Better than half of newly appointed, first-time business leaders fail in their first two years, resulting in their removal from position, either voluntary or otherwise. I hesitate to wonder how…
Category: Leadership
Leadership is About Blood, Sweat, and Occasional Tears
In the time that I’ve served in a leadership role, in both for profit and non-profit venues, I have tried mightily to operate with a short list of simple, understandable…
You Might be Struggling to Find and Keep Good Talent If...
Convention season is in full swing, and if the groups I’ve been invited to speak for are any indication, one of THE heaviest concerns weighing on the minds of employers…
Got Self-Awareness?
“Wad some Power the giftie gie us, To see oursels as ithers see us, It wad frae mony a blunder free us…” OK, so if you don’t speak Scots, you…
Assume Positive Intent
In April, 2008, as part of a Fortune Magazine segment in which notably successful people were queried about the best advice they had been given, Pepsico Chairman and CEO, Indra Nooyi volunteered a…
Becoming a Two-Fer Leader
As managers we are responsible for seeing to it that the right things go well. That involves keeping extraneous things off our team’s plate, putting more W’s than L’s on…
Making No Decision is a Decision, and Usually the Wrong One
Last week I spoke for a group of college students in a management course. Corresponding with a chapter of the text currently being studied in class, the subject of my remarks was, “You…
Three Things Leaders Can Do To Earn the Benefit of the Doubt
When I begin a new executive coaching engagement, my due-diligence process usually involves conducting focused interviews with a representative sample of my client’s peers, direct and indirect reports, other close…
Three Ways You Might be Undermining Employee Engagement
We won’t bore you with yet another recitation of Employee Engagement stats. They’re ugly. And it’s costing businesses worldwide more than anyone can afford. Way too few people are excited…
Recognizing and Dealing with Gross Leadership Failure
Often there comes a time in the history of an enterprise when a designated leader has lost the followership of those they are responsible for leading. Followers don’t believe what…