“Me? A leader? No way. Not interested.” If you’ve ever entered into this kind of conversation with someone you believe has leadership potential, you’re not alone. According Harvard Business Review, many employees resist enrollment in formal leadership development programs. One of the key take-aways from the research cited is that employees view “leadership” in a…
Mentoring
The Power of Almost Perfect Practice
As the school year wraps up, I reflect on the intersection of learning a new skill and encouragement. My daughter is nearing the end of her first year of playing the trumpet for her middle school band. From my perspective, she’s done remarkably well. To hear her tell it though, you’d form a different conclusion….
3 Ideas for Filling Your Leadership Pipeline
An estimated 85% of companies have some sort of formal or informal leadership development process. Yet, a “process” is not enough to ensure that your company has enough experienced leaders to fill your company’s leadership pipeline. I interviewed experts and researched the best practices for developing “high potential” talent – those up-and-coming managers who will someday lead your organization. My insights…
Leadership Truths to Empower Millennial Leaders
Are you crystal-clear on your purpose? Jon Mertz is. His purpose is to guide, challenge and inspire people of the Millennial generation to fully realize their leadership potential. Mertz realized this purpose in an unlikely place: a grove of Aspen trees while he was snow-shoeing in the American Rocky Mountain range. At the time of…
Tips for Maintaining Your Focus as a Leader
In the new book The Disciplined Leader, John Manning writes about the importance of focus—and how it drives leadership success. After reading the book, I had the opportunity to ask John some follow up questions. What follows is an edited version of our conversation. Jen: In the book’s introduction, you write that leaders must learn…