Group Dynamic

When we talk about keeping things “positive,” sometimes people misinterpret this as “soft” leadership that doesn’t allow for high standards and hard work.

Wrong. Positive leadership can easily keep the standards high.

Previous posts on this topic:

Positive leadership is not soft.

Positivity as an essential part of leadership.

Thanks for watching — we’re still working on the tag line!

In a sense, self-centered behavior is normal.

If people tend to act in self-interest, how do WE deal with that, and get THEM to think beyond themselves? Take a couple minutes to hear Matt and Alan address this.

Previous posts on this topic:

Four levels of maturity

Four-way stops

Dealing with your own tendencies

Links:

Previous post on this topic.

Jayson’s blog.

After over 3 years, and over 125 posts, this blog will continue in a new format: the 90-second burn.

To learn more about this project, please watch:

Got 90 seconds per week?  Of course you do!  Subscribe at the right and join in the fun, starting next week.

Thanks for all the support and input and comments the last three years, and please stick with us as we move forward into new territory!

Leaders are committed to constant self-improvement.  Why use the phrase “stretching and growing?”

Because you Read the rest of this entry »

It’s cliche to mock the “do as I say, not as I do” leadership failure.  That’s because Read the rest of this entry »

If there’s one skill that leaders must master and habitually improve, it’s communication.

If you look at the list of topics to the right, you’ll see that it’s a pretty popular area of concern.  So many dysfunctions, productivity concerns, drama, misunderstandings, and performance Read the rest of this entry »

The essence of leadership is service.

Read the rest of this entry »

1996

I was despondent. Poor me. “My people” weren’t engaged.  They didn’t get me; they weren’t loyal, they weren’t receptive, they were leaving me, and it wasn’t my fault.  They just needed to give me more time, to get to know me…

Except… Read the rest of this entry »

Something that occasionally presents itself in the world of leadership is that there is one person, also a leader, who doesn’t “get it.”

Maybe it’s another teacher, a member of administration or your direct supervisor. They see what you are doing, they know that those you lead appreciate what you’re doing, but for one reason or another, they don’t think it applies to them. It’s usually one of the following: they think they’re already doing it,  they think their team is doing fine and they don’t have the time to “waste,” or they think their way is better.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Olympics have a way of shining a new light on the meaning of dedication.

The opening ceremonies were comprised of one spectacular vignette after another, with thousands of performers, musicians and athletes knowing exactly where to go and what to do during every minute of their moment in the spotlight. That’s dedication.

Every commercial that runs during the Olympic Games tells the athlete’s tale of foregoing dessert, not watching TV, not skipping a single day’s workout in order to be the best. That’s dedication.

Then there was the Chinese farmer who spent the last two years traveling to London via rickshaw just to see the Olympic games. A little extreme, but yes – that’s dedication.

Read the rest of this entry »

Fear paralyzes; sometimes we allow it to, calling it “caution.” It’s good to be cautious.  Not so good to be paralyzed. Either by over-analysis OR fear.

(Though, extreme analysis can combat fear; see Freakonomics for the statistics on child restraints…)

A good nugget from Tim Ferriss’s Four-Hour Workweek is this (paraphrased):

The thought of the “worst-case scenario” keeps us from acting, yet the worst-case scenario almost Read the rest of this entry »