In a recent leadership workshop, we had deep discussion about diversity. Participants were looking for answers to an issue leaders face that seems to have no good answer. The conversation centered on two questions: how should a leader view diversity and why does this seem to be such an explosive… Read More »A Difficult Subject
Something disturbing is happening lately. An apparently harmless attempt to define the future. Except it isn’t harmless and will have a negative effect on the future. It’s Generation Z. No, not the people themselves but the concept. Speakers and authors are already telling us what Generation Z is like and… Read More »There is No Generation Z
Among the many sculptures and works of art in Washington D.C. is a piece titled “The Awakening,” a large aluminum sculpture of a man either struggling to rise from, or being consumed by the Earth. Created by J. Seward Johnson Jr., the sculpture was first installed at Haines Point in… Read More »The Awakening
This article was submitted by guest blogger Sophia Katrina. In this day and age of digital dependency, employees are more isolated than ever before, even if they are working in the same office. This might make you wonder if it’s still essential for bosses to foster teamwork and collaboration. It… Read More »How Can You Foster a Collaborative Spirit?
The question was posed to me recently by an executive level client. He was upset that his project managers didn’t seem to want to go beyond the way things were normally done. He wanted them to try different approaches and new ideas. The executive is an engineer and very experienced… Read More »How Do I Get My People To Be More Innovative?
The last few weeks have seen an embarrassing display of unrestrained and generally unhealthy conflict. Although public debate is good, it is usually uncontrolled and can rapidly produce a toxic environment. That environment can quickly affect your team. A toxic work environment can be defined as a condition that exists… Read More »Four Steps to Healthy Conflict
Command and control (the beast) is not a popular form of leadership these days. Most of the time the method is unnecessary and a sign of a weak and insecure leader who knows no other way to be effective. The most effective leaders find some version of servant leadership (beauty)… Read More »Beauty and the Beast: Servant Leadership vs. Command and Control
Are your team members engaged? Unfortunately, many business leaders complain that some of their team members are not reliable and will shirk their responsibilities whenever they can? Since much of my leadership experience comes from a long career in the military, I’m often asked why the military seems to have… Read More »The Three-Step Foundation for Employee Engagement any Leader Can Use
As we went around the table, each staff member introduced themselves with their name and a brief job description. When it was the custodian’s turn, instead of telling us she was the custodian, she proudly announced that she was the “Manager of First Impressions.” It was obvious that the rest… Read More »The First 4 Essential Steps to Achieve Team Engagement