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LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS
A good friend and client, in his 60’s, who I believe is one of the smartest well-read people I know, and is constantly learning, likes to say that “Standing around looking stupid, you can learn an awful lot.” Originally, I thought I was smart, but I have learned that my real job is to stand around looking stupid and ask a lot of questions. This brings out the wisdom of any group and gets the debate going. It is also […]
If everyone was direct, open and specific about their opinions on all issues, surveys would not be needed. However, the reality is that surveys not only get opinions that are hard to get otherwise, they are also valuable because: They cause people to think more since they can take time and come up with a deeper answer. Some people will respond in writing and not verbally. The questions can be specifically written to find out exactly what you need to […]
By definition, a real leader is typically taking a group of people into a new and better future. For this reason, there is going to be inertia towards where the group is right now. Shifting the inertia, causing change, also causes pain. People resist pain. Granted, some people are easier to work with than others when change is required. However, different attitudes, different cognitive experiences and different conative strengths require leaders approach change with individuals and groups based the audience, […]
The King’s Speech – What a fantastic movie! I have watched it many times! The movie shares the internal struggle of the Duke of York from 1926 until after World War II. Unable to communicate to the public with any value, when his brother abdicates the throne, he must learn how to create trust, confidence, etc. as a leader to his country. By persisting and being courageous in his personal battle, he affects millions. (Most of us see Winston Churchill […]
In this week’s video blog our expert guide, Don Hadley, discusses the impact that our values and beliefs have in the workplace. Leaders, in general, tend to focus on behaviors and actions rather than values and beliefs. Focusing on values and beliefs is much harder to do. If we take the time as leaders to see our employees from a different, more powerful perspective, and begin to change their perspectives accordingly, this will allow them to impact people at a […]
We sometimes rely on stories to change perspectives and mindsets among our clients and their teams. Hearing a tale seemingly unrelated to the immediate concerns of the day relaxes the listener in a way nothing else can and makes them open to new ideas. I heard a story recently about a pillow: Once upon a time, there was a guy with a wonderful feather pillow. He loved it! He went into his backyard and opened up the pillow. He wanted […]
Are you getting the most out of your employees? It seems like a good question, doesn’t it? Taken seriously and pursued carefully, it might result in a wide variety of answers leading to: increased productivity, improved processes, perhaps even a change of personnel, whether in or out of the company or via a shift of responsibilities. Read More on engaging your employees in this month’s Compass Check A much better question would be: “Is this team member really feeling like […]
In this week’s video blog our expert guide, Don Hadley, discusses how leaders can engage their employees and teams. Many leaders may be great at communication yet not at engaging their people. When leaders reach their employees’ hearts, the employees are able to drive action within the organization without the leader’s presence. One way to engage employees is to involve them in looking at the bigger picture or challenging them and each other to look at each other’s metrics […]
In a recent discussion with Joe Young of Waypoint, we were talking about becoming experts. He indicated that it takes about 500 hours of doing something to really become good at it in other words, an expert. While the amount of time may depend on the topic (i.e. nuclear physics vs. woodcarving), he was making the point that our most valuable commodity is time. Most of our time is spent on who we are now. Joe calls this “Expense Time”. […]