On a Mother’s Day many years ago, I received what remains one of the most delightful and meaningful Thank You notes ever. The sender was my son’s Little League coach, Coach Bob, who demonstrated a leadership quality that went beyond the baseball field. People appreciate being thanked. This is true whether you’re a Little League…
Personal Effectiveness
10 Reasons People Resist Attending Your Meetings
Do you ever dread leading a meeting because you know that people are going to show up with barely concealed negativity or meeting malaise? People have lots of possible reasons for resisting your meeting. Take a hard, honest look at the meetings you run. Do any of these conditions exist? Here’s the good news: you…
The 3 Myths of Office Politics
I have long maintained that there is such a thing as “positive” office politics. “Bah!” You say with skepticism. “No such thing.” Here’s my counter-argument: there’s nothing inherently wrong with people who use power and status, but it’s the way in which they use it that gives office politics its bad name. It’s those “people…
3 Things Every Leader Should Ask at Update Meetings
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…
Leadership and Being a Role Model – 20 Ideas
Humanitarian and Nobel Prize-winning physician Albert Schweitzer famously observed, “Example is leadership.” At some point in our life, a leadership opportunity appears. Many of us are parents, teachers, coaches, managers and committee leaders. As such, we know that being a role model is an important part of leadership. But it’s not always easy. There are…