What Would You Do If I Weren’t Here…

Apr 25, 2023 | Leadership Development

No, this article isn’t going to be about what will happen to your company if something were to happen to you. This article is about what’s happening with your company NOW. More specifically, what’s happening with your managers and team members now – and what’s NOT happening with them - while you're their leader. What are you teaching them to do and not to do? What’s happening with your managers and team members now – and what’s NOT happening with them – while you're their leader. What are you...

It’s Not ‘Return to Work,’ It’s ‘Return to Us’

Sep 21, 2021 | Leadership Development

You have no doubt heard or read others proclaiming: “Stop saying: ‘Return to work’. We’ve been working this whole time! And, we’ve been working longer, harder, and in more challenging ways than ever before!” You know what? They’re right. If there is one thing we can all agree on, it’s that this past year, regardless of industry, profession, etc., we’ve all had to work harder and more creatively than ever before. So it’s simply wrong to now focus on how to ‘return to work.’ Instead, we need to...

Your Silence Speaks Volumes: Speak and Lead Proactively

Mar 23, 2021 | Leadership Development

How you communicate as a leader is critical. There’s nothing new in that. However, what I’m finding more frequently is that leaders aren’t appreciating how loudly their silence speaks to their teams and what their silence says about their leadership. Whether it’s a company president, director of regional sales, or a team lead, leaders are staying silent too often. Their silence is not motivated by a fear of crossing a line on political correctness. Their silence is instead driven by a fear of...

Performance Planning vs Employee Reviews

Dec 20, 2016 | Leadership Development

Ahhh, this is the wonderful time of year when organizations REQUIRE managers, supervisors, and team leaders sit down with their various team members to conduct one-on-one performance reviews. Doesn't just the thought of holding one of these sessions turn your stomach? If you're like most people it does. Why? ...Because most of the feedback sessions we've participated in or conducted ourselves have been horrendous! Quite often they're hurried meetings that focus on past mistakes instead of...

Which Stage of Leadership Do You Operate In?

Jun 10, 2014 | Leadership Development, WBS

Do you know which stage of leadership you operate in? The following is a quick and dirty overview of my leadership model: The Five Stages of Focused Leadership Development® Stage 1 Leaders identify ways to improve and leverage current processes and procedures. They also create and provide basic documentation on how they do select tasks so others can step in and perform their duties when necessary. Stage 1 leaders value creating and simplifying systems because they realize systems help them...