How do you get a 747 to veer sharply and change direction? Can you turn a ship to turn on a dime? How do you get an 18-wheeler to suddenly turn sharply without toppling over? I asked these very questions to a group of health management executives. Later that same day I asked my class…
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We laugh and at times relate to cartoons of sadistic office management (think “Dilbert”). Developing office relationships in TV shows like The Office and Parks and Recreation hold a nugget of truth. Thousands of workers do not find their work reality amusing. Data on employee engagement shows that the numbers of dissatisfied and disengaged employees is…
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Here is a list of leadership books that we frequently turn to in preparing our work. Team of Rivals – Doris Kearns Goodwin A captivating story of leadership from the perspectives of three men Lincoln selected for his cabinet, all of whom were his opponents for the 1860 Republican nomination: Edward Bates, Salmon Chase, &…
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Are your employees asking themselves this question? If so, you hope they can identify why they work at your organization. You hope your people value their role beyond receiving a paycheck. The hard truth is hope is not a strategy. Hope is not a strategy. According to NASA lore, while touring the space center in…
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Remember how it felt when that kid on the playground kept changing the rules in a game of tag, and you had to be IT over and over again? Now jump forward several decades. Is everyone playing by the same rules at work? If organizational culture is defined as ‘how we do things here,’ are…
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Being a good leader doesn’t mean you have to be friends with everyone at work. In fact, befriending everyone, especially someone you supervise may be a bad idea. But what do you do with those that you just cannot stand – the obnoxious, annoying type? The key for a good leader is to “care.” That…
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The short answer is, ‘quite a lot’. As a student of leadership for over 20 years, I am fascinated by how the concept of what it means to be a leader has evolved since its relatively recent introduction as a field of study. My personal definition of leadership – ‘the act of mobilizing people to…
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What do leadership and your smartphone have in common? The answer may surprise you. Take note how many times you look at your phone in a day. It’s calling your attention with each ding and beep. You run an errand, and check for emails as you go. You grab a coffee from the break room…
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Stunning many organization heads and business owners, Leadership is no longer the pinnacle of performance and success. In what has become an all too common occurrence among top performers, Leadership was suddenly demoted after accounts of its true character, attitude and outlook were made public. While reports are not yet confirmed, it has been suggested…
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Have you been on the receiving end of someone’s professional leadership training, or even been that person trained in the latest, greatest, trying out your new skills on a subordinate? The scripted questioning and affirmation, the directed steps, and prescribed skill-set are all presented as tools for mastering leadership. It often sounds productive, and uses…
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