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The seven simple leadership lessons I was reminded of by 41 client leaders this past week: Rapport isn’t rocket science. All it takes is for one face-to-face interaction to really shift (for the better!) a relationship that’s been solely built by telephone and email. Influence isn’t just a topic underneath the heading of Leadership; it…

In my last blog post, I revisited the analogy shared by Jim Collins in his book “Good to Great,” where he suggests that we need to get the right people on the right seats of the bus. In this blog post, I will focus on the book “Get a Grip,” by Gino Wickman and Mike…

Recently in a leadership coaching session, a client asked, “What is the secret to staying focused and not being distracted by the next shiny object or new idea?” This question comes up often, and my first instinct is to blame technology or the urgency addicted society that we are immersed in, which is enabled by…

When I ask a new client, “What gets you back to your center?” most responses have something to do with church, time with family, working out, a hobby, or spending time outdoors. What I enjoy most is not necessarily what they do; rather, it’s how they say what they do. When a client says something…

Right People – Right Seats: This post is the first of two related posts. Here we’ll take on the “Right People” and in my next post, we’ll discuss “The Right Seats.” Part I: Right People The title of this post may remind you of one of the more widely known analogies of getting the right…

Years ago, Gary Chapman wrote a bestselling book titled “The Five Love Languages,” in which he described the various ways people prefer to be spoken to in order to feel loved. It was a great book for people interested in making true connection and strengthening relationships, and just as there are certain languages for love, there…

This week I heard something that both intrigues me and challenges me. A colleague shared something from a book she’s reading, in which the author suggests four “don’ts” when communicating with others. We’ll call it a listening approach, although it may be more accurately labeled a talking approach. Here it is: No fixing No saving…

Despite my experience and background in Human Resources, I have resisted the generational stereotyping so common in my field. I have given presentations on the topic of Generations In The Workplace on several occasions, and I am invited to do so because my approach is that of common ground – how we’re the same –…

The first session of our 2019 LeadFORWARD class started last week. As I prepare to work with and support a new group of accomplished leaders, my intention is to start this journey as if I’m beginning right along with them. This is our 8th LeadFORWARD class, and I want to be sure that time, confidence…

Teams frequently get stuck. While different than complete dysfunction – but sometimes a precursor – teams may become challenged and stagnant for various reasons. In the worst case scenario, they remain stuck and become dysfunctional, and so identifying a stuck team and getting it unstuck is an important responsibility for a leader. In Patrick Lencioni’s…

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…