The Value of the Vision
A little known act during World War II highlights the value of vision for our teams, and why we should treat it like a precious metal.
Cleaning House: 5 Leadership Messes to Clean Up Before You Let the Neighbors In
A neighbor unexpectedly appeared at my door and wanted to come in. Was I ready? What if someone wanted to visit the teams we lead? What leadership messes would we want to get cleaned up?
Lighthouse Leadership: How to Lead Your Team When the Storm Hits
Lighthouse leadership is about knowing what direction to steer your team when the storm hits. Here’s a captivating short story about heroism in a storm, and four ways to help you lead in the dark.
Virtual Ceremonies: Should They Count?
We are in an age of virtual ceremonies like the one for my daughter’s graduation. Do they carry the same meaning? What are the implications for leaders?
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 […]
Leadership Exercises: 7 Ways to Build Your Influencing Muscles
Are there any leadership exercises I can do? Someone asked this question recently, and I thought it was a good one. Learning leadership is tricky business. It’s not like practicing musical scales or pumping iron at the gym. But I do think there are exercises we can do to become more effective leaders. Whether we […]
The Leader’s Triple-A Club: How to Navigate the Hazardous Highways of Leadership
Not long ago, my son called me from Oregon. He was driving some friends to the airport when his car suddenly quit and wouldn’t restart. Beyond attempting to diagnose the problem over the phone, there was little I could do to help from where I was in Minnesota. The good news was that we were […]
Leadership Mistakes: 3 Things to Do When You Really Step In It
What should a leader do when they make a mistake? Nobody likes to “step in it,” but leadership mistakes will happen. What you do when they occur makes all the difference. Do these three things well, and you may end up with a stronger team than you started with.
Leadership Incubator
I think one thing often overlooked in the world of leadership is patience. We’re always in a hurry to get things done. We have to produce results immediately. Yesterday, if at all possible. To make that happen, some leaders reduce themselves to the idea of “the louder and harsher the better.” Kind of in the […]
Leading Spaghetti – How to Use Your Noodle to Lead Your Team
“If you’re a leader, you don’t push wet spaghetti, you pull it.” – Bill Mauldin Bill Mauldin was a famous cartoonist for Stars and Stripes, the newspaper widely read by American GIs during World War II. It’s easy to get his metaphor about leading spaghetti, and it makes sense, sort of. But since Bill was […]
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 […]
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 […]
