Archive for November, 2011
Two words to turn a negative into a positive…
An earlier post discussed the perils of the use of the word “don’t.”
“Don’t” is negative, and can also be dismissive. It’s also direct (that’s good) and easy (that’s why it’s frequently used). There’s a nice alternative, though, that can quickly Read the rest of this entry »
Leaders tell people “why”
Hannah was a young person volunteering at a community dinner. She sure seemed like she didn’t want to be there. She was listening to her iPod and had earbuds in both ears as she served peas to the public. She was surrounded by about twenty adult volunteers.
At one point, Harold, one of the adult volunteers, finally said something. He scowled, and Read the rest of this entry »
Leadership lessons from Veterans…
As promised, this week’s blog is inspired by Veteran’s Day last week. These are two stories of veterans that I told at a local Memorial Day service this year. What’s the lesson? There may be more than one, but let’s lift humility out of this. No war hero brags; in fact, they share the credit with others. If these guys can share the credit for these accomplishments, surely we Read the rest of this entry »
Effective Leaders Solve Intramural Feuds
When I was young teacher, I often found myself in the middle of student disputes. My response was always something along the lines of “you need to learn how to solve your own problems.” I was thinking I was doing them a service by empowering them grow up and solve problems on their own. In reality, I was avoiding drama myself, and being selfish. Leaders of organizations need Read the rest of this entry »
Effective leaders mirror in e-mails
I once had two coworkers, Mark and Sally. In DiSC-speak, Sally was a high I, and used many many many exclamation marks in her e-mails. I am not exaggerating when I say that one of Sally’s e-mails could consist of three sentences and 13 exclamation marks. Mark, on the other hand,
