small group gathered to discuss nothing less than separating, by force of arms, from the most… Read More »Leadership Fundamentals From the Founders
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
June 6, 1944. The skies over the English Channel were cloudy and the water cold and rough as more than 156,000 American, British, and Canadian soldiers climbed down from their ships and into the landing craft that would take them to the beaches of Normandy to liberate Europe. It was… Read More »Leadership Lessons from Normandy
A good leadership skills training program provides many techniques for your leadership development. But., there is one important point thought that is often missed – you must take time for yourself. Take time to smell the roses. After many years of hard work Jack was offered a very coveted position, one for… Read More »Leadership Skills Training – Take Time to Smell the Roses
Team building is a critical aspect of your leadership development. The most effective leaders know how to develop a high-performing, cohesive team. All leaders want “rock stars” on the team and there is plenty of advice available about how to hire the “right” people. That’s great. I’m all for building… Read More »Leadership Development: Team Building and Rock Stars
Why is Abraham Lincoln one of, if not the most revered U.S. President? Lincoln exhibited leadership like few politicians before or since and we can still benefit from his example. Here are a few leadership lessons from Abraham Lincoln that are still applicable today. Make friends of your enemies. Lincoln… Read More »Leadership Lessons From Abraham Lincoln
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?
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
Early in my leadership career, I was at a dinner with about 100 other Air Force officers. The speaker that evening was Colonel Mal Wakin, a long-serving professor at the Air Force Academy. The subject was ethics. Col Wakin presented an interesting question. There had been a cheating scandal at… Read More »Leadership Development: The Importance of Trust
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