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Weekly Leader Moment (2/12/23): Leaders need to battle the bias towards agreement with their ideas. What are you doing to make it easier to challenge and debate your ideas?
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Weekly Leader Moment (1/22/23): That superhere feeling wears off as you create a team that relies on you to solve everything. Be vulnerable as a leader and create a team of leaders and problem-solvers.
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Weekly Leader Moment (1/15/23): Some leaders try to create urgency and quality through fear tactics. In the end they hamper creativity and at best get only what they ask for. Creating a safe environment, ironically, promotes good risk-taking, ownership, and sustainable results.
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Weekly Leader Moment (1/8/23): Somehow we’ve defaulted to “shields up!” anytime someone has a different opinion than ours. How’s that working for us? Time for a change in approach.
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Weekly Leader Moment (11/20/22): Whether you are in the U.S. celebrating Thanksgiving or around the world, this week be thankful.
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Weekly Leader Moment (11/13/22): Express gratitude to others this week.
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Weekly Leader Moment (11/6/22): Keep moving forward. Whether clarity means progress or the need for course correction, staying put means stagnation.
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Weekly Leader Moment (10/30/22): Everyday interactions count. It’s easy to get careless with our everyday interactions, but each one has the potential to have a big impact or a smaller accumulative one.
Do you treat each interaction as if it counts?
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Weekly Leader Moment (10/2/22): People pleasers exchange results for relationships. Instead, seek a balance. Make the tough decisions and move forward.
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Weekly Leader Moment (9/18/22): Often “good” people make unethical decisions. The world is gray, not black and white. As leaders, we need to create the environment & culture that encourages ethical choices.
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Weekly Leader Moment (8/28/22): Too often we send signals that other people’s time isn’t as important as ours. What will you do differently this week to change that?
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Weekly Leader Moment (8/21/22): Be in it for the long run. How can you be a giver this week?
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Weekly Leader Moment (8/14/22): If nothing else, be known as generous, a giver, of your time and resources.
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Weekly Leader Moment (8/7/22):
Leaders influence the conversation. Whether it’s pandemic, politics, or social turmoil dominating your conversations, leaders can help keep things positive and change the tone. Do you need to change the conversation?
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Weekly Leader Moment (7/31/22):
To inspire thinking and commitment, instead of providing all the answers,
ask the right questions.
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Weekly Leader Moment (7/24/22): What can you do to help others look smarter, gain confidence, and unleash their potential this week?
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Weekly Leader Moment (7/17/22): What’s your best advice for managing upward (your boss)?
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Weekly Leader Moment (7/10/22): Real connection takes more intention than just leaving your door open. What are you doing to build relationships?
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Weekly Leader Moment (7/3/22): This week, be grateful for what you have and reach out to those less fortunate with a helping hand.
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Weekly Leader Moment (6/26/22): Are you taking the time to care for yourself in order to be ready to care for others?
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Weekly Leader Moment (6/12/22): Three necessities for successful delegation. When we don’t give up enough control, we create frustration for them. When we don’t ensure competence to do the task or we don’t create enough clarity around the result we need, we create frustration for ourselves.
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Weekly Leader Moment (6/5/22): If you can’t learn to have fun at work, you will struggle with “balance” your whole career. Find enjoyment where you are, off the job and on it. And create enjoyment for others.
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Weekly Leader Moment (5/29/22): Work towards finding fulfillment in each area of your life for you and those you care about.
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Weekly Leader Moment (5/22/22): Expect progress, not perfection.
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Weekly Leader Moment (5/15/22): Forget about which one you’ve been. What do you want to be reinforcing going forward?
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Weekly Leader Moment (5/8/22): Keep your values simple and relatable to affect behavior.
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Weekly Leader Moment (5/1/22): How you project yourself to others is only of value if your actions match. Words are cheap. Actions have impact, and can inspire others.
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Weekly Leader Moment (4/24/22): You create your moods by they thoughts you think. Does this picture represent a solid rock or a vulnerable island? Is the lighthouse a symbol of security or a representation of isolation? Strength or weakness?
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Weekly Leader Moment (4/17/22): If vulnerable is too big a step, work on being relatable.
We often speak of being vulnerable as a leader. You see it in things like Patrick Lencioni’s “5 Dysfunctions” (the need for vulnerability-based trust), the importance of admitting when you don’t have the answers or when you’ve made a mistake, and the exercise of going first as the leader when you are trying to get people to open up. But vulnerability is a relatively new concept in leadership. It can be hard to show it when you have been trained to be strong and exude confidence. Won’t my followers lose respect for me? Won’t my challengers pounce on perceived weakness? What if I’m not ready to expose my underbelly at this point? If “vulnerable” is too big a step right now, start by working on being “relatable”. Relatable means you aren’t above others, but rather you share similar challenges, wins/losses, stress, moods, etc. When you are relatable, people won’t have to spend as much energy trying to decipher you or figure out which “you” came to work today. When you are relatable, people can start to get to know the real you. Take steps this week to be more relatable and see where that leads.
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Weekly Leader Moment (4/10/22): Don’t let comparison steal your joy. Too often we see others who are doing, buying, or going places and we allow that to steal our own satisfaction and joy. For more joy and less strife, find contentment in your own wins and relationships.
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Weekly Leader Moment (4/3/22): Delegation is likely to fail if you don’t provide clarity about the end goal, boundaries to guide them, and check-ins to ensure things are on track. Once those are in place, give them full control and see what they are capable of.
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Weekly Leader Moment (3/27/22): Instead of answering, adding value, or moving on, ask “Tell me more.” Magic words that take the conversation and relationship deeper and make you a better listener.
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Weekly Leader Moment (3/20/22): Build a lasting culture of success.
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Weekly Leader Moment (3/13/22): Don’t eat the marshmallow! Studies show that kids who were able to delay gratification for greater rewards were more successful later in life. Stick with your values and goals.
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Weekly Leader Moment (3/6/22): Make this Employee Appreciation Week. How will you show appreciation to those you serve on your team?
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Weekly Leader Moment (2/27/22): Instead of trying to sink the ships around you, create the wake that makes their journey easier. There are too many examples of torpedoes and land mines out there, and the public discourse is as divided as ever. Instead of contributing to it, set a different example.
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Weekly Leader Moment (2/20/22): “What did you learn?” Ask it of those you lead. Ask it of yourself.
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Weekly Leader Moment (2/13/22): Remember to look for my loving intentions. People generally act with good intentions, even if the outcome isn’t what they intended. Start by identifying their intentions.
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Weekly Leader Moment (2/6/22): Winners don’t wallow. They embrace the present and recognize the opportunities. Whatever you are faced with this week, choose the winner route.
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Weekly Leader Moment (1/30/22): Everybody does their best based on their view of the world and their ability. Once we understand that, we can learn how to adjust our leadership.
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Weekly Leader Moment (1/23/22): If you disappeared today, how would you be remembered? Don’t wait; build your legacy today.
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Weekly Leader Moment (1/16/22): Don’t get distracted by things you can neither control nor influence. Stay focused this year.
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Weekly Leader Moment (1/9/22): Don’t give away your power to someone because of something they say or do. Choose your reaction and stay focused on your goals.
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Weekly Leader Moment (1/2/22): Take time this week to build plans and put in place the tools to fulfill them.
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Weekly Leader Moment (12/26/21): Use this week to reflect on 2021 and plan for 2022.
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Weekly Leader Moment (12/19/21): Don’t let the stress of the holidays rob you of the joy and gratitude you can have and share with others.
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Weekly Leader Moment (12/12/21): Don’t wait for someone else to brighten your day. Be a light to those around you.
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Weekly Leader Moment (12/5/21): Take time to celebrate success and accomplishment.
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Weekly Leader Moment (11/28/21): Recognizing what you have control of and choices in creates the power to move forward regardless of circumstances. Own your choices.
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Weekly Leader Moment (11/21/21): In this week of Thanksgiving and beyond, practice thankfulness. It will improve your perspective and change your outlook.
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Weekly Leader Moment (11/14/21): Don’t let perfection impede progress. Get more comfortable with “adequate” and let it go.
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Weekly Leader Moment (11/7/21): Make sure what the drought reveals is what you aspire to during the harvest.
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Weekly Leader Moment (10/31/21): “Mediocre leaders don’t even take the trouble to know their people.” – Michael Abrashoff
How well do you know your people, what is and who are important to them?
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Weekly Leader Moment (10/24/21): A great quote in memory of a patriot and leader, reminding us that we have to be intentional about developing excellence in the little things. Take on that challenge this week.
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Weekly Leader Moment (10/17/21): This week, explore ways to give your team more freedom.
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Weekly Leader Moment (10/10/21): Disagreement doesn’t ruin relationships; disrespect does. Whether in your personal, work, online, or other relationships, model disagreement without disrespect. It’s okay to debate ideas. It’s not okay to debase people, or for leaders to allow others to.
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Weekly Leader Moment (10/3/21): What are you feeding yourself and to those in your charge? Grow positivity this week.
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Weekly Leader Moment (9/26/21): Whatever happened before, we are 100% responsible for what happens next. Take responsibility. Be intentional.
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Weekly Leader Moment (9/19/21): What you permit, your promote. Make sure you don’t allow things you don’t want. Be intentional with your culture.
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Weekly Leader Moment (9/12/21): Whether at home, work, or elsewhere, recognize the powerful influence you have on those in your care. Embrace and leverage that responsibility.
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Weekly Leader Moment (9/5/21): Work hard. Not simply for the rewards now, but for the character and legacy you develop.
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Weekly Leader Moment (8/29/21): Leaders can help change the discourse, improving the dialog and repairing relationships. Are you willing to model peacemaking, promote positivity, and create a safe culture?
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Weekly Leader Moment (8/22/21): “The visionary business leader taps into the human yearning to be part of a worthy cause.” – Peter Guber
How are you connecting your people to a worthy cause?
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Weekly Leader Moment (8/15/21): Actions define the culture, so behaviors become the critical things to describe. What behaviors will lead to the culture you want?
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Weekly Leader Moment (8/8/21): You aren’t perfect and everyone knows it. When you act like you never miss or you fail to admit when you do, you create a culture that can’t surface and solve problems, as well as one where people feel unsafe to experiment and stretch.
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Weekly Leader Moment (8/1/21): What signals are you sending about the culture you really value? What are others learning from your behavior about how they should act? Make sure you are consistently sending the right culture cues.
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Weekly Leader Moments (7/25/21): To work on being a good leader, where should you focus this week? Your confidence? Being realistic about your limitations? Being secure enough to seek advice, or to listen to others, or to admit your mistakes? Or just moving forward on something?
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Weekly Leader Moment (7/18/21): Whether it is a personal goal or habit, a project, or even a person you are helping improve, nothing beats persistence. What (or who) needs a little more persistence from you this week?
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Weekly Leader Moment (7/11/21): Do you pass the true test? What are you doing this week to be intentional about serving others and freeing them to become servant leaders?
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Weekly Leader Moment (7/4/21): Leadership is a privilege and responsibility, not an award or entitlement. How will you serve this week?
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Weekly Leader Moment (6/27/21): You can dangerously insulate yourself as a leader if you aren’t intentional about seeking alternate and opposing viewpoints and encouraging healthy debate around ideas. Stop smoking your own exhaust!
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Weekly Leader Moment (6/20/21): Happy Fathers Day! Be a role model this week for those who need it.
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Weekly Leader Moment (6/13/21): This week, offer grace liberally. We all need it.
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Weekly Leader Moment (6/6/21): It’s not enough to just provide the vision. Leaders also help navigate uncertainty by providing next steps to promote progress.
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Weekly Leader Moment (5/30/21): Your lingo is actually doing the opposite of what you think – alienating instead of impressing – so speak plainly and build trust. Be a real leader, not the phony others mock.
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Weekly Leader Moment (5/23/21): Leaders understand the need for levity and fun as key components of a healthy culture, and make them a strategic priority.
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Weekly Leader Moment (5/16/21): Talk to yourself instead of listening to yourself. You control the message, don’t let the message control you.
So often we let the negative messages in our head tell us things that aren’t true or don’t define us. Instead, take control of the messaging and talk positive.
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Weekly Leader Moment (5/9/21): Happy Mother’s Day!
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Weekly Leader Moment (5/2/21):
Focus on the process, not just the result. Encourage a learning culture that challenges the “way we do it” each and every time.
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Weekly Leader Moment (4/25/21):
Leaders provide a vision and purpose for the goals and then support and encouragement for the journey. How are you doing at regularly providing these for your team?
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Weekly Leader Moment (4/18/21):
We’ve all had moments when we rushed to judgment and put our foot in our mouth. People generally behave in a way that is logical based on their circumstances. Take some time to learn more before judging them.
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Weekly Leader Moment (4/11/21):
Reframe mistakes as “learning moments”. They are opportunities to teach, grow, and move forward better than before, but only if shared and discussed in the open. Foster a culture of psychological safety to encourage it.
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Weekly Leader Moment (4/4/21):
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Weekly Leader Moment (3/28/21): Regardless of the circumstances, don’t give away your power. You always have control of your attitude, effort, and actions. Leverage what you can control.
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Weekly Leader Moment (3/21/21): Spring is the season of growth and new beginnings. For yourself and your team, be an agent of optimism and opportunity.
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Weekly Leader Moment (3/14/21):
UVa had just become the first #1 seed to lose to a #16 seed in an embarrassing loss. But Bennett used that adversity. The next year they won their first ever NCAA championship. Are you learning to use adversity the right way? How are you helping your team use adversity this year?
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Weekly Leader Moment (3/7/21): Playing the victim will paralyze you and undermine your culture. Help your team weed out victim language and choose to deal productively with what you can control.
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Weekly Leader Moment (2/28/21): Which will you choose, to be intentional about daily incremental improvement or to allow daily acts of neglect?
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Weekly Leader Moment (2/21/21):
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Weekly Leader Moment (2/14/21):
Be a “cheer” leader this week by encouraging and influencing the best potential outcomes, regardless of the circumstances.
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Weekly Leader Moment (2/7/21):
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Weekly Leader Moment (1/31/21): Too often values are developed at the highest level and simply forced down. They also need to be pushed back up, as all employees hold the leaders accountable to the values. If you aren’t comfortable being challenged about how your actions fit the values, then your values are just words.
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Weekly Leader Moment (1/24/21): Are you building bridges to help others reach their goals?
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Weekly Leader Moment (1/17/21): This week, make kindness and respect your tools of choice.
Opinions and emotions are likely to run hot. Recognize that you can be an ignitor or a diffuser. Effective leaders understand the long-term implications of each.
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Weekly Leader Moment (1/10/21):
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Weekly Leader Moment (1/3/21):
Be intentional about this year. What do you want to be different about you at the end of the year. Now what will you do to make it happen?
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Weekly Leader Moment (12/27/20): Take time this week to reflect and plan to be intentional about 2021.
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Weekly Leader Moment (12/20/20): Instead of focusing on your losses from 2020, this week count your blessings. Happy Holidays!
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Weekly Leader Moment (12/13/20): Commit to leadership development in 2021.
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Weekly Leader Moment (12/6/20): Tap into new viewpoints this week.
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Weekly Leader Moment (11/29/20): Keep the gratitude going!
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Weekly Leader Moment (11/22/20):
Don’t let 2020 paralyze you. Take control. Be intentional and move in the direction of your goals.
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Weekly Leader Moment (11/15/20): What will your legacy be? Focus on people.
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Weekly Leader Moment (11/8/20): During periods of uncertainty, increase communication.
It’s counterintuitive when you don’t have the answers, but absence of communication only increases anxiety. Let people know what you know and what you are doing, even when you don’t have answers. Talk it out, and let them do the same.
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Weekly Leader Moment (11/1/20): Strive to be known for your principles, not your personality.
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Weekly Leader Moment (10/25/20): Communicate the “why” behind your decisions and actions.
It takes extra time, but it can mean the difference between half-hearted compliance and meaningful engagement. The former gets you minimum requirements, the latter gets you discretionary effort. Not only will they understand the reasoning and be better equipped to make judgment calls themselves, but by taking the time to explain the “why” you show that you care about them.
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Weekly Leader Moment (10/18/20): It’s been a difficult year, and most people are struggling in one way or another. As leaders, we can have a positive influence by exercising empathy, assuming positive intent, and extending grace. Check yourself this week. Who on your team needs these?
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Weekly Leader Moment (10/11/20): You can’t lead if you can’t trust.
I recently heard a leader say he didn’t trust the people on his team. But he didn’t have to say it; his actions showed it, and his team responded in kind.
When you don’t trust, your people pick up on it and act accordingly. And your influence is limited. Trust is critical in any relationship, and leadership is no different.
Extend trust and build trust. Your leadership depends on it.
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Weekly Leader Moment (10/4/20): Provide people all the data they need to make good decisions.
Too often leaders fall into the trap of hoarding information, either due to a power trip, not recognizing the value to others, or just neglect.
But in a knowledge economy, we need people to bring their heads and hearts to work. Decisions need to be made closest to the impact and the customer. The way that happens is to push data and information down the hierarchy.
Turn people loose with the knowledge and information to make good front-line decisions and watch the power that is unleased!
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Weekly Leader Moment (9/27/20): “When you give someone confidence, their work will be better and everyone benefits.”
Leaders often focus too much time on correction, and even with development we focus more on challenging. Yet instilling confidence is a multiplier for the person and everyone around them.
This week, focus on giving confidence to those on your team. An encouraging word, an observation about their progress and contribution, a word of appreciation for their effort and the importance of what they do.
Create the confidence multiplier on your team.
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Weekly Leader Moment (9/20/20): People on your team are struggling, even if they appear to be coping. There’s always more to the story. Be empathetic this week.
That may mean going a level deeper with your questions and interest, or spending more time listening, or looking for signs of stress and anxiety.
Great leaders are empathetic and caring, creating a safety net for people on the team. Be that leader this week.
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Weekly Leader Moment (9/13/20): “What did you learn?”
Powerful words that force reflection and deeper thought. Leaders need to use this question more often with their team, and with themselves.
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Weekly Leader Moment (9/6/20): Lead with constructive criticism, but follow it with optimism for improvement. You can’t neglect the problem, but the goal is to inspire the potential within them.
Address the issue, but express the potential. Ultimately you want to give people a reputation to live up to.
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Weekly Leader Moment (8/30/20): Don’t change your goals while on the uphill leg.
When I set out for a run, I typically have a goal in mind: a time, a distance, a training element to work on. But then it gets tough, on a hot day when you hit that uphill section and your legs start aching and your lungs burn. I get tempted to reduce my goals, cut back a bit. Maybe a little slower is okay this time. Maybe I won’t go as far. Maybe I’ll walk this section.
Everything worth pursuing has its challenges. The uphill sections will come. Changing your goals or mission – making the decision to compromise – while on the uphill leg brings regret in the end. Fighting through the challenges builds grit, and brings a sense of accomplishment.
Anticipate the uphill leg, and commit to sticking with your goals.
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Weekly Leader Moment (8/23/20): Focus on a goal or subject regularly and it becomes second nature. You begin to see the world through that lens.
For me, it leadership lessons. People ask me how I find leadership material to share so regularly, but the reality is at this point I see most things through a leadership lens. Everything I see, hear or read reveals leadership applications to me. In the beginning it was hard, but now it is second nature.
What do you need to be focusing on more regularly to develop a lens?
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Weekly Leader Moment (8/16/20): Reach out to encourage and inspire someone. They likely need it more than you know. Go beyond yourself and be intentional about others this week.
Leaders often focus on the strategic and tactical more than the inspirational, and when we do step into inspiration it centers on groups, departments, teams.
You can never overestimate the potential impact of investing in someone personally, encouraging and inspiring them to greatness beyond their own perceived limitations. And now as much as ever you may be helping someone more than you know.
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Weekly Leader Moment (8/9/20): “We judge other people by their actions, while we judge ourselves by our intentions.” – Chris Hodges
Put a “10” on everyone from the outset. You’ll be amazed at how they live up to it.
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Weekly Leader Moment (8/2/20):
Leaders are under constant scrutiny. Don’t expect to influence others if you allow your behavior to drift from your values, even if only an occasional exception. Our actions speak much louder than our words, and people are watching.
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Weekly Leader Moment (7/26/20): Instead of blindly trusting your intuition, challenge it.
Your intuition or “gut” also carries with it all of your biases and limits. It begs you to stay in your comfort zone and to recognize and follow known patterns.
By challenging your “gut”, you force new lines of thinking, stepping out of your comfort zone into new patterns and diversity of ideas.
This week, challenge your intuition. Force yourself to test new ideas, to see the opposite viewpoint, to step out of your comfort zone. It’s not about being unnecessarily reckless, but instead being open to learning and experiencing something that will make you uncomfortable and will help you expand and grow.
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Weekly Leader Moment (7/19/20):
Immediate, positive, and certain rewards are the most powerful for establishing and maintaining behavior.
In the Aubrey Daniels book “Bringing Out the Best In People”, he talks about this concept of consequences and motivation. And yet so often leaders choose delayed, negative and uncertain consequences. Understanding the difference and putting it to appropriate use can make a huge difference in bringing out the best in your people.
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Weekly Leader Moment (7/12/20):
“If you lead well except for a few annoying habits, you don’t lead well. Attention to detail differentiates professionals from amateurs and artists from craftspeople. It builds integrity.” – Joshua Spodek – Leadership Step By Step
Leaders who think their position allows them the discretion to have bad habits, take liberties, or occasionally act entitled are mistaken. Integrity in leadership is built on the small habits of excellence practiced daily.
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Weekly Leader Moment (7/5/20): The Lion Tamer’s Stool
Where or when do you find your attention divided, distracted by things that don’t support your goals or mission? The lion-tamer’s stool paralyzes the lion with confusion, distracting him enough to allow the tamer to control him.
Stay focused on the important things this week.
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Weekly Leader Moment (6/28/20):
You are who you say you are. What if you started saying “I am a positive, encouraging person” (and actually started to believe it). – Michael Hyatt
This week make sure you inner voice is in line with your values, goals, and desired actions. It will have a huge impact on your outcomes.
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Weekly Leader Moment (6/21/20): Happy Father’s Day!
This week, reflect on the leadership aspects of fatherhood and, if you are a father, where you might look to change to be better in that role going forward.
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Weekly Leader Moment (6/14/20):
“Integrity means that if our private life was suddenly exposed, we’d have no reason to be ashamed or embarrassed. Integrity means our outward life is consistent with our inner convictions.” – BillyGraham
Are you living a life of integrity?
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Weekly Leader Moment (6/7/20): Real Leadership
Real leadership unites, inspires, and creates a vision of hope.
I’d like to think this is a well-known axiom, yet more and more it seems we support leadership that divides and blames, that values people for their contributions and beliefs instead of their humanity, and that feeds victimhood instead of lifting everyone up to be better.
We need real leadership. Will you answer the call?
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Weekly Leader Moment (5/31/20):
In times of uncertainty, give people a purpose, control, and action-now steps.
Connecting to a purpose they can believe in gives people a reason to move forward amid ambiguity. Giving them some level of control creates buy-in. Outlining steps to take right now builds the path to momentum and recovery.
As we return to work and “life”, there are new rules and inconveniences, uncertainty about risks, differences in how those around us are affected and respond. Leaders can provide purpose – reasons, or the “why” for what we need to do moving forward, control – using listening and empathy skills to help adapt plans through stakeholder input, and action-now steps – what we can do today and this week to move forward productively.
Think about purpose, control, and action-now steps to communicate and collaborate with your team on this week.
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Weekly Leader Moment (5/24/20):
See the potential in everyone you meet. (Click to Tweet)
Politics divides us, pandemics cause us to see each other as physical threats, and social media and self-focus lead us to devalue others or not notice them at all.
But each of us is uniquely made, has a unique perspective and purpose, and has potential for something extraordinary.
This week, see people for more than their appearance and your biases. See them as fellow humans with vast potential, just like you.
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Weekly Leader Moment (5/17/20):
Don’t let perfection prevent progress. (Click to Tweet)
Things don’t need to be perfect before you can move forward. Sometimes it’s better to get moving with “adequate” or “good enough”. In many cases, “adequate” serves to show you where to make your next adjustment, but you won’t know until you begin doing.
If you have been stalling your progress on a goal or idea waiting for it to be just right, get moving forward with “right enough”. Progress is better than paralysis, even if it’s not perfect.
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Weekly Leader Moment (5/10/20):
Appreciate mothers today.
Appreciate all the people in your life this week, both personal and professional.
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Weekly Leader Moment (5/3/20):
Everyone’s journey is unique. Respect their individual perspective and help them through their trials. (Click to Tweet)
Some have settled into the “new normal” and embraced it, while others wrestle daily with the struggles it brings. Some have seen little or no personal impact from the disease, others have personal stories of sickness and death. Some have continued with life and work with little interruption, others are dealing with unemployment, wage loss, or the threat of economic disaster. Some are comfortable with the uncertainty, others in perpetual anxiety.
Each person brings a different background and perspective to the current crisis and each is impacted differently. Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum, don’t expect others to be in the same place.
Leaders recognize that each person they serve is an individual with a unique perspective. They listen, show empathy, and work to help people process and get through their struggles.
Lead with empathy this week. Help people however you can.
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Weekly Leader Moment (4/26/20):
Don’t ascribe motives to others’ words and actions. Intentions are invisible, and you don’t know what they are going through. (Click to Tweet)
This is particularly important now, as each of us processes what is happening through our own lens, and no one is affected in the same way.
Extend grace and assume good intent.
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Weekly Leader Moment (4/19/20):
Replace “Have to” with “Get to” this week. Reframing our mindset can make all the difference. What do you “get to” do today? (Click to Tweet)
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Weekly Leader Moment (4/12/20):
“The Sherpa is healthy enough to climb, but focused on others.” – Jeremie Kubicek
Leadership, inherently, focuses on others. But good leaders ensure they take the time on themselves to be healthy enough to lead others well. (Click to Tweet)
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Weekly Leader Moment (4/5/20):
“It looked good when it left the gun!” (Click to Tweet)
That’s what a former artillery soldier once told me was the running joke when they were off target with their round. It has profound lessons in communication.
When we miss our mark with our communication – they didn’t understand, follow the direction, get the meaning or impact, or they ask for clarification – we can get frustrated and tend to think of the issue on their end. After all, we said it, it should have been clear, what’s the problem? It looked good when it left the gun!
But the burden of communication rests first and foremost on the sender, not the target. We need to understand our audience: what’s important to them, what assumptions and biases they may or may not have, how well they understand the underlying reasons, the concerns they may have or resistance they are likely to express, how they hear and learn.
The gunner’s responsibility is to be on target, not to merely fire the gun. Make sure your communications are well planned and that you seek feedback on how on-target they are, adjusting on your end if they miss the mark.
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Weekly Leader Moment (3/29/20):
Empowerment is not about bestowing our power on others. It’s about creating a climate where their powers are released. How is your culture suited to empower others? (Click to Tweet)
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Weekly Leader Moment (3/22/20):
It’s easy to get consumed by anxiety when you’re social distancing and still hearing what’s going on. You need to be able to talk through your emotions to let your rational brain process the feelings of your emotional brain. Find friends you can talk to every day. Don’t let social distancing equal social isolation. Be physically distancing but socially connecting. (Click to Tweet)
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Weekly Leader Moment (3/15/20):
“Focus on the mission and doing it the right way. Don’t focus on the score.” – Purdue Coach Matt Painter (Click to Tweet)
Maybe because I’m missing March Madness, or maybe because it’s from my alma mater, but I love the message of this quote, said to his team during a timeout when they were up big on an opponent. I think the message has two sides:
- When you are winning, keep focused on the process and don’t let the score allow you to get complacent and lose execution, and
- Even if the result isn’t where you want it yet, stay focused on the mission and execution and the score will catch up for you.
We all have a tendency to get complacent when we are “winning” and discouraged when things aren’t going well. In either case, stay focused on the mission and doing it the right way.
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Weekly Leader Moment (3/8/20):
“Fight for the highest possible good in the lives of those you lead.” – Jeremie Kubicek.
Leaders are responsible for the people who work towards the vision. But those in your care aren’t you “tools” or “resources”. Your responsibility isn’t simply to figure out how best to utilize your “assets” to accomplish the mission. The leader is responsible for creating the environment that enables and fosters everyone to give and be their best possible selves.
As Simon Sinek says, “‘How do I get the most out of my people?’ is a flawed question…A better question to ask is, ‘How do I create an environment in which my people can work to their natural best?'”
Instead of working to find the best utilization and motivation, what if we focused on “fighting for the highest possible good” in their lives. Wouldn’t we ultimately get the best results as well? (Click to Tweet)
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Weekly Leader Moment (3/1/20):
“Whenever you say ‘yes’ to anything, there is less of you for something else. Make sure your ‘yes’ is worth the less.” – Louie Giglio (Click to Tweet)
Time is a zero-sum game, and you need to focus on the things that only you can do or that are your responsibility. Anything else has to be worth the “less”.
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Weekly Leader Moment (2/23/20):
Three key elements of a compelling vision:
1) Significant Purpose
2) A Picture of the Future
3) Clear Values
“Leadership is about going somewhere. If you and your people don’t know where you are going, your leadership doesn’t matter.” – Ken Blanchard
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Weekly Leader Moment (2/16/20):
Leaders rarely show their appreciation or gratitude enough. Maybe it’s uncomfortable, maybe we think it will derail the behavior, or maybe we are just not in tune with it. We can and should change that.
Be an authentic STAR in your appreciation:
• Specific – what and why
• Timely – as soon as practical
• Appropriate – in a way they will appreciate
• Repeated – don’t withhold; do it often
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Weekly Leader Moment (2/9/20):
To help others grow in judgment and learn good decision-making skills, make your process transparent. Talk it out and let them see what you do and use to evaluate. Let them see your process. (Click to Tweet)
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Weekly Leader Moment (2/2/20):
“Most people need consistency more than they need intensity.” – James Clear (Click to Tweet)
Where do you need to stop intermittent intensity and replace it with consistency? Make the commitment and adjustments this week.
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Weekly Leader Moment (1/26/20):
When you move into a new leadership role, recognize that the people you lead are likely better at their job than you are at yours.
You haven’t “arrived”, you’ve just started up a new learning curve. (Click to Tweet)
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Weekly Leader Moment (1/19/20):
Be-Say-Do.
Start with clarity on what you believe.
Then ensure your actions align with your beliefs.
Then clearly communicate your beliefs to those you lead.
Is there alignment in your Be-Do-Say?
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Weekly Leader Moment (1/12/20):
What is everyone thinking but no one is saying? (Click to Tweet)
No matter how open your culture is, there will always be rumors and unspoken concerns, thoughts, and questions that don’t get to the upper leadership. What are you doing to help surface those?
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Weekly Leader Moment (1/5/20):
None of us in leadership are immune to being “tragically mute” nor are we so aware that we recognize each time we are about to make a big mistake, whether ethically or otherwise.
We all need to do two important things here:
1) Commit to providing real feedback to bosses when we see something that doesn’t look right, and
2) Continue to encourage our teams to provide that kind of feedback to us.
Both need to be reiterated often, and we need a culture where it is both safe and welcome. Will you commit to these in the new year?
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Weekly Leader Moment (12/29/19):
”It is great to be introspective, self-analysis can be useful, but only if it results in action.” —Joe Sacco (Click to Tweet)
This is the season to reflect and make resolutions, which is good. But only if it also results in action, and best when it’s sustainable action or lasting change.
How will you ensure that your self-reflections and resolutions will result in real action and change?
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Weekly Leader Moment (12/22/19):
“Givers succeed in a way that creates a ripple effect, enhancing the success of the people around them.” – Adam Grant, Give and Take
It’s the giving season, but Givers have a giving mentality all the time. Life provides ample opportunities to pitch in or offer support. While Takers see giving as a zero-sum activity, and Matchers look for for balance with an obligation to reciprocate, Givers have an abundance mentality.
Work on developing a Giver mentality year-round, not to be taken advantage of, but to create ripples for those around you.
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Weekly Leader Moment (12/15/19):
The wise gardener knows each plant requires different care to thrive. The wise leader is no different. (Click to Tweet)
Do you read the tags on the plants you buy, or just put plant them and hope for the best? To get good results, you need to understand the sun, water, and food requirements for each plant.
How about your leadership? Do you give your people the employee handbook and their job description and wish them luck? To get the best results, you need to understand each employee and their needs – what makes them tick. Then you provide leadership tailored to them.
People are at least as unique as plants. Treat them the same and some will excel while other fail. Take the time to learn how to treat them individually and all can grow and flourish in your organization.
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Weekly Leader Moment (12/8/19):
Sowing always precedes reaping. Don’t expect a good harvest until you have put the time into cultivating. (Click to Tweet)
Too often we expect results with people, culture, or processes without first investing enough in sowing and cultivating. Each plant needs different treatment, and only weeds need nothing to grow.
If you aren’t getting the harvest you expected to reap, is it the fault of the various plants or the fault of the green thumb caring for them?
Where do you need to invest energy in cultivating this week?
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Weekly Leader Moment (12/1/19):
Match Honesty with Courtesy: Honesty, when delivered with brutality, tears trust down…Honesty doesn’t build trust unless it is also delivered with tact and courtesy. (Click to Tweet)
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Weekly Leader Moment (11/24/19):
The absence of feedback is worse than negative or constructive feedback. Give people the information and opportunity to improve. (Click to Tweet)
It may be uncomfortable and difficult to give feedback, but it’s selfish as a leader to withhold it. You can’t expect change or improvement if you don’t provide the feedback.
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Weekly Leader Moment (11/17/19):
“Argue as if you are right and listen as if you are wrong.” Put another way, develop strong opinions but be open to new inputs and change of mind.
Leaders need to act decisively when the time comes and need to be passionate about their vision, ideas and direction, but not so much that they aren’t open to the wisdom of the collective team, nor unable to hear or accept new inputs.
For success, strike the right balance.
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Weekly Leader Moment (11/10/19):
A promotion in leadership usually means that now the people working for you are better at their jobs than you are at yours. Take your responsibility for leadership development seriously. You haven’t “arrived”, you’ve just begun.
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Weekly Leader Moment (11/3/19):
A big part of improving empathy is learning how to see ourselves from the outside and to see others from the inside. (Click to Tweet)
It’s easy to see ourselves from the inside – where we know our intent, where our actions make perfect sense, where we make the best decisions based on the information we have.
It’s easy to see others from the outside, our normal viewpoint – where we interpret intent from our perspective, where their actions are viewed through our biases, where decisions may or may not be good from our view.
Empathy requires the hard work of seeing from someone else’s perspective – how they view us, and how they view their own actions and decisions.
Learning to do that can make all the difference for good leadership.
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Weekly Leader Moment (10/27/19):
“Empathy is one of humankind’s prized possessions. Acts of consideration and kindness are inevitable when a person can mentally step into someone else’s shoes. Even if it’s just for a moment.”― Izey Victoria Odiase
Good management teaching focuses on being pragmatic. Achieve the numbers, make the tough decisions, it’s not personal – it’s business.
People don’t respond to or get inspired by good management teaching.
Good leadership recognizes that pragmatism has to be balanced by empathy. It’s truth with love. It’s business with compassion. It is personal. (Click to Tweet)
If you want to engage the heads and hands, you have to touch the hearts. Until you recognize that and put it into practice, you will at best achieve managed results, never leadership with inspired followers.
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Weekly Leader Moment (10/20/19):
It’s the antidote to Lencioni’s 2nd dysfunction (Fear of Conflict) and one of Feiner’s Laws – embrace conflict around ideas. (Click to Tweet)
When we fear and avoid conflict, the team suffers. Ideas aren’t heard and refined, buy-in isn’t attained, accountability is artificial, and results suffer.
Are you avoiding and stifling conflict to create artificial harmony, or modeling and mining for healthy conflict? Your ability to embrace conflict as the leader will determine the success of your team.
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Weekly Leader Moment (10/13/19):
Be intentional about expressing gratitude. (Click to Tweet)
Most leaders think they express gratitude to people on their team. Prove it. This week, express gratitude to someone on your team every day. Be specific about what you appreciate as well as why (the impact it had). It’s more than politeness, it’s gratitude for a specific act that had an impact on you or the team.
Then hold yourself accountable. Pick someone who you will email or text at the end of the day with the details. Make sure they call you out if you forget.
You may find it harder than you thought it would be. But as you do it more and more, it will become a habit as you start to see people through a gratitude filter.
Will you take up the challenge?
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Weekly Leader Moment (10/6/19):
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always try just one more time.” – Thomas A. Edison
What, or who, do you need to stick with or work with again this week? (Click to Tweet)
Maybe it’s an initiative that just can’t seem to get legs. Maybe it’s a team member who continues to revert to destructive behaviors. Maybe it’s a habit you can’t seem to kick or one you can’t stick with.
If you are passionate about leading others, take up Edison’s advice. Keep after your goals; stick with that challenging employee; persevere through the difficulties one more time. Then do it again.
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Weekly Leader Moment (9/29/19):
“It’s substance and character, not style, that determine followership.” – Michael Feiner.
Worry less about emulating charismatic leaders and more about being an authentic leader, displaying character, focused on results.
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Weekly Leader Moment (9/22/19):
Become a leader worth following. It’s a journey, not a destination. (Click to Tweet)
You’ve probably heard the phrase “Be a leader worth following”, and that is certainly a noble thought. But being a leader worth following isn’t something you “are” as much as it is something you continually work on.
Continue to challenge yourself with the questions, “What does a leader worth following do?” and “What do my followers need?”, and work to make that your mission in development and execution. That requires a consistent track record of character, trust-building, and results.
Make sure your leadership journey is a goal, not a destination. It’s about your followers and what you are doing to continue to be worth their followership.
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Weekly Leader Moment (9/15/19):
Praise effort, not ability. (Click to Tweet)
When you praise ability, you create a have-it or don’t-have-it fixed mindset that leads to people protecting their image and struggling with failure. They don’t want to be perceived as no longer having that ability, so they take fewer risks.
When you praise effort, you imply a growth mindset where hard work and dedication is the goal. Risk-taking and failure are more acceptable and part of the process, as is learning and progressing.
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Weekly Leader Moment (9/8/19)
Don’t let minor ethical lapses shape your culture. It’s a slippery slope. Call them out early and set the boundaries. (Click to Tweet)
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Weekly Leader Moment (9/1/19)
This law may seem counter-intuitive in a zero-sum work environment, especially if your work isn’t directly dependent on your peer’s. Keep the long view in mind instead and support your peers. It shows commitment to the corporate goals, shows character, and builds reputation and trust. (Click to Tweet)
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Weekly Leader Moment (8/25/19)
Diffusion of responsibility can kill results. Leaders combat it by working to create a culture of personal accountability and ownership where, instead of people thinking “someone else will take care of that”, they think “that’s my job.” (Click to Tweet)
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Weekly Leader Moment (8/18/19)
If your mantra is “don’t bring me problems, bring me solutions”, you’re setting yourself up for learning about issues late in the game. Valuable time for intervention and help is lost as your team tries to resolve it without help. Make sure your culture is a safe place to bring problems to the leader and group early. Bad news doesn’t get better with age. (Click to Tweet)
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Weekly Leader Moment (8/11/19)
Take steps every day towards your goals. It’s a journey of incremental improvements that starts today. (Click to Tweet)
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Weekly Leader Moment (8/4/19)
Hanlon’s Razor: “Never attribute to malice which can be adequately explained by stupidity.”
It’s rarely personal; it’s not about you. You’ll have less stress and bitterness if you realize you are the unintended victim rather than the intended target. (Click to Tweet)
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Weekly Leader Moment (7/28/19)
From Michael Feiner’s “The Feiner Points of Leadership” comes his Laws for Leading Bosses. You may not think about leading upwardly, but when you consider leadership as influence, you have plenty of opportunity to lead your boss.
The key, regardless of the type of boss you have, is to be committed to their success. You need to push back when appropriate, protect from blind spots, and perform to the betterment of the boss and team. Whether they deserve it or not, never undermine them or treat them like a fool. (Click to Tweet)
Following these guidelines will lead to a better environment, lower stress, and more success.
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Weekly Leader Moment (7/21/19)
Avoid unnecessary discussion and get to the heart of the matter more quickly, as well as ensure everyone is on board with supporting the final path, by utilizing thumb votes.
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Weekly Leader Moment (7/14/19)
We think our systems and culture are good, so it’s bad people the mess things up. In reality, our systems and culture are the problem, giving results we should expect. Work on those. (Click to Tweet)
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Weekly Leader Moment (7/7/19)
The theory of “broken windows” also applies to your organizational culture at work. When people start to sense no one is going to fix them, they stop caring and disengage.
It is likely you have some “broken windows” in your departments or organization that are impacting your culture. Are there people who are allowed to get away with poor performance? Others who treat people unprofessionally without repercussions? Are there back-channel politics and discussions, including “pre-meetings” and “post-meetings” in order to get things done? Are some people treated as favorites? Others not held accountable?
These types of things can have serious impacts on your overall culture, even if you have just one or two of them. Think about what your cultural “broken windows” may be in your group. Ask others in your group to do the same, and provide safe avenues to bring those issues up. If you don’t identify and fix your cultural broken windows your culture will continue to suffer, and no amount of training or change will fix it without addressing them.
Talk about your culture and the “broken windows” you may have, and then start consistently fixing them. (Click to Tweet)
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Weekly Leader Moment (6/30/19)
There are some things you have control over. There are more things you only have influence over, and even more that you can neither control nor influence. Make sure you recognize the differences.
Worrying over things you can’t control only brings unnecessary stress. Where you can only influence, give it your best effort and then let it go. You can’t make people do things, you can only influence them, and your influence is limited by your abilities and efforts but also by their thoughts and desires.
This week, let go of things you can neither control nor influence, and be ready to let go of things you can only influence once you have given it the appropriate effort. (Click to Tweet)
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Weekly Leader Moment (6/23/19)
“Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to.” Richard Branson
People want to feel appreciated, want to contribute to something worthwhile, and want to continue to grow and develop. These are all things the leader is largely responsible for. If you invest in your people, you make them more valuable. But if you treat them well, they will use their value within your company.
Are you being intentional about developing your people and showing them that you care about them personally? (Click to Tweet)
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Weekly Leader Moment (6/16/19)
Do you make things happen or do things happen to you? Understanding “locus of control” can help you grow as a leader and help you lead others better. (Click to Tweet) Locus of Control refers to the extent to which you believe you control what happens to you.
Internal locus of control = I am in control of what happens to me. It leads to the belief that if I work hard I can achieve my goals, because the outcome is the result of my actions.
External locus of control = I am at the mercy of things out of my control. It can lead to feeling like a victim, blaming others, or leaving things to chance, because the outcome is not directly related to what I do.
The reality is that neither is completely accurate. We typically neither fully control the outcome nor are completely at the mercy of circumstance or others. However, having an internal locus of control tends to lead to taking more action, better planning, working harder to achieve things, more happiness and fulfillment, and so forth. The mere mindset of feeling you have control can lead to identification and actions that promotes success!
Be conscientious of your locus of control this week, and that of those you work with. Try to lean towards being internal and encourage others to see where they can have an impact on outcomes. It may change your outcome!
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Weekly Leader Moment (6/9/19)
Much is said about the difference between management and leadership. But Michael Feiner (The Feiner Points of Leadership) notes that one is not better than the other – both are necessary – but that they are different parts of the job.
He says, “Management activity produces predictability, consistency, and control, things that every organization requires to perform well”.
Leadership, on the other hand, “produces change and adaptability” by centering on mission and vision and staying relevant, focusing on courage, purpose, commitment, accountability, and a sense of values.
Both are required, and in fact “Management without leadership leads to organizations that are insular and bureaucratic and myopic and slow-moving”, while leadership without management “is equally dangerous, producing the cultlike, chaotic environment of the classic dot.com start-ups.”
Where do you tend to focus your efforts? What can you do to ensure you both manage and lead? (Click to Tweet)
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Weekly Leader Moment (6/2/19)
A few months ago, David Marquet talked about the “warm handshake” in his weekly Nudge and the impact it has when you get face to face with people. It doesn’t just apply to manufacturing and the client; it’s also a good reminder to us as leaders. When we sit at our desks and fire out emails, the impact of our words (both positive and negative) can get muted or distorted. We don’t have to worry so much about how they are received or the impact they will have on people. Make sure that you get out daily and talk to people on your teams in the field. Show your appreciation in person. Deliver difficult news in person. Ask the tough questions or give the tough answers in person. Never underestimate the difference between an email and an in-person discussion. That’s the power of a warm handshake.
Where do you need to be making a personal appearance this week?
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Weekly Leader Moment (5/26/19)
The importance of knowing your people – To really lead well, you need to know your people. It creates trust, understanding, and the type of customized leadership needed to influence on a personal level. Furthermore, you have probably heard the line “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”.
I recently hear a challenge from Bill Treasurer to spend 15 minutes per month getting to know your people and their dreams. 15 minutes per month. That sounds really easy and doable, yet how intentional are you at doing it? Are you waiting for the right organic moment, or are you picking someone out and creating the moment?
When you do, ask them about their family, their hobbies, what they would love to do if they had the resources, where they want to go on vacation, etc. Afterwards, write down what you learned so you don’t forget. The goal isn’t to learn how to manipulate people, but rather to better lead them, applying the Platinum Rule: Treat others the way they want to be treated. You can’t apply the Rule unless you know them. Ask yourself the question Bill asked, “Are you the leader your people deserve?”
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Weekly Leader Moment (5/19/19)
We tend to attribute peoples’ behaviors to character qualities instead of to external factors (aka, fundamental attribution error), but more often then not, it is external things that affect how we act. We don’t know what people are going through, and they may be going through something really difficult that affects them deeply.
So instead of assuming that someone is a bad person or a jerk for treating you poorly or acting in a bad way, give them the benefit of doubt. Make an effort to show them respect and kindness, even if unearned or undeserved, because you never know what they may be going through.
“Be kind. Everyone is fighting a hard battle.”
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Weekly Leader Moment (5/12/19)
I recently heard it said by a client that “relationships fall apart with surprises” (Click to Tweet). Understanding why surprises are so harmful can teach us some good lessons.
First, in business, people want predictability. It doesn’t matter if the surprise is a good one or a bad one, people don’t like surprises because they need to predict risks and results.
Secondly, surprises undermine trust and credibility. Our reputations depend on us living up to our word – doing what we say we will do – and surprises tend to run counter to what we led them to expect.
Finally, surprises often come after we let things go too long without intervening or getting help. Bad news doesn’t get better with age. Relationships and trust are built on being transparent, not on controlling the message, and often when we try to do the latter we end up with a surprise at the end.
Being transparent about small problems can help to mitigate big surprises later. In the coming week, think about some of your key relationships at work. Are you someone who brings transparency, creates consistency, and builds trust in those relationships, or are you more likely to be known for the surprises you deliver?
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Weekly Leader Moment (5/5/19)
“Experience is not the best teacher…EVALUATED experience is the best teacher.” – John C. Maxwell. (Click to Tweet)
We may not have to learn every lesson the “hard way”, but experience truly does teach us in a way watching and reading never can. Experiences, both positive and negative, are rich learning opportunities. But as today’s quote says, we only really learn if we take time to evaluate our experiences. Make sure you take time each day, each week, and periodically over longer periods of time to evaluate your experiences. What can you learn from them? What will you change as a result of those experiences? How are you or will you be different? Don’t let experience go to waste. Evaluate and learn.
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Weekly Leader Moment (4/28/19)
In John Maxwell’s “21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership”, #21 is The Law of Legacy. The Law states “A leader’s lasting value is measured by succession”. He talks about the idea of a “life sentence” where you write a statement summarizing the goal and purpose of your life. For many, leaving a legacy or even a succession on the job is not high on the list. For many as they age in the job or in life, the idea of legacy becomes more important. Maxwell’s steps include:
- Know the legacy you want to leave – Here’s where the “life sentence” or thinking about how you want people to remember you is useful.
- Live the legacy you want to leave – You can’t just write your legacy, you have to live it so that other’s will write it for you.
- Choose who will carry on your legacy – Invest in people so that your work, on the job and in life, arries on after you leave.
- Make sure you pass the baton – Be intentional and also be clear about what you are doing.
He finishes with the idea that “You and I will be judged by how well the people we invested in carried on after we are gone.” Are you being intentional about your legacy at work and in life? (Click to Tweet) When you leave, will there be a big vacuum left behind or will your work be carried on through those you invest in?
Spend some time this week thinking about your desires and “life sentence” relative to legacy, and then write out a plan to ensure they happen. If your current actions and reputation don’t support the legacy you want to leave, include in your plan what changes you need to make to correct that. Finally, who will you invest in to carry on your legacy?
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Weekly Leader Moment (4/21/19)
Author and speaker Ty Bennett conveys the idea that “value precedes influence”. He encourages us to invest in people to get commitment, not just compliance. Investing in people leads to reciprocating behavior where they invest in you. That is the engine behind value preceding influence. In order to lead and influence others, you first need to invest in others. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care, but when they see your motives are “serving” instead of “self-serving” and that you care enough to invest in them, to add value to them, they will allow you to influence them as well. So if you are struggling to get buy-in and commitment from your team or individuals, focus on adding value instead of on forcing influence. Show you care, that your motives are pure and in alignment with the success of the organization, and that you are investing in them, and commitment will follow. Value precedes influence. (Click to Tweet)
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Weekly Leader Moment (4/14/19)
We’ve all seen weather vanes moving around with the wind direction. They have no ability to “decide” in which direction they will point, completely at the mercy of the current breeze and changing with it. Some leaders have a reputation for weathervaning. You never know what’s important to them, they change directions frequently, and their behaviors and moods are at the mercy of the current circumstances. That creates an environment that leaves people guessing, that breeds politics, that reduces input and real debate, and other negative impacts. If people need to “check the wind” before they approach you or they only bring up contentious subjects when you are in the right mood, you are likely a weathervaner. The same can be said if people can sway your opinion without challenge or debate, and then it sways a different direction when the next person comes in your office.
Consistency in leadership plays an important role in building stability, safety, and trust within the team. When people know our values, where we want to go, and how we will behave, that predictability removes uncertainty. Instead of a weathervane, we become the compass that always points to true north. Are you a compass or a weathervane? (Click to Tweet)
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Weekly Leader Moment (4/7/19)
In John C Maxwell’s book “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership”, Law #20 is The Law of Explosive Growth. The Law says that “to add growth, lead followers – to multiply, lead leaders”. Early on, most leaders develop followers, working to influence those on your team to perform at their best. That can create growth, but only one person at a time. And as he points out, we often fall into the trap work spending too much time with our lowest-performing followers trying to improve them, which further hampers the speed of growth. Developing leaders takes intention and is difficult, but “leaders who develop leaders multiply their organization’s growth, because for every leader they develop, they also receive the value of all of that leader’s followers.” He also talks about the following:
- If you develop yourself, you can experience personal success.
- If you develop a team, your organization can experience growth.
- If you develop leaders, your organization can achieve explosive growth.
Where is your focus? Are you focused on personal growth? Are you developing followers? If so, ask yourself why. “Are you someone who needs to be needed, focuses on the bottom 20 percent, tries to treat everyone the same, or isn’t strategic about investing in others?” What do you need to change in order to start focusing on growing leaders?
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Weekly Leader Moment (3/31/19)
Companies often refer to their “core values”. More often than not these are aspirational values, not yet core to the culture. It’s okay to list aspirational values as core values, but make sure you make the distinction. For example, if you have a core value of being the “putting our people first” but the evidence doesn’t support that it has become a core part of culture yet, you run the risk of being hypocritical or not having credibility. On the other hand, talking about an aspirational value like “putting your people first” as a value or goal that you are working on can build credibility and enlist your employees in the effort. Core values not realized are demotivating or worse. Aspirational values are visions people can believe in. Make sure people understand the difference with your values. (Click to tweet)
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Weekly Leader Moment (3/24/19)
If you want to find a world of false dilemmas, just turn on talk radio or TV news. As leaders, it is critical that we don’t allow ourselves to become boxed in by the false dilemma. When someone presents to you a choice with limited options, it may be because they haven’t thought it through, or maybe they are intentionally limiting your options (although there are other possibilities here as well ;-)). Regardless, good leaders recognize the false dilemma when it shows up and helps the team discover new options and ideas (click to Tweet).
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Weekly Leader Moment (3/17/19)
Too often leaders fear showing their weaknesses. It’s the reason why leaders often suffer from “smartest person in the room” syndrome that represses creativity and communication on their teams. If you really care about getting feedback, new ideas, and real debate around solutions, consider asking “dumb” questions (click to Tweet). Be comfortable modeling this behavior and showing vulnerability with your teams. When you ask a question, even a “dumb” one, you get people talking about things they might otherwise be assuming or suppressing. You force people to challenge assumptions and to think out loud, tapping into the collective thinking of the group. Ask those questions, and then have the discipline to refrain from answering. Listen, encourage, and ask follow-up questions.
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Weekly Leader Moment (3/10/19)
Leaders need to hold people accountable for behaviors, not just results (click to Tweet). Focusing on results is easy, but can send the wrong message. How you get there influences how your team will behave in the future, and reflects on what you value as important. Results often come at the expense of people and at the compromise of your values unless the leader is willing to step in. The ends don’t justify the means. Are you too quick to excuse poor behavior on the way to a good result?
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Weekly Leader Moment (3/3/19)
We’ve all heard the term “lessons learned” referring to things we’ve picked up from experiences. In reality, though, many of these are really “lessons identified”. Most organizations are pretty good at “lessons identified”. They can figure out what events are worthy of investigating further, they can come up with some corrective actions or best practices, and can even communicate those through the organization. But what is the difference between something that is identified (and even communicated) versus something learned? As we identify lessons or hear about “lessons learned” from others, they are useless unless we are really learning from them and making changes. In fact, a lesson identified – but then the mistake repeated – is likely worse than a lesson never identified. How will you make sure you are really learning and changing? – Click to Tweet
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Weekly Leader Moment (2/24/19)
The “Law of Sacrifice” (The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John C Maxwell) states that “A leader must give up to go up”, and talks about the need to sacrifice as you move into and up in leadership. He talks about the “common misperception among people who aren’t leaders that leadership is all about the position, perks, and power”. While all of us have certainly made sacrifices as we have moved up in leadership positions, I think we all can fall into that “common misperception” to some degree. We may start believing we have “arrived” when we take on a new position of authority, what Maxwell calls “destination disease”, even if we have bigger aspirations for the future. We believe that we are now “leader”, as if it is a destination instead of the start of a new and challenging journey. When that happens, we stop sacrificing as much. What are you still willing to sacrifice for your position and your team to keep growing as a leader? Make a commitment today to follow the Law of Sacrifice. – Click to Tweet
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Weekly Leader Moment (2/17/19)
Research reveals that bad leaders extract 31% of your talent; good leaders extract 95%. That means that your role as a leader determines what multiple of engagement you will get with your team (click to Tweet). And remember that activity doesn’t equal accomplishment. Employees can become good at doing tasks and even looking busy, but in a knowledge economy we need real engagement of their minds and hearts. If you are struggling to get everything done with the resources you have, imaging getting as much as three times the effectiveness and engagement from your current team. Maybe you need to work on your leadership instead of your personnel or head count. Even if your potential gap isn’t that high, what are you doing to ensure that your leadership isn’t the bottleneck?
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Weekly Leader Moment (2/10/19)
People resist changes that happen to them but embrace ones that happen with them. As leaders, it’s easy to fall into the trap of going behind closed doors to make a plan and then coming out to proclaim it, but that simply doesn’t work well with teams that are hungry to know the “why” and want to have a voice in what happens to them. We have to take a more collaborative approach or risk not having our teams rowing with us. Think about things that people on your teams are resisting. What can you do to involve them in a restructuring of the initiative to do it with them? How might you apply that to goals and initiatives you have planned this year? How can you change your leadership style to ensure that you involve people in changes going forward?
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Weekly Leader Moment (2/3/19)
We have all heard about SMART goals, and this is the time of year many of you are developing goals for the people on your teams. I encourage you to involve the employees with their goal-setting to make sure you have agreement on whether it is SMART or not. But interestingly, there isn’t agreement in the industry on what SMART stands for. Here are four different sets of words for the acronym:
- Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely
- Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic, Timely
- Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely
- Specific, Motivating, Attainable, Relevant, Trackable
Of these, I think I favor the last set. While “measurable” is certainly important, “trackable” is a suitable replacement. “Motivating”, on the other hand, implies that this is something that you and the employee can get behind, which will inspire better performance on the goal. By working with your employees, you can develop goals that work towards the common plant goals, inspire performance, and ultimately make a difference year over year. Keep that in mind as you work through this task.
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Weekly Leader Moment (1/27/19)
Something that has been studied and proven consistently is that leadership is best developed through practice, not study (click to Tweet). Going through training, reading a book, and similar activities can equip you with new tools for your leadership toolbox, but if you never practice with those tools you won’t be able to use them effectively. In fact, leadership experts Barry Posner and Jim Kouzes (“The Leadership Challenge” and “Learning Leadership”) claim that for most leaders it isn’t a matter of not doing the right things, but simply not doing them enough. Challenge yourself and your teams this week, this month, and this year to put leadership tools into practice. When you learn something new or are reminded of a leadership principle, force yourself and your team to use it in the coming days and to report back on your experiences. Putting to practice new learning reinforces the teaching and allows you to learn how to use it in the real world. As they say, practice makes perfect. What are you practicing this week?
Helping leaders grow, one Moment at a time.