Leadership
Harnessing the Power of Confidence in the Workplace
I was struck, in watching NFL games over the weekend, how powerful an edge confidence gives to a player and a team. My Green Bay Packers, on top of the world when Favre was on top of his game, have fallen to an abysmal state they suffered for 13 long years before Brett showed up. […]
Continue ReadingGrooming your Companies Best and Brightest
Companies talk a lot about attracting and retaining the “best and brightest” as a means of improving their competitiveness and success, but when I ask for a description of the B&B, I get a lot of generalizations. Top of graduating class, proven track record, natural leader, high-energy ‘can do’ attitude, results orientation. Great characteristics, all. […]
Continue ReadingLeadership Lessons from Netscape’s Past
I’ll admit to being a Netscape user (aka techno dolt?). I’ll also admit to being really unhappy with their Digg-style upgraded homepage. Why would I want the news created and voted upon by “regular” people? Since when does the average (self-absorbed, hyper-active, multi-tasking, relatively-uninformed) person have the wherewithal to determine what’s newsworthy? This is not […]
Continue Reading7 Things Leaders Do Unnecessarily
I’ve been working across a broad range of issues with a variety of clients lately and there are several things about organizations and leaders today that strike me as unnecessarily stress producing. 1. We don’t do a good job of helping people understand what’s expected of them. 2. Conversely, we don’t do a good job […]
Continue ReadingLeaders Must Learn That Generosity Goes a Long Way
It’s wintertime in Wisconsin and we’ve already had enough snow to last the entire season. Just like last year, the snow came early and now, often. Drifts at the end of the driveway are as tall as me, which makes throwing snow off a shovel nearly impossible. Every morning I wake up wondering if I’ll […]
Continue ReadingThe key to successfully managing others: Start with yourself.
The key to successfully managing others: Start with yourself. Many managers today are over-stressed, under-appreciated, and always pressed for time. No wonder their teams don’t always get their best. No wonder, too, bad behavior tends to seep through organizations in tiny ways until suddenly people wonder why everyone is so unhappy. If you aspire to […]
Continue ReadingHow to Reverse a Risk-Averse Culture
The June 3, 2013 issue of The Wall Street Journal featured a front-page article written by Ben Casselman titled, “Risk-Averse Culture Infects U.S. Workers, Entrepreneurs.” No kidding. My first book, “How to Grow a Backbone,” published in 2000, identified three elements of Backbone: Competence, Confidence, and Risk-Taking. In the thirteen years that we have been […]
Continue ReadingFinding Your Hidden Leadership Potential
Several years ago I had the privilege of teaching an MBA Leadership course at a private college where enrollment is almost exclusively female. We had one brave male in class a couple of times. Each time, he added a great dimension to our discussions because of his willingness to share his perspective and because he […]
Continue ReadingLeadership lessons from some industry heavy weights
I have had the privilege of working with senior leadership teams on a national level with Boys and Girls Clubs of America; more locally with a Midwest public school system. We are lucky to have so many talented people working to develop their leadership capacity in order to create a strong and hopeful future for […]
Continue ReadingMaintaining optimism in a world gone mad
It’s another Monday and people head to work amid headlines that can only make you shake your head. A man ax-murders his mother. The world reels from unimaginable violence. Cancer is on the rise. Kids are angrier than ever. People are calling one another vile names, arguing over intentions, and threatening retaliation. What’s going on […]
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