Leading Experienced People: How to Overcome 3 Dilemmas That Make it Hard
What is it about leading experienced people that makes it so challenging? They know more than we do. They have been there longer. They already have their ways of doing things. Then we walk in and we’re expected to tell them what to do, and when to do it. We want to produce results sooner […]
Seeking Discomfort: 7 Ways to Embrace Uncomfortable Feedback
No one likes to hear that they are not doing well, have weaknesses, or are not measuring up in some way. As leaders it often falls to us to give this kind of feedback to others, and those can be difficult, uncomfortable conversations. But what about receiving critical feedback? Most people aren’t actively seeking discomfort. […]
The Power of Asking Questions: 7 Ways Questions are More Powerful Than Answers
How can asking questions be more powerful than answering them? In the effort to demonstrate our worthiness to lead, often we find ourselves in a hurry to provide answers. People want guidance, direction, and need to understand priorities. But if we’re playing the Shell Answer Man all day, we miss the opportunity to do something […]
Getting Them to Listen: How to Get People to Hear What You are Saying
Why should anyone listen to you? If you’re trying to lead people, one of the first challenges you face might be just getting them to listen. This can be doubly challenging if you happen to be newer to the team or younger than the others. When it comes to getting people’s attention, there’s one thing […]
14 Ways to Make People Feel Important
She started her own business late in life and turned it into a multi-million dollar enterprise. She donated millions to worthy causes. She was once named the most outstanding business woman of the 20th century. Much of her success was the direct result of good old fashioned hard work and determination. But another key to […]
Could Your Incentive System Be Hindering Performance?
What if that carrot we offer actually slows them down? In the effort to motivate our teammates, we are quick to offer carrots we think will incentivize them to greater efforts. But as this story of the Soviet Union’s most prolific athlete shows, sometimes our incentive system can do the opposite of what we intend […]
The After Action Review: A Leader’s Guide
How do you improve your team with an After Action Review? The After Action Review (AAR) is a deceptively simple yet powerful way to stimulate the growth and performance of any group of people. As an organizational learning tool it has been used to transform small teams and entire armies into high performers. But as with […]
Micromanagement: 7 Signs You’re a Micromanager and What to Do About It
Could you be guilty of micromanagement? The micromanager has been called the bully of the business world, and micromanagement is responsible for killing motivation, eroding trust, and leading to waste and inefficiency. Yet the last person to recognize that they are a micromanager is the micromanager themselves. Could you be one of them and not […]
Skills for the Introverted Leader: 6 Ways to Expand Your Comfort Zone
What skills does an introverted leader need to develop? Statistically, about half of us tend towards introversion (I’m definitely one of them). That fact doesn’t exclude us from being effective leaders. In fact, many of the traits associated with introversion are actually strengths for someone who wants to lead well. Often, we can lead very […]
How to Be a Great Boss: 9 Ways to Get a 5-Star Rating From Your Team
What does it take to be a great boss? Some bosses are more memorable than others, and some perhaps you’d like to forget. But what does it take to be a great boss? What distinguishes the one that people remember years later as the leader who made a difference? I was fortunate to work for […]
How to Tell if You Are Sinking or Swimming as a Leader
How can 80% of people believe themselves to be above average leaders? One of the many challenges of being a leader is knowing how well we are doing. Are we sinking or swimming? It can be hard to really know, and yet knowing is the key to becoming better at it. As I was surprised […]
Leading Volunteers: How to Keep Them Coming Back
How do you lead people who aren’t on your payroll? Since moving to Minnesota, I’ve wanted to get engaged locally as a volunteer. Last month I signed up to help at a local agency, and it was a great experience. The way they worked with the volunteers made it fun, productive and has had me […]