Leadership
Create Trust By Being Accurate and Thoughtful
Journalism, as I studied it years ago, was based on a stringent practice of checking facts, eliminating assumptions, and reporting what is. As students we were admonished to keep our opinions to ourselves until such time as we became experts in some field. At that point, we were told, we might have a chance to […]
Continue ReadingThe #1 Responsibility of a Leader is Helping People Grow
Managing a workforce made up of four generations creates headaches for a lot of people. Differences in language, mannerisms, dress, and attitude are visible and sometimes volatile reminders of how things change. That some people say, do, and wear things that are inappropriate at work is nothing new and no reason for alarm. That supervisors […]
Continue ReadingHow Good Leaders Approach Decision Making
A lot of people struggle with decision-making as the same three pesky questions come up again and again. 1. What will happen if I do this or that? 2. What will others think of my decision (or more precisely, of me)? 3. What if I’m wrong? Of course there’s anxiety surrounding these questions because the […]
Continue ReadingWant to Establish Trust? Tell the Truth!
Contrary to the current popular belief that “political correctness” is the way to acceptance, I’d like to suggest that telling the truth is a powerful way to establish and fortify trust. When I say this, I am frequently asked: “Whose truth?” I used to be somewhat taken aback by this question because truth seemed an […]
Continue ReadingBuild Tomorrow’s Leaders By Teaching Them Today
Good question. It’s one I ask myself a lot as I do my work. So I was eager to read what Lee Iacocca had to say in his new book. I was hoping for some insight and original thinking, but what I found in the excerpt that ran in Sunday’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was more […]
Continue ReadingLeaders Must Develop the Skill of Feedback
By now you’ve probably heard about the Wall Street Journal article of April 20th chronicling the heaping of praise on the youngest working generation and how businesses are struggling to keep up with the practice. Written by Jeffrey Zastrow, the article refers to employers “dishing out kudos to workers for little more than showing up” […]
Continue Reading4 Essential Traits of a Great Leader
Leadership is a demanding role that requires a discriminating blend of expertise, awareness, courage, and persuasiveness. Expertise is functional, experiential, or perceived. What you’ve gotten good at, that others recognize, defines the first part of the leadership equation for you. It answers the question: “Do you know what you’re talking about?” Awareness is about how […]
Continue ReadingGood Leaders Can Answer These Questions Right
Leadership development is a critical and ongoing need in all walks of life. As such, it gets a lot of attention. But in addition to strengthening the designated competencies and traits important to your role as a leader—the intellectual side of the leadership ledger—there are other things that followers want to know about you. Consider […]
Continue ReadingCritical Need to Develop Math and Science Skills in Our Youth
For the past generation, maybe two, we have focused on the critical need to develop math and science skills in our youth and to emphasize technology in developing new businesses. Business schools have taught systems, equations, and bottom line thinking since their inception. At the elementary and high school levels, No Child Left Behind legislation […]
Continue ReadingThe Every Day Art of Practicing Leadership
Contrary to the notion that leadership is a rare position reserved for the elite among us, I believe that leadership is an everyday art and discipline. I believe this because every person, no matter his or her station in life, influences others through word, action, and attitude. Try to get through one day without having […]
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