For years, I’ve counseled leaders that “people will support that which they helped to create.” And although getting input from employees is one of the surest ways to increase a new idea’s success, many leaders don’t do so. Why not? I polled readers and discovered some interesting viewpoints. The next time you ask your team…
Team Effectiveness
Psychological Safety: Pro Tips for Leaders
You’ve no doubt heard about the concept of psychological safety–the words and actions that leaders use to foster the belief among their teams that it’s ok to speak up, voice differing opinions and be truthful. Have you actively considered creating a speak-up culture? Putting intention behind this concept will create a much stronger chance that…
The Perfect Corporate Culture Doesn’t Exist
Have you ever noticed how pervasive “perfection” is in our language? The phrase “perfect storm” is used to describe a “rare combination of circumstances will aggravate a situation drastically.” Baseball pitchers strive for throwing a “perfect” game We describe something we think is beautiful as “picture perfect” Two people who have never met before are…
Effective Meeting Leaders Set the Right Expectations
People hate meetings. This is not earth-shattering news. Many of the complaints are legit: meetings are unfocused, too long, or unnecessary. Some of the complaints are humorous (but still true.) One of the lesser-mentioned reasons that merits consideration is meeting purpose. People get frustrated with meetings because they are unclear about expectations surrounding the reason…
4 Ways to Gain Team Input
So I’m sitting at a large round table, talking with a team of eight senior-level leaders who work for a large corporation. These are smart, sophisticated people, who have both street cred as field operatives and many years’ experience leading various types and sizes of work groups. We’re discussing the best ways to gain team…