so your vision is never lost.
LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS
Some organizations believe that the goal of every interaction is to engage everybody. There’s an entire industry out there of consultants, trainers and coaches that tell the general public, business leaders, and teams that they need to engage their people. We believe in general that is true; however, as a sound bite, it sends the wrong message. Engaging everyone can get too much happening too quickly and engagement may not be right for an individual situation or team. We have […]
Evaluations are critical to the success of companies, but are often poorly done with little thought or effort. More importantly, they are sometimes done with little follow-up or forward thinking. This can easily change with the use of a few tips that make evaluations a pleasurable experience to ultimately benefit both the employee and the employer. Evaluations are an opportunity for real communication to occur. A few things to remember when conducting evaluations: 1. Although the review is conducted […]
A while back, a leader we were working with was in a tough spot. He was trying to get the boss (the owner) to grow the business. But no matter what he did, he could not convince his boss to take steps to grow the business. There was much blame, justification and shouldering about why this was happening. Then, later, in a meeting the leadership team was having, we challenged the team to “just do it”. Respectfully, build a rough […]
Clients often wonder why so much time is spent with the teams of people in an organization rather than the leader. We have found that talking to the team reveals a lot of information about their leader. A large percentage of the time team members are confused about the vision of the company as well as the direction they are trying to go. Generally teams understand that the goal is to increase business, to improve processes and maintain a healthy […]
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, […]
In this week’s video blog our expert guide, Don Hadley, discusses the lack of communication within an organization and it may begin with a misconception of what it really means to communicate with a person or group. Communication is not merely telling people what you know, it is about creating a dialogue where you exchange thoughts, feelings and ideas. Then, allowing what you hear to affect what actions are taken and how perceptions are shaped. Some questions to consider: […]
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 […]