I often hear about teams that don’t work well together. A leader or manager will tell me about team members that don’t get along, or someone who’s not “pulling their weight” and it’s causing problems on the team. Certainly there are team members who can be disruptive – and other times it’s the team leader. [...]
Where do leaders come from? And how do people become good leaders? For a few it just happens. They have natural talents and abilities - they are inquisitive and self-reflective - they have high emotional intelligence. But for most it’s because an investment was made in them. Someone took an interest in them, guided them, [...]
On a recent visit to an ambulatory surgery center with my daughter I found myself curious about how “current” the surgeon was on the procedure she was about to perform. It was evident that state of the art equipment had been installed in the pre-op suite. A roll across the forehead takes one’s temperature. A [...]
The dreaded performance review! There are very few managers or employees that look forward to performance reviews. But maybe that’s because they are focused in all the wrong places. Instead of focusing on the past – looking back at last year - shift your focus. Focus forward! Where is the organization headed? Where is your [...]
Most everyone I work with is looking to improve their communication skills – and for most of us it’s effort worth making. How effective we are in our work and personal lives is often a factor of how well we communicate with others. So what to do? Step outside of yourself! Rather than thinking about [...]
I have always viewed being able to touch my toes as an indicator of my flexibility. And occasionally I’ve worked hard enough to be able to place my palms on the floor. Recently I’ve thought that this same level of stretching and flexibility is exactly what leaders need to be doing as they lead their [...]
All goals are not created equally. And no two employees are the same. So how do you establish goals that both challenge an employee and motivate them? When creating goals for your staff, go further than just making them SMART goals – consider their DiSC style and what drives them, as you create goals this [...]
It’s December 2016 – yes, that’s right – December 2016. That’s not a typo. It’s time to think about December 2016, even though it’s only December 2015. Now is the time to think about what you want next year to look like – without getting overwhelmed by the process. Time passes quickly. Great leaders have [...]
When my daughter was 13 years old I found I was saying “no” a lot, or offering a contrary point of view to hers. “No” she couldn’t do something - or I didn’t think something was a good idea – or I had a better suggestion. All of those “no’s” and negativity hit me one [...]
This past week I had the opportunity to talk with two 30-something sisters and their brother from Pakistan. They talked about the violence in their city; the discrepancy in wages earned by Christians and non-Christians; the common practice of woman having a “relationship” with their boss in order to be paid more; and the night [...]
