Whether you’re a new leader, or just moving to a new leadership position, you’ll probably approach your new job with at least a little trepidation. That’s natural and you should only be concerned if you don’t feel at least a little uncertainty. Even if you have some leadership experience, never… Read More »Seven Tips for New Leaders (Or anyone who wants to be a better leader)
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last month, you’ve no doubt heard of Southwest Airlines difficulties with holiday travel. Passengers found themselves stuck in places they didn’t intend to stay while their luggage found separate places to hang out for the holidays. The airline, whose stock symbol… Read More »Leadership Lessons from Southwest Airlines
Yes, if… The short answer is they can be. But it depends on what team building events you employ. You may have heard of the big team building experiences where the whole team treks out to the woods for a few days of camping, rafting, climbing, or whatever. If you… Read More »Are Team Building Events Worthwhile?
You’re a good leader. Your team is successful, but there is one team member who is always contrary, who always causes trouble, and who is keeping your team from reaching the high levels you know they’re capable of. You have a toxic team member What do you do? This can… Read More »Do You Have a Toxic Team Member?
It was 3 years after the end of open hostilities of the first Gulf War. The atmosphere was somewhat more relaxed but there was still tension. I was the maintenance officer for a deployed rescue squadron. Coalition aircraft were flying combat missions to enforce the no-fly zone over Iraq and… Read More »Do You Need Ice Cream?
It seems that leadership and civility would be an easy discussion. Alas, it is not. Civility is a concept that seems to be lost in today’s society even though it is absolutely essential for good teams. A cultural shift has been happening and now it seems that being civil means… Read More »Leadership and Civility
Do you encourage a feeling of employee ownership in the company? Should you? I was speaking with a group of business owners a few years ago when the discussion swerved into how much they should tell their workers about company financials. The catalyst for this discussion was a complaint by… Read More »Is a Feeling of Employee Ownership Important?
As I scroll through LinkedIn I see lots of pictures of people being recognized for joining a team, some accomplishment, or just being them. Recognition is great and I hope you are recognizing the people on your teams. Recognition is an important part of creating the motivational environment that will… Read More »Recognition: A Picture is Not Enough
You have many challenges as a team leader. Is one of those challenges a boss who doesn’t seem to know what your team is doing? He or she appears to be more of a stumbling block than a helpful leader? Harsh? Perhaps, but let’s be honest, sometimes the boss can… Read More »Help! My Boss is Clueless
I recently saw a video of a “flash mob” orchestra (the Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès) in Spain performing Ode to Joy. The performance started with a bass player who was joined shortly by a cellist. As more musicians entered the scene, a conductor appeared. It would almost seem the conductor… Read More »Are You the Conductor? Does Your Team Make Beautiful Music?