“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”
– John F. Kennedy
As leaders, personal development is part of the job description. Not only do we owe it to ourselves, we owe it to our teammates. These posts will help you lead yourself better so that you can lead others more effectively.
“How can you optimize a system that’s error-prone?” As humans, we are fallable. In our efforts to achieve, produce, and progress, we make mistakes, we misjudge, we stumble. Any enterprise that involves humans will, by definition, be imperfect. But is that really such a bad thing? When it comes to …
Optimization: Surprising Lessons in Efficiency from the Ant World Read More »
Is the first problem solving step really ‘Identify the Problem?’ If you’ve ever watched someone who is tired or emotional struggling to solve a problem, you know that somebody forgot a step in the problem solving process. People can get so wrapped up in the problem of having a problem …
Problem Solving Steps: 3 Steps to Take Before You Take Any Steps Read More »
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. …
Skills for the Introverted Leader: 6 Ways to Expand Your Comfort Zone Read More »
Leaders should be independant thinkers. Whether you are trying to develop a vision statement, solve a problem at work, or influence the team, leaders have to think about where they are going and how they are going to get there. The good news is that thinking is a skill, and …
Sharpen Your Thinking: 25 Ways to Hone Your Thinking Skills Read More »
How do you find the space to think in a noisy world? We are bombarded all day long by messages telling us what to do, and what to think. Someone else is always trying to put their thoughts into our heads. Whether it’s friends, family, media, or the boss, all …
Space to Think: 8 Ways to Find Quiet in a Noisy World Read More »
How can you stay optimistic in the face of failure? Failure is a natural part of doing business, of being human, and of attempting to do things you haven’t done before. And when we fail, there’s a natural tendency to want to give up. It’s hard to stay optimistic. But …
How to Stay Optimistic: 3 Questions to Ask Before You Give Up Read More »
How do you win the daily struggle to get out the door? Temperatures have been dropping lately. Now it takes more effort to get out the door for my morning run. Yesterday I had to analyze the weather. Contend with warm clothing decisions. Wrestle them all on. Shiver through the …
Everyday Winners – How to Build Mental Toughness One Day at a Time Read More »
What’s the secret to building influence? Becoming more influential is actually a pretty simple matter. But simple doesn’t mean easy. One evening not too long ago, someone gave me a brief demonstration of how to go about building influence, and showed that any of us can do it, if we …
What is reflection for leaders? Reflection sounds like a passive exercise you do by yourself. It seems to involve sitting in a chair in a darkened room and journaling about the meaning of things. Maybe that’s part of it, but I think for leaders there is much more to it …
6 Powerful Ways Leaders Reflect, and how Reflection Makes Your Team Great Read More »
What if you could turn making good choices into a habit? It’s easy to set a goal. It’s much harder to actually achieve it. Part of the problem is that to make progress, every day you have to choose to put in the effort. If you don’t make that choice, …
It can be tough to handle criticism. As leaders we need to be open and ready to listen to the good, the bad, and the ugly. How we respond to that criticism after listening can take many forms. The story is told of a man out walking with Abraham Lincoln …
Howling at The Moon: One Way to Handle Criticism Read More »
What does it take to achieve great things? Last week, I waded across the Mississippi River. Really. And as I thought about that accomplishment, it seemed this great river had a lot to say about what it takes to achieve something great. Here are six secrets of success the mighty …
Wading the Mississippi: Six Surprising Secrets of Success I Learned from Ol’ Man River Read More »