The woman on the phone was in a mid-level leadership position. As we started the coaching call after a leadership development seminar she informed me she was content where she was and did not see herself seeking any higher level leadership responsibilities. But she wanted to know how she could… Read More »Are You Influential?
Photo by Freepik You’re a good leader. Your team is successful, but there is that one team member who is always contrary, always causes trouble, and who is keeping your team from reaching the high levels you know they’re capable of. What do you do? This can be a complex… Read More »What to do With That Problem Team Member
Image by FreePik The Sinking Raft It was dark. About 12 of us students were seated in a 20-person life raft. It was a sick person who thought 20 adults could actually fit in one of these rafts. Even with only 12 it was a bit crowded. To add a… Read More »Two Lessons from U.S. Air Force Survival School
What is the role of leadership in change management? Joe and Jane both led divisions of roughly equal size and responsibility in a large company. The company had recently directed several unpopular changes that were disruptive to both divisions. Joe was having a lot of trouble getting his team to… Read More »Leadership in Change Management
Warning! This article examines commonly accepted principles and you may find it disturbing. If you are unwilling to challenge current orthodoxy, or if you are easily offended, you may want to skip this one. I will not be offended, although I would question your ability to be a good leader.… Read More »Leaders and DEI
Warning: This post may not be politically correct or conform to the current expected narrative. If you are easily offended you may want to skip this one. In a recent leadership development class, a woman expressed frustration that, as a woman, her voice was not always heard or taken seriously.… Read More »The Problem With Categories
When I talk about trust in leadership development workshops, there are always some participants, often many participants who have stories about leaders who they just didn’t trust. That is not surprising but it is a little baffling. How can there be so much distrust in today’s oh-so-enlightened world? It doesn’t… Read More »Does Your Team Trust You?
There is a saying immortalized in the movie Apollo 13 that “Failure is not an option.” Truth is, in any project or operation, failure is always an option. Every. Single. Time. No one likes to fail, but it’s an inevitable part of life. I don’t know who originally said it,… Read More »Failure: The Ever-Present Option
Last month I explained that being a bad leader apparently requires at least some effort. In that vein, I provided some steps that would ensure you’re ineffective as a leader and, as a bonus, disliked and not respected by your team. Another leadership responsibility that can help you achieve status… Read More »How to be a Bad Leader – Part 2
It’s that time again when graduates transition from the halls of academia and into the real world. So, this article from last year is still relevant. Its graduation season again. Young people, and some not so young, have rightly celebrated great achievements and are now looking forward to the start… Read More »A Word to Recent Graduate’s New Leaders