The Best Advice I Can Give You
When I started out in leadership, I mistakenly believed leadership was the art of pushing people to do what they were supposed to do. I have come to realize that this is the wrong approach to leadership. Today, I am known at our company for pushing people, but the pushing I do now is aimed […]
Less Directive, More Directional
Less directive, more directional. I heard this phrase recently and I like it. As leaders, we need to be more directional, meaning we need to do more pointing in the direction the organization needs to go. Simultaneously, we need to be less directive, meaning we could minimize the number of instructions we give, telling people […]
Tackling the Impossible
I have written about leadership since 2011 and have spoken about leadership in many settings to different organizations. What I’m about to reveal in the next few paragraphs may be the most important message I have ever shared on leadership. Impactful leaders tackle the impossible and make the improbable happen. Sadly, leaders often merely manage […]
Moving Projects. Moving People. Moving Capital.
There are three levels of effectiveness for leaders to keep a pulse on. Level One—Moving Projects Level One is where we make things happen. We do the work, we write the article (as I am doing now), we get the job done. There is nothing wrong with Level One effectiveness. As a matter of fact, […]
What to Do When You Are Criticized
When you are criticized, guard your heart from defensiveness, frustration, and dismissiveness. This is how these feelings may sound inside our minds: Defensive: No, I did not do that, and if I did, I had a good reason. I am a good person, doing my best. Don’t you see all the amazing things I do? […]
Clear the Stage
Sharing the stage is one level of maturity as a leader. You’ve invited people to share the stage with you. You are allowing them to lead. You don’t feel like you need to be in total control to influence the outcome. Actually, now you believe that the outcome may even be better if you are […]
Are You Saying “Good Job” to Your People?
A few days ago I was spending some time with the family. Our 2 ½ year old, Luke, was playing with small magnetized squares made for as building blocks. Luke had placed about 20 blocks carefully, one by one to make a small wall. He was calm and focused on the task. I sat next […]
Raising the Lid as a Leader
A few years ago I heard the statement that if we are to grow, we must learn, relearn, and unlearn. Learn, I know. Relearn? As a leader, could there be a lesson you learned, but you have to learn it again? Yes. I thought of several examples. But unlearn? I had trouble with that one. […]