In honor of this Mother’s Day weekend, I’d like to share two of my favorite inspirational quotations from women and mothers. “Everyone needs to be valued. Everyone has the potential to give something back.” – Princess Diana Translation: You may think there are people on your team whose role is minor in nature and their […]
Management by Wandering Around
A few weeks ago, I had an interesting discussion about leadership with my great nephew. As a chef, he’s learning different techniques on how to lead his team. We talked about the importance of a leader getting out of the office to spend time where customers and employees hang out. In his case, he’d get […]
Never Think You’ve “Made” It
The leaders of the toy retailer Toys R Us recently decided it’s no longer fun and games in the toy business. They are closing all the Toys R Us stores. From being the industry giant in the 1980s and 1990s, Toys R Us is now about to be extinct. What mistakes did the leaders make […]
Bad Behavior Comes with Consequences
Some leaders look the other way when a star performer displays bad behavior. What does this communicate? Among many things, their inaction shows inconsistency, which is bad for team chemistry and undermines company culture. My kind of leader addresses bad behavior by a star performer the same as anyone else’s bad behavior-by implementing consequences. Among […]
Re-Visiting 10 Success Rules
I recently reviewed Herbert N. Casson’s Ten Success Rules to give myself a reality check. You may not agree with all of these rules. You may even have one or two of your own. However, see how closely these 10 fit with your thinking: Put success before amusement. Learn something every day. Cut free from […]
Communication Effectiveness for Leaders – Train, Mentor, Coach
Our “communication effectiveness for leaders” theme continues by focusing on the aspect of your job that requires creating a culture of effective communication. Ineffective communication occurs both within a department (intradepartmental) and between departments (interdepartmental). And both potentially lead to costly problems that can take years to overcome.Leadership Tip Assist people on your team to […]
Communication Effectiveness for Leaders – The Pep Talk
Happy New Year! Leadership Tip Start this year by dramatically improving your communication effectiveness. No doubt you have experienced the negative outcomes of ineffective communication. Whether it’s chaos, conflict, anger, confusion, mistrust, wasted time (the list can go on), who can afford to experience any of these? Because solutions to ineffective communication are as varied […]
Strike Out of the Rut
On occasion, you can get stuck in a rut. You know the feeling. What’s new isn’t interesting or exciting. What’s different seems to be the same. What should be energizing simply isn’t. What should be productive seems counterproductive. These feelings can come up at any time. Leadership Tip Learn how to avoid getting stuck in […]
Create Time to Build and Strengthen Relationships
is a busy time for leaders. There’s less than a quarter to complete your annual goals and objectives. If you have family responsibilities, your children’s schools are back in session. The upcoming winter calls for a variety of get-ready activities. Then there’s the push to get ready for the holidays. And you might want to […]
Achieve the Unachievable
As we enter the fourth quarter of the year, many leaders focus on planning or adjusting their plans for the coming new year. Part of the planning process includes establishing goals, which are often handed down to others to execute. Unfortunately, in many cases, the goals are large and seemingly unachievable. When you’re the one […]