We were on final for a practice bombing run 300 feet above the Arizona desert going about 540 knots (620 mph). The plane was an F-16D which is a two-seat trainer version of the F-16C Falcon. My back-seater was a flight surgeon logging mandatory air time and who was blissfully… Read More »Four Steps to Leader Awareness – Hard lessons learned from flight operations
In workshop discussions concerning conflict management, inevitably the subject of dealing with “toxic” individuals comes up. I maintain that if you have toxic individuals on your team, you normally don’t have a conflict problem, you have a values problem. We’ve talked about workplace culture before but, in my experience, few… Read More »Dealing with Toxic Team Members
In my free time I enjoy powered paragliding. I have a unique perspective while moving slowly across the landscape from a couple hundred feet up that is quite illuminating. I’ve seen coyotes lying in long grasses waiting for prey, jackrabbits actually forming small “herds†for mutual protection, how antelope seem… Read More »Do They See What You See? Great Leaders Share the Vision
Our leadership students come from many different companies. Most come from companies with great cultures that take an active interest in their employees and develop them into engaged individuals with a vested interest in organizational success. Others…not so much. I’ve had a number of students who, unfortunately, worked in environments… Read More »Stuck in a toxic work culture? Three thoughts on what to do.
Your teenage daughter walks in to the house after school looking sullen and without her characteristic after school greeting. You ask, “How was school?†“Fine†is the answer. But a few seconds later the slam of a bedroom door indicates to you that everything, indeed, is not fine. The silent treatment continues into dinner despite your efforts to find out what the problem is. Thank goodness at work you get to deal with mature adults where nothing like this ever happens, right? Right.
You’ve noticed that Bill, one of your team members, isn’t his usual self. In fact, it seems like he is being downright rude. He’s doing the work, mostly, but he’s not being as punctual and you are finding more than the usual number of errors in his stuff. He also has been kind of sarcastic in meetings. Not to the point of open insubordination, but still, it’s getting annoying. You finally ask, “Bill, everything OK?†“It’s fine.†Sound familiar?Read More »That cold shoulder just might be feedback…Are you listening?
The change of command was over and as the new commander I would soon be meeting my new staff. Truth was, I had been the operations officer, the second-in-command, and knew the staff fairly well. I also knew that I was inheriting what I was certain was the worst secretary… Read More »What does a leader do when stuck with a poor performer?
In a recent interview on CNBC, Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo talked about a meeting with Steve Jobs where Jobs told her “If you really feel strongly about something — if you don’t like something people are doing — throw a temper tantrum. Throw things around, because people have got… Read More »How to be an Assertive Leader
A sign in the office of a general I worked for in the Pentagon read “Feed Your Troops First.†The sign wasn’t behind the General’s desk or on a side wall where everyone could see it. Instead, he had placed it on a support pillar facing his desk where he… Read More »Feed Your Troops First – Leadership 101
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
Early in my military career I was taught that a unit will take on the characteristics of its leader. A sloppy unit will likely have an unkempt leader at its helm. A unit known for “bending the rules†will most likely be led by a person of questionable ethics. Why… Read More »The Unintentional Leader