The Power of a Leader’s Respect

Oct 29, 2013 | Leadership Development

It’s a really neat experience to watch management and team-building theories prove themselves true. It’s incredible to see the power a leader has just in his or her subtle behaviors to either develop a team or to crush one. It’s amazing the power a leader’s respect has on team performance. Recently, I had the chance to guide one of my client’s through their Strategic Plan update. Now the cool thing isn't that they even cared enough to update the plan; the cool thing is what the leader did and...

The Value of Developing Systems

Oct 22, 2013 | Leadership Development

It happened again. As I was talking with Don, a business owner, I mentioned the importance of creating systems and documentation for his business. Don responded the way many small business owners do, he tried to not roll his eyes as he attempted to change the topic. I could almost hear him thinking to himself, "Bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo." However, I took a few minutes and elaborated for Don's - and his company's - benefit. Developing Systems by identifying and then documenting the critical...

See Your Business From the Other Side

Oct 15, 2013 | Sales, Marketing & Customer Service

Do the unthinkable -- be your own customer. Take a critical look at your organization one afternoon and walk through the front door as a first-time customer would. Notice things such as the clarity of your website, the friendliness of your telephone receptionist, the lighting and cleanliness of the floor, countertops, and displays. Notice the arrangement of your information, merchandise, and the responsiveness of the staff. Do you feel comfortable and are you welcomed, or do you feel...

The Middle Management Mess

Oct 8, 2013 | Leadership Development

I started focusing on what I call the Middle Management mess after I read an article in the March 2006 issue of the Harvard Business Review by Robert Morison, Tamara Erickson, and Ken Dychtwald entitled “Managing Middlescence.” Their article addressed the mid-career employees, aged 35 to 54, who “should be at their peak of productivity,” but instead “are the most disaffected segment of the workforce.” With one in four of these employees holding managerial or supervisory positions, this was a...

Increase Your Power; Give It Away

Oct 1, 2013 | Leadership Development, WBS

I originally wrote this article in 2003, but it's theme is exactly what I discussed with a leadership group last week as we discussed my book, Something Needs to Change Around Here: The Five Stages to Leveraging Your Leadership and in particular Stage 2 Leadership. In Stage 2, if you don't let go, others can't do the work. I hope you enjoy this post from my archives. The old adage, “You're only as strong as the people around you” is true. Yet so many of us in management tend to forget it, and...