Leaders, do you want a simple, easy-to-remember process for staying up-to-date with your team’s workload? Here’s an idea I heard from my colleague Sally. (She said it was OK to share with my blog readers, so, thanks Sally!) Sally told me about a process that one of her favorite managers created to stay in communication…
Character
Monkey See Monkey Do: New Leaders Emulate Their Bosses
What determines if a newly promoted leader will be successful? Of course, there are many factors. One consistent element I’ve observed in my leadership development role is this: new leaders often emulate their bosses. And this may be a good thing, or a bad thing, depending on the example the more seasoned leaders provide. Leaders…
3 Sure-Fire Ways to Ruin Trust with Your Team
Charlie is a charming, highly persuasive marketing executive for a growing technology company. He’s a delight to work with—until you tell him what he’s asking for isn’t possible. Then, his charm rapidly dissipates. On a good day, you’ll get a reptilian smile with, “I’m sure someone with as many years in the business can find…
Leadership by Ranting is No Way to Inspire People
It’s tough to respect a leader who’s always losing his cool. Case in point: during college, I worked in a family-owned Italian restaurant whose proprietor had a fiery, larger-than-life personality. When he was frustrated, ‘Tony” was prone to emotional outbursts. One day, I received this upbraiding for not setting up the salad bar correctly: “You…
Renewing Your Leadership Purpose with Compassion
Years ago, when I was a 23 year old assistant human resources manager at a department store, one of our sales associates suffered a heart attack and died while at work. At the time, I was out of town, attending my grandfather’s funeral. Upon my return to work, my boss Mary told me what had…