Leadership Development Carnival – Firecracker Edition

July 4, 2011

This month’s Leadership Development Carnival is now up at Great Leadership, hosted by Dan McCarthy. In honor of the U.S. Independence Day holiday, Dan has bestowed firecracker nicknames upon all of this month’s contributors. There are 45 outstanding essays on leadership featured. So, head on over to the July  Leadership Development Carnival to find out [...]

Read the full article →

Leadership Lessons from the Birthday Boy

July 1, 2011

I got the idea for this post from fellow Leadership Development Roundtable Challenge blogger Scott Eblin, who wrote a post as a tribute to his wife on their 24th wedding anniversary about the leadership lessons he’s learned from her. Today is my husband’s birthday. Because I write a blog, I’m in the position to give [...]

Read the full article →

The Golden Rule of Listening: How to Speak Loud and Clear without Opening Your Mouth

June 24, 2011

  About a month ago, I read an excellent guest post on Great Leadership by Tim Eyre. I liked his writing style so much that I asked if he’d be willing to share some thoughts on The People Equation. He said “yes” and what follows is an insightful observation about the power of listening. Guest [...]

Read the full article →

June Leadership Roundtable Challenge Winner

June 22, 2011

Last week I announced a new blogging leadership forum in which seven leadership bloggers weigh in on a leadership challenge issued by the host blogger. The first challenge was offered by Great Leadership blogger Dan McCarthy and featured “Rob”, a newly hired manager with a mandate to “shake things up” a bit in his new [...]

Read the full article →

5 Ways to Stay Current at Work

June 21, 2011

This is a follow up to a blog post I wrote about being an opinion leader. According to the authors of the book Influencer, being able to influence people to make large-scale change requires that an “influencer” be:  knowledgeable, trustworthy and accessible.  In many cases, being influential is less about the title that you hold [...]

Read the full article →

Do You Have a Career Bucket List?

June 17, 2011

The kids and I were on our way to a Little League game the other day when I mentioned, “Hey guys, what do you think about making a list of things to do during your summer break?” “You mean, like a Bucket List?” asked my son. “That’s a great idea!” I exclaimed so on the [...]

Read the full article →

Announcing the Leadership Development Roundtable Challenge

June 15, 2011

Dan McCarthy, host of the blog Great Leadership is trying out something new. This month, he launched the Leadership Development Roundtable Challenge and I think it’s something you’ll want to check out. This is how it works: Once a month, a leadership blogger will host a “challenge” question that highlights a typical dilemma or challenge [...]

Read the full article →

Is Faulty Wiring Frying Your Gut-Check?

June 10, 2011

Even the most plugged-in leaders get it wrong sometimes. This fact was driven home to me the other day as I listened in on a phone conference led by a regional manager named Pete who manages a group of customer service teams spread across the northern half of the United States. My purpose in joining the [...]

Read the full article →

June 2011 Leadership Development Carnival– Commencement Edition

June 5, 2011

 In early June, a ritual occurs at many high schools across our country— graduation ceremonies, aka the commencement exercise. Commencement means “the act of starting something” and I can think of no better metaphor for leadership development than that of getting something started.  This carnival is dedicated to the Class of 2011—they are the future [...]

Read the full article →

Professionals Don’t Offer Excuses

June 1, 2011

  As a workplace professional, you know that making excuses doesn’t cut it, so you strive to avoid acting the victim if your work actions don’t make the grade. But is there ever a time when an explanation is warranted to help clarify your actions? After all, because you’re a professional and you always aim to do your [...]

Read the full article →