Archive for the ‘Leadership’ tag
“…miscommunications” part two…
A few weeks ago, I shared an unusual incident involving an appliance installer, and the Facebook discussion after I shared it online.
After the post, there was a bit more discussion, and I also finally offered my thoughts on the issue. This week, I’ll Read the rest of this entry »
Three little words for busy leaders…
Sometimes people feel disconnected from us because we come off as “too busy.” There are three words that can reverse this dysfunction.
A piece of equipment went missing, and I wasn’t told about it. I found out Read the rest of this entry »
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 »
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 get Everyone in the “Right Seat”
When I read the (rightly) popular Good to Great, I found myself agreeing with nearly everything in principle, but thought that some concepts were a little too idealistic for a small- to mid-sized organization. Massive businesses, like his examples, have more luxury to move people around, for example.
That’s why I had a touch of a problem with Read the rest of this entry »
Prevent your own demoralization in one step…
If you are a leader, it is your job to keep your people motivated, and stave off any demoralization.
But what if YOU lose your mojo due to some cranky folks in your organization? It’s so easy to be derailed by Read the rest of this entry »
Effective Leaders are Specific
“Hey, Tom, if you could get some of those account reviews done by Thursday, that’d be great.”
Sometimes, to sound “nice”, we make requests like the one above. Casual (that’s a good thing), general (bad thing), with a deadline (good thing), but without a specific request (bad thing) or way to measure (very bad thing).
The result can descend into Read the rest of this entry »
Insecurity is Unbecoming of a Leader
Everyone has moments, or even periods, of insecurity.
Situation One:
Once, about 15 years ago, I was struggling to Read the rest of this entry »
Least Read – Top (Bottom) Five + One
These are my least-read posts. Maybe they hit Read the rest of this entry »
Most Read – Top Five + One
According to Google Analytics, these are my top five most popular posts in terms of Read the rest of this entry »
Customer Service Top Five + One
This week, five posts that will help you understand the value of great customer service, everyone’s role in it, and some ideas Read the rest of this entry »
