The first month of the new year is almost complete, and by now, you’re likely settled back into your habitual routines again. Which means you’re back to daily choices, priority changes and distractions…and the challenge of making the best of your valuable time. There’s plenty to keep you busy, with many demands upon that time. But as a leader, you know that time is irreplaceable, so this year like every year, your plan is to invest your …
We defeat disruption, fear, and uncertainty by relying on our beliefs, values and stories. Challenging situations can dismay and paralyze, or they can inspire and energize. Each of us chooses which path we will take. I’m writing this on Martin Luther King Jr. day. Dr. King chose to take control rather than be controlled. And on this day, we honor his choice, his decision to persevere with his message and methods which continue to be reasonable, positive and …
We begin our careers by accepting an entry level job with specific requirements and responsibility only for ourself. If we do well, and increasingly master our assigned duties, we get promoted; if we sustain our high performance, then we continue to earn greater responsibility. Eventually, given our reliable performance and high mastery of skills, we’re promoted into a leadership role and required to lead others who are responsible for doing the tasks we excelled at doing. We’re …
For many of us, it’s back to work in a new year. Catching up, answering emails, checking with the boss, revisiting pending deadlines. It’s typically a time when fewer things are urgent, a time for resolutions and reviews, a time to reflect on what worked well during the past year and what could improve. Remember those process deficiencies you wanted to fix but couldn’t because daily urgencies consumed you? Now is the time to make those process improvements …
These days, we spend much of our time focused on screens. Such an existence can diminish our offscreen awareness of the people and the activity around us. Having become increasingly dependent on technology, and inhibited by masks and distancing, our connecting and observational skills erode. What we observe informs what we think, and influences how we act; a weakened observation capacity hinders our ability to learn, to restore and to grow. Observation is the most direct method …
The customer-driven market is the future of business. Those who thrive in it anticipate disruption, partner with key customers, relentlessly challenge the status quo, and drive, rather than adapt to, change. Decisions related to these strategies rely upon urgent, unfiltered feedback from customers. How insulated are you from this direct feedback? When a small business delivers a poor customer experience, the leaders quickly learn about it. Complaints rise and customers leave. Post-purchase reparations are expensive, and goal achievement is …
For numerous companies, this is the 2021 planning season. The widespread disruption to business during 2020 raised awareness about what can and cannot be managed when overwhelming, unexpected events occur. Uncertainty is no stranger to business leaders, but the profound, unprecedented impact of the Covid challenge caused many to reconsider their purpose, values, and vision before delving into goal setting, strategy development and action planning. Among the results of this foundational review is a refocusing …
One of the first questions we ask when we begin a new job is: “What’s required of me?” When these basic expectations are met, we get evaluated as being diligent and dependable. But when heads are down, focused on reliably completing expected tasks, people can get stuck in their routine, and never question if there’s a better way to do the job. Looking around, they often find that they are surrounded by people who are just as …
Whether it’s seeking improvements or managing shifting priorities, leaders invest significant time resolving conflicts. Efficiently managing differences, be they with peers or within teams, to arrive at a shared commitment, proceeds through 3 phases that require a mix of empathy, discovery and tenacity. 1. Leverage your empathy to change your mindset. Our tendency, particularly with those we lead, is to manage these discussions with the mindset that we’re going to convince the other party that our perspective …
Completing delegated tasks, and achieving assigned goals, in accordance with expected behaviors defines acceptable performance by a competent employee. But when that person digs deeper, investing extra time and energy to make something better for a customer or the business, we recognize this as discretionary effort that reveals exceptional performance. If improving results is the prime directive for leadership, then a leader’s competency largely depends on the ability to influence and inspire people to risk …