A Glimpse Behind the Scenes – Insights in Leadership from General Colin Powell
A rare glimpse behind the scenes with an influential leader reveals three keys to building influence that may surprise you.
Culture Course Correction: 11 Ways to Avoid Going Over the Cliff
When attitudes decline and negativity sets in, it may be time for a culture course correction on our teams; here are 11 ways to do just that.
Following the Follower: 15 Ways to Lead Better by Following Better
Can being better followers make us better leaders? Focusing on following may seem an odd way to tackle the challenges of leading, but there’s a power in this approach we can easily overlook. There’s a danger in ignoring it, too. That was a lesson I learned the hard way deep in the dry, burning pine […]
What’s the Difference Between Manager and Leader, and Why Does It Matter?
Why should we care about the difference between manager and leader? I was having coffee with a new friend last week. He had been recently promoted to his first supervisory position. As we talked about the challenges he would face, we found ourselves discussing the differences between a manager and leader. When first given a […]
5 Essential New Manager Survival Tips
Your first days as the new leader of a team can be a challenge – new faces, new places, the fire hose is on and you are definitely drinking in as much as you possibly can. And even as all this is happening, you are anxious to make a good impression, build your team, and […]
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 […]
5 Simple Steps to Lead Successfully
On a chilly Sunday evening recently I watched a young man take his first successful steps as a leader. It reminded me that leadership doesn’t need to be complicated or hard. And if you follow the same five simple steps to lead that he did, your chances of success are pretty good, too. Here’s what […]
Leadership Lessons Learned from Lost Luggage
Sometimes the simplest of actions can have far-reaching impact. When the unexpected happened during our fall camp out, one Scout was left without the clothing he needed to keep warm. But with the help of friends and the kind act of a stranger, not only did he make it through the weekend, we all learned […]
Pose Power: How to Lead Better in Only Two Minutes
Can the way you stand or sit make you a better leader? Short answer: Yes, I believe it can. There are two main ways that this happens, and we’ll be talking about how you can put them both to work to enhance your ability to lead.
7 Leadership Paradoxes: It’s Not What You Thought
Too often the new leader steps forward to take charge, but quickly becomes frustrated when people won’t listen to his demands. What’s wrong? These leaders don’t see the paradoxes of leadership. What they think they need to do to be a good leader is actually making it harder for them to lead. Today we’ll talk about seven […]
9 Things You are Doing that Really Infuriate the Boss
Wondering what it is you did to infuriate the boss? The boss just always seems to be mad at you. You’re trying to lead your team the best you can, but every time you turn around he’s in your face about something. You might be thinking, “What’s his problem?” But it might be something you are […]
What Hiking 2,189 Miles Taught Me About Leadership
What can you learn about leadership from hiking for six months straight, covering thousands of miles, and carrying everything you own stuffed into a bag on your back? Plenty, it turns out. Recently I asked successful long-distance backpacker Greg Ward if he would be willing to share some of his Appalachian Trail leadership lessons with us. His […]