What Does It Mean to be “Air-Quoted” as a Leader?
One day I was coaching a business leader about some of his challenges on the job. He went on and on about his boss delivering to him his priorities, acute standards, and lofty expectations. You know, the usual stuff many of you have all experienced in the initial stages...
Why Do Leaders Struggle?
You’ve heard the philosophical question, “Does a falling tree in the forest make noise?” Well, of course it does. But you would have to be around to hear it. Right? How about, does a struggling leader know they are struggling? This is such a great question that gets drowned...
Is There a Shadow Side to Candor?
Let’s cut to the chase—research shows there’s no negative side to candid communication. In fact, the research shows candid behavior solves problems faster, is more risk tolerant, is more open to change, and addresses performance problems more quickly. So, why wouldn’t we want to communicate candidly all of the...
Leadership and Optics—Should You Care?
I was thinking about Tua (NFL Miami Dolphins Quarterback) and all that went down with his injury this week (September 18, 2022) and the following week. To catch you up, Tua sustained an air quote back injury after taking head-to-head contact in the previous week. He went to the...
Do You Really Not Care What Anyone Says?
Is it healthy to not care what people think about you? I’m sure some would say they absolutely don’t care what anyone thinks of them. I guess my question is, “How did you get to that point?” The reason I ask is because, in my estimation, not caring goes...
The Motives of Micromanagement
Could you have made this mistake too? You wouldn’t be alone if you did. I did. It happens with the best of intentions. It would have started when you accepted your promotion or increased responsibility, and you had to figure out how you would have to efficiently manage your...
My Argument: Why Do We Overlook Followership?
Have you seen the relentless posts about a leader’s responsibility to grow more leaders? I have. But, I don’t know that I prescribe to the “True Leaders Don’t Create Followers, They Create More Leaders” philosophy. It’s a quote from business author, Tom Peters. I’ve seen this episodic post multiple...
Red Flag: “You Should Be More Positive”
I don’t know how many times I’ve encouraged a colleague or even a supervisor to be more positive. And for some reason and every time, it is met with consternation. I never thought my encouragement could be so contentious. But it appears that people don’t like to be told...
It’s Not You, It’s Me: How Do I Get My Team Back?
It has to have happened to at least one of you. You’ve scanned your entire team and you couldn’t count a single ally. And unfortunately, there is no one on the team that is willing to amplify your voice or your direction. As you would assume, they had apparently...
Demanding Urgency and Creating Stress
When you think of high productivity organizations, there are a number of companies that come to mind. Of course, there are Amazon, Walmart, FedEx, Apple, and tens of thousands more—yes, thousands. When I say high productivity, it’s not just the widget producers, it’s also high-stress jobs that seem to...