One of the first jobs of a leader is to develop another leader. While it may not seem like a top priority when viewed with all the other tasks coming at you every week, it is critical to your business’s longevity and your sanity, too! If you were simply a manager, that sounds like, “Just […]
One of the key precursors of success in business and in life depends on how well you know yourself, what you value and why you value it. What do I know about leaders? Be… Know… Do… Leaders are all about living their own values, being authentically true to themselves. They know their skill-set strengths and […]
Dan Waldschmidt lists the number one radical belief of super-star business leaders as “Just because you aren’t sure what to do doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do anything.” It’s scary to take a risk. When fear comes calling, the first instinct is for self-preservation, and the result is procrastination. Great ideas never get implemented. Strategic plans […]
Rarely is the path to anything great a straight line devoid of any obstacles or hiccups. At some point along the journey, a curve ball gets thrown at you, and the answer is not obvious about which direction to go. Conventional wisdom doesn’t provide an answer. That is the perfect time for a leader to […]
Most leaders would say, if asked, that their people are their company’s best asset. And if that is true, then it starts with hiring the best people who will be representing you and the company every day to the community. Your team is the company. That makes personnel hiring your top priority. You cannot mess […]
Your business and your team can only grow as high as you have grown yourself. Sure, you can be a poser for a while, but ultimately, you can’t lead someone past where you have gone. Lee Iacocca said, “The speed of the leader, the speed of the team.” So, the fact is: the best leaders […]
“Blessed are the flexible, for they will never be bent out of shape.” I saw this on a bumper sticker once and thought how true that is for leaders—and, what I want out of my employees. Change is the “currency” for leadership. This skill entails: Leading change by example Accepting change as positive Adapting plans […]
“Your job is to leave the organization better than you found it. You are its steward,” states John Addison, and the way to assure that happens is to always be striving for excellence in every area of both your own leadership and your business processes. There must be a discontent with the status quo, or […]
Ready, aim, fire. Leaders need all three of those actions in their portfolio. A lot of Ready is knowing and preparing yourself for action, and a lot of Aiming is in planning and visioning. This blog is about Firing—not people, but firing on actions. Making the call to get something going. Leaders display a bias […]
When I facilitate retreats for organizations and teams, I usually start out by having the group come up with their own ground rules by which to operate with each other throughout the time together. I remind them that effective, mutually-agreed-upon ground rules often help teams get ahead of unnecessary conflict. My personal bent is for […]
