Articles

As leaders, we are often in situations that involve uncomfortable conversations – but conversations that are necessary to help our teams and employees achieve maximum potential, for themselves and for the organization. Unfortunately, because these conversations can be difficult, they are often avoided. A few years ago, our team put a definition to the term…

I have always been drawn to reading and learning more about effective leadership, and at some level I have come to realize that it is challenging and perhaps limiting to try to define leadership. And if not limiting, it is a bit naïve to attribute a set of defined characteristics to leadership. In their book,…

Which one of the following tips from the Inc Magazine article, “7 Ways to Build Influence in the Workplace,” do you feel is the most important? Build Trust with your Co-workers Cultivate Reliability Through Consistency Be Assertive, Not Aggressive Be Flexible Be Personal Focus on Actions Rather than Argument Listen to Others All of these…

My niece, who attends Clemson University in South Carolina, shared a required reading from her economics course with several of my family members. Knowing how much I adore human behavior and psychology, she thought this book would be “right up my alley.” And my father-in-law knew I’d enjoy “Predictably Irrational” by Dr. Dan Ariely, the…

A longtime client recently observed that he thought I was refreshingly more unfiltered of late in sharing both my perspectives and opinions. At first, I was concerned about being offensive, but his use of the word refreshing put me at ease. He then asked if he could probe a little bit as to why I…

No, it’s not all leadership’s fault; however, as leaders, knowing WHY they are disengaged and HOW to help them shift to highly engaged is your responsibility. Disengagement, at best, leads to employees leaving your organization. Why do we say “at best”? Because despite the high costs associated with turnover, the costs associated with disengaged employees…

A supervisor influenced the company president to change a decision. An intern influenced a senior designer with a fresh idea. A millennial persuaded her baby boomer manager to get back into regular exercise. A son influenced his father to be more patient. A college graduate convinced an entrepreneur to take a chance and hire him.…

Think Empowerment, Not Delegation. Growing your team and your leadership is largely about how you share and handle work projects and tasks. As a leader, we need to inspire and trust our team members; as team members, we need someone who will champion our efforts and believe we can do and give so much more…

The “curiosity” idea for this blog stemmed from a client interaction a couple months ago. During our leadership development session with her team, our client reflected on her interactions with others and the fact that she is always curious about why people think, feel, and act the way they do. And I thought, what a…

Will Wise’s book, “Ask Powerful Questions,” was one of my summer reads this year, and once started, I couldn’t put it down. If you’ve read any of my previous book summary blogs, you will notice that three things typically hook me about new books: 1) the subtitle (it’s got to be catchy and relatable); 2)…

We are hoping that the next book, seminar, or vacation will somehow be the answer to whatever ails us. But we come to learn that they are not. We are looking for answers outside of self, that never did or never will exist. We are unconsciously taking our cues from others without examining whether or…

Have you ever really, really, really, wanted something so bad that you could taste it. It seemed to occupy your every waking moment, evolving into an unhealthy attachment that ultimately pushed the item, thing, or person farther away. This could be said for some of us as it relates to our use of social media.…

I believe I always intuitively knew that the way we treat people has a profound and lasting impact on their performance, and that the way we treat the one is the way that we are capable of treating the many. So ask yourself, how are you treating everybody you interact with – in your company,…

I was recently approached by a client with a question; he is a high-level leader in a medium-sized organization, and the question was, “Why does everyone think that they can lead?” When I asked for some clarity, he shared a story: “The Operations Department is going through some restructuring. We communicated what we planned to…

I am energized by the outdoors, nature and specifically trees. I need to live near them, and I am fortunate enough to have an enormous, 130-year-old white oak right outside my office window while I write this book review. It sprawls across the road, reaching for our neighbor’s sunlight, while remaining heavily rooted 100 feet…

According to Marketwatch1, the average U.S. employee who receives paid vacation has only taken about half (54 percent) of those days in the past 12 months. Additionally, another challenge – new to the digital age – is the number of people who take their vacation time but continue to work, checking emails, voicemails, etc. This…

I have been a student of effectiveness for over 30 years and have always been curious about the rituals or routines that people perform on a daily basis. So when I spotted the book, “My Morning Routine – How Successful People Start Every Day Inspired,” I was intrigued. Secretly I was interested in seeing how…

The subtitle of Carol Dweck’s book, “Mindset,” says it all: ”How we can learn to fulfill our potential.” In my work with clients, I am continually studying and learning about how we can all increase our potential. This book describes and gives numerous examples of how changing our mindset can and will do just that.…