Spotlight the Support
My daughter is a big fan of Lin Manuel Miranda, the creator of Hamilton. She was home on spring break recently, so we took her to see an earlier production of his: In the Heights. Our seats were good, the actors were talented, the lyrics were clever, and at the end the crowd gave the […]
How to Build Team Culture From the Ground Up
Every team will develop its own distinctive culture. A good team culture can be positive, supporting, and contribute to greater productivity, employee engagement, and satisfaction. A bad one can have the opposite effect. The thing is, you don’t have to leave it to chance to see which way your team culture will go. If you […]
Who are the Real Stars?
We like to focus on the star – the one person who always seems to get it done. But if we zero in too closely on one star, we lose sight of the other points of light in the sky. The Chicago Bulls put five people on the court, not just Michael Jordan. Somebody has […]
3 Ways You Might be Sabotaging Your Team’s Culture on Day 1
Your team’s culture is it’s life-blood, its soul. It’s who you are and how you interact as a group. If it’s a good one, your culture can directly contribute to increased employee engagement, rising productivity and decreased turnover. But if you are not careful, from the very first day someone new joins your team, you […]
How to Build Team Culture One Test at a Time
We all recognize that building team culture is important We know a strong team culture can have a huge positive impact on team effectiveness, employee engagement, and overall productivity. The question is, where does it come from? How do we build it? To me, the short answer is that culture is shaped most powerfully by […]
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 […]
How to Communicate the Vision: Striking the Right Chord
A while ago we talked about the importance of seeking to understand our leadership environment before we start trying to lead. If we were taking good notes and paying attention, we should have a pretty good idea of the direction we want to take the team. Now the question becomes, how do we get them […]
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 […]
Flight Lessons: Preparing Your Leaders for Success
Are you giving your teammates flight lessons? As leaders, the best indicator of our success is the success of those we are responsible for. Whether it is a child, a teammate, or co-worker, when you invest time and energy in preparing them to succeed on their own, you are fulfilling one of the highest callings of […]
Why You Might be Turning Your Wolves into Sheep
Are you teaching your people to be sheep or wolves? Many of us are spending too much time corralling our co-workers instead of pointing them in the direction we want them to go. Today we’ll take a lesson from nature about positive reinforcement, and give you three tips to help get your pack moving in […]
Leadership Secrets of Buddy the Elf
Spoiler Alert – There’s a happy ending. Even if you haven’t seen the movie “Elf,” you kind of know that’s how things will turn out. And since the movie stars Will Ferrell, you know you can count on plenty to laugh about along the way to that happy ending. But during our annual re-watching of […]
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 […]