Leadership Preparedness: 4 Things to Keep in Mind on your Next New Adventure
Leadership preparedness is about anticipating. As I prepare for an upcoming canoe trip, I share four things that can help us all be better prepared to lead our teams on the next big adventure.
The Secret of the Centurion: What Was his Key to Leadership?
The secret of the centurion as a great leader is not what we’d at first suspect, yet it’s also something very familiar; the question is, could we do the same?
Lines for Leaders: The Scars to Prove It
Alexander the Great led by personal example, and had the scars to prove it. In a speech to his men who were threatening to mutiny, he won them over with this line worth remembering.
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.
Increasing Engagement – How to Get People to Open Up
When it comes to increasing engagement on our teams, sometimes we can be our own worst enemy, as this short story demonstrates; here’s how we can do better.
Lines for Leaders: Rocket Surgeon
He struggled to lead his team to land a rover on Mars; here’s what this ‘rocket surgeon’ learned about getting his people to work together.
The Eraser Test: How to Know When It’s Time for a Change
How do we know when to change the plan? A casual remark by a friend last week got me thinking about the idea of flexibility and change. As leaders, we choose the objectives and set the course. But once we’re underway, how do we know if we should keep on keeping on, or if we […]
15 Pretty Good Virtual Team Building Ideas
What kind of virtual team building can I do with my distributed team? We all know that teamwork is critical to getting things done through people. Building cohesive teams is already a challenge when everybody is face to face. But developing trust, communicating well, collaborating readily, and problem-solving effectively become all the more difficult when […]
Creating Unexpected Wins: Leadership Lessons from “Team Short People”
[Guest Post*] Everyone loves an underdog story, but much of the time, we only perceive the underdogs as such because we are overlooking the strengths that really matter. In the story of David and Goliath, the fact is, much of David’s unexpected win boils down to the fact that his sling was more powerful […]
New Leader Checklist: 4 Questions to Ask if You Want to Lead Effectively
Whether it’s your first leadership position or your fifty-first, taking over can be a challenging business. One key to success? Don’t start out by answering questions; start by asking them. Today we’ll talk about four new leader questions you should ask, and how to get the answers so that you can lead confidently and effectively.
Why You Should Value the Nonconformist
I’m not paying you to agree with me. I’m paying you to think. That’s Colin Powell’s approach to leadership. When it’s time for planning and problem-solving, the best leaders aren’t looking for unity and agreement. They want the opposite. They want dialogue, a clash of ideas. It’s not the time to get comfortable. It’s the […]
Disrupting the Routine: 7 Ways to Change for the Good
There are some who will tell you, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” I don’t necessarily agree. “Functioning” doesn’t always mean “fully optimized,” and without change, we risk falling into a rut, losing perspective, and falling behind. To grow and stay competitive, you have to change. Here’s why it’s important to disrupt the routine […]