Accountability Allows Leadership

Apr 24, 2012 | Leadership Development

A senior manager recently asked what the difference was between a manager and a leader. I told her: "A manager is responsible for taking care of the here and now. A manager ensures the resources are used efficiently, and plans for maximum utilization of staff, equipment, materials, and capital. A manager knows how to multi-task and deal with ever-shifting priorities. A leader focuses on "What's coming next and how to take advantage of it?" Given that definition, she said, "I'm...

Do You Have A Leadership Line In The Sand?

Apr 17, 2012 | Leadership Development

Are your employees clear as to what your expectations for performance are? Do your employees know what the non-negotiable attitudes and behaviors are that are expected of all team members (yourself included)? Do your employees know what the consequences are if they do not meet these expectations? Are they certain you will take action, one way or the other, depending upon how they choose to perform? Have you clearly drawn your "leadership line-in-the-sand"? If you didn't answer "Yes" to every...

Who Do I Want As My Customers?

Apr 10, 2012 | Sales, Marketing & Customer Service

We've been doing a lot of work with clients lately on fine-tuning their marketing efforts. A crucial step in this process is getting crystal-clear on just who they want to have as a customer. Now I know this sounds like a somewhat strange activity. But you'd be amazed at the number of businesses who believe they can and should service everyone. Selling to anyone and everyone sounds great in theory, but in reality, it can cost you money, waste your time and resources, and drive your...

Communication is a Beautiful Thing

Apr 3, 2012 | Leadership Development

A beautiful thing happened during a client work session this past week: The management team experienced the value of clear, honest communication. For some time this client has been under the incorrect assumption that its management team communicated well with each other. Yet invariably when I'd have a one-on-one meeting with any member of the management team, I'd hear comments along the lines of, "Well, I believe what he really wants to do is..." or "I don't think she's really clear on how to...