A Sling and a Miss: 6 Keys to Building a Growth Mindset
With the right attitude, we can benefit from failure as much as from success if we approach challenges with a growth mindset; here’s how.
Leading Through Transition: Tips for Leaders in Times of Change
Leading through transition is hard, but here’s what we can learn from a flock of snow geese about how to lead effectively when everything is changing.
Change the Game: 7 Ways to Build Teammates Who Can Do More
How do we increase the odds of “winning” with the team we have? At the beginning of any game, everyone starts with the same number of players on the board. And in the rush to get things done, we focus on moving those players around the best we can. If we’re good, we might win. […]
Are You a Potential Leader? 7 Ways to Get Noticed
Are you a potential leader who’s just looking for an opportunity? Do you think you have what it takes, and just need others to notice your leadership ability? If so, this video is for you. Today we’ll talk about seven things you can start doing today that will get you noticed as a potential leader […]
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. […]
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 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 […]
Stop Social Loafing: 6 Ways to Get Everyone Working
How come 1+1+1 does not equal 3? You would think that the more people on a project, the greater the output. Sadly, that’s not always the case. A phenomenon called Social Loafing leads some team members to do the minimum possible. They drag down group productivity like a boat anchor. Today we’ll look at why […]
6 Steps You Should Take Immediately as a New Manager
They made you a new manager. Great! Now what? Whatever you did to become a new manager is probably not enough to help you be successful there. Leading well is a skill set of its own. To help you make the adjustment successfully, it helps to have a plan. In this post I’ll give you […]
How to Ask For Feedback: 16 Ways to Get the Input You Need
“How do I ask for feedback from the boss?” A reader posed a great question recently in the feedback section of one of my leadership courses. “I and others like me in our organization rarely hear a few encouraging words or feedback of any type. How does one approach one’s supervisor about something like this?” We’ve talked […]
9 Leadership Mistakes to Avoid
In a recent online poll, about 1,000 U.S. workers were asked what their biggest complaints were about their leaders. Today we’ll talk about the top nine of these complaints, how they are connected, and what you can do to avoid being one of the leaders they are complaining about.