Recently, I chaperoned a large group trip for a bunch of teenagers—over 300 of them. I had to keep track of about 35 of them myself, and punctuality was the most pressing issue of the trip. If any one person … Read More
The Leader Campus with Mel Wildermuth has done it again! Another great interview with a leadership expert (no, not me. This time.) I’ve been a huge fan of Lee Cockerell and his book, Creating Magic, for some time. In fact, … Read More
How are your communication habits? Would others agree with your assessment? Do they change during times of stress? Change and stress complicate situations and relationships. It’s when we need more communication with each other, but what generally happens is just … Read More
Change is inevitable, and for creatures of habit, change is hard. Yet, it’s also necessary. No one deals with all changes well, but there comes a moment in every change cycle when we must make a choice: accept the change … Read More
Because conflict can be tense and uncomfortable, we might want it to end quickly. DiSC-wise, S types, and even some i types, find productive conflict awkward at times. Caving in works. It ends discussion.
Successful leaders avoid this phrase:
“I need you to…”
Although this is a common way for leaders to assign tasks, it is poor wording for these reasons:
It turns servant leadership upside down; leaders are supposed to meet the needs of others, not to seek to have their own needs met.
“How do you manage up?” This is a very common question. Others may disagree, but I give this short answer: You don’t. You manage yourself and your team so well that your manager rarely questions anything you do. If your … Read More
Change is inevitable, and so there are many resources to help organizations deal with change. The John Kotter works (Our Iceberg is Melting) are very popular, and for good reason. You’ve heard of Who Moved my Cheese? as well, certainly. … Read More
A couple years ago, I did a 4-post series on “Being Easy to Work With” which was based on DiSC styles. It’s time for a simple reminder of a serious key to success for anyone – leaders, or direct reports. Keep … Read More
I’ve learned so much from Mark and Mike at Manager Tools. This is one of the best distillations of a major leadership obstacle: When we lead, by virtue of our title or position in the organizational structure, we have built-in … Read More