Performance Choices and Horse Lessons

Nov 1, 2011 | Leadership Development

My husband and I helped a friend move her horses to a new stable recently. Neither of her horses had ever been loaded on a trailer before, so she was terribly nervous about the unfamiliar adventure facing us. She had visions of her horses panicking, bucking, kicking, whinnying for dear life, and forcibly being pushed and pulled into the trailer. Instead, one horse walked right on as we calmly talked to her during the loading process, and the other eventually walked on the trailer, without...

Guest Post: David Graham | Empower HR leadership teams to deliver more business value

Oct 28, 2011 | Guest Post

We have a special guest on the blog today. David Graham, founder of Executive Insight, has written a terrific article that we'd like to share with you. How do you empower HR leadership teams to deliver more business value? Visit David Graham's blog for more great articles. This article, produced by Deloitte Human Capital discusses the role of the HR COO. If you have any questions, contact Jack Sellschop at jsellschop@deloitte.co.za or Gareth Evans at garevans@deloitte.co.za The emerging...

A Self-Respecting Leader: Robert 'Tink' Lehmer

Oct 24, 2011 | Leadership Development

I never met Robert 'Tink' Lehmer. I wish I had. He thought the way great leaders think. I say this because of a little poem he wrote in 1976. Tink's poem was shared during a Leadership Training program graduation ceremony I recently attended. My hope for the graduates is that they paid attention and took his words to heart. If the graduates did, his words will serve them well. Myself (Written June 11, 1976) I have to live with myself, and so I want to be fit for myself to know I...

Leadership Hypocrisy

Oct 17, 2011 | Leadership Development

Leadership hypocrisy, that's a rather startling phrase isn't it? Truth be told, you're probably waiting to see what I have to say about some slimy individuals who have cheated their customers, scammed their vendors, and profited grotesquely while their employees have barely earned a sustainable wage. Nope. Leadership hypocrisy can be much more subtle. It's not seeing the unintentional things you do that cause your employees to lose respect for you and to disengage from you and the...

Who is Key?

Oct 10, 2011 | Succession Planning

I had an interesting conversation the other day with a client. We were discussing her company’s strategic plan and the next step: the succession plan. I was outlining for her the basic steps to identifying the responsibilities of key positions when she asked a great question: “Just what is a ‘key’ position?” Her question honestly stunned me for a moment because of its simplicity and its importance. If we, as business owners, do not know which positions in our company are key, how can we ensure...