As the year turns, I hope your “Leadership Sense” is tingling with the possibilities for a year of growth and improvement. Besides the daily tweaking and problem-solving that is part of your role, consider spending part of your time looking at the long term and the underlying systems that create the outcomes you’re currently getting from … Read more
A client’s writing inspired this post. When I reach the end of a coaching relationship, I invite the client to reflect on what s/he is taking away from the experience, and what commitments s/he will make going forward to ensure their personal growth continues. Recently a client who is ending a year of coaching sent … Read more
You probably got your position because you were one of the smartest people on the team. Knowing much and being smart are certainly advantages to you and your organization. If you are leading a team, however, you create a lot more value for the organization when you bring out the best in others. To do … Read more
I recently heard my pastor tell the following story: A college professor entered the empty classroom and wrote on the blackboard. As the students arrived and took their places he revealed the board and announced, “These are your exam questions. Please begin. I am going to be writing the exam questions for the next period … Read more
Have you ever felt that there’s just not enough time in the day? Most often, when we run out of time for projects or pursuits, the reason is that we’ve spent a lot of time lost in ambiguity. When you’re supremely clear about where you’re going and what you want to do, there’s no time … Read more
Happy, engaged employees are good for an organization. Research from every conceivable angle consistently shows they are more creative, make better decisions, produce more at higher levels of quality and service, and bring more heart to their jobs. As a bonus, happiness is contagious; it spreads like a virus that leads to deeper engagement … Read more
One of my coaching clients is looking for a new job. The client’s company is paying for coaching services while the client’s boss is simultaneously doing everything he can to confuse, disconnect and disengage his staff. The client did not intend to use coaching as a career change. Once I introduced language about boundaries and … Read more
Have you ever felt that you had nothing to offer…no gifts to share whatsoever? During spells of frustration or despair, it’s common to feel worthless. It can seem that everyone else is far more brilliant, beautiful and worthy of consideration. In times like these, take solace in the one thing that you can offer that … Read more
When I was a young supervisor fresh from college I was thrown into a turbulent division experiencing 400% growth. The lead underwriter took me under her wing and taught me valuable lessons for dealing with that kind of chaos. “Never leave a problem file sitting on your desk over a weekend,” Jackie taught me. “Problems … Read more
Just as you hold a story about yourself, you hold assessments about others. This is a human thing – to create assessments about others as a shortcut to interaction. Notice that when you are in a leadership role, your assessments matter a great deal more than if you are merely a coworker. The theory of … Read more