I am often guilty of the wrong kind of trust. When I first saw Covey’s matrix (pictured above), I felt some discomfort. My propensity to trust is rather high, and my faith in humanity is so unconditional that my commitment … Read More
Picture the ripple effect of throwing a stone into a calm pond. The waves get larger and cover more surface as they expand. Think of trust-building in this way. Stephen M. R. Covey says, “As trust is manifest in each … Read More
I’ve written a lot about the role of “vulnerability-based trust” in cohesive teams. Patrick Lencioni explored the concept of vulnerability-based trust as a critical foundation for teams. Read more about Lencioni’s model here, here, and here. Trust is multi-faceted. Although … Read More
Last week, I gave one of my couples “homework” to complete by their appointment this week. I handed them a piece of paper with a list of fifty or so open-ended questions, and I said, “Ask each other these questions … Read More
Some people push back when you ask them to take a positive approach in their leadership. They equate positivity with being nice, but being kind is deeper than empty hype like, “Good job” or “Nice work” or “Super!” You can’t … Read More
Engagement matters. Gallup quantified this issue by studying employee engagement for 40-plus years. Some of their recent findings include: 34% of employees report active engagement in their jobs. 50% of employees report a lack of engagement in their jobs. 16% … Read More
Vision is the two-fold ability to:1) Accurately see the current reality of your organization/situation.2) Creatively see the possibilities for the future of your organization/situation. Try this simple activity to make the concept of vision more concrete, actionable, and enduring: Step … Read More
Star Wars nerds everywhere are scrolling to the bottom of this post to let me know I got the quote wrong. But, if you give me a few minutes, I will explain. Yes, the quote is wrong in the sense … Read More
You will need a piece of paper or a Post-It note for this blog. On that paper, write down an answer to one of these questions: What is your most troubling current issue? What is one task on your list … Read More
The essence of servant leadership is to meet the needs of your organization and your people. But arrogance creeps in when you assume you’ve got it figured out. Because you’re the leader. You ought to know. Peter Block calls this … Read More