Keep up to speed on Todd’s latest thoughts, books, clients, and professional activities.
The most common definition of leadership suggests it is an influence process focused on maximizing what a group can accomplish in terms of goal attainment. I’ve never been comfortable with this definition. Let’s consider each part of the traditional definition and a few things that should be added: To start, yes, leadership is a process. […]
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Leadership isn’t just about making the right call. Ultimately, success is about execution. The right decision implemented poorly isn’t worth anything. So, it’s useful to think about leadership as a process. For every significant decision or project, think about the before, during, and after. Before you make the call, there is plenty of work to […]
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It’s fun to research, assemble, and try out your own personal bag of tricks to be applied to relationship and career issues. I love finding new rules, maxims, and tools to consider. However, you do run a risk when you find new practices to try. If you try something once and it works, there is […]
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We’ve been told that burning bridges is not wise. This refers to irreparably harming key relationships and opportunities as a part of a rough and hasty exit from a difficult situation. This can be accomplished by unexpectedly abandoning your responsibilities, intentionally damaging work products, treating key people with whom you work negatively and harshly, etc. […]
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One minute things are flowing and the group is killing it. The next minute it seems as if you’re all slogging through a field of thick mud. Progress slows or stops. Stuck happens. You might find yourself stuck as a team due to long hours, seemingly impossible tasks, never-ending changes demanded of you, or some […]
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A lot of organizations talk about learning and innovation, but it’s just hot air. They like the ideas, but not the inherent risk and hard work. We all fawn over the maverick of the month in the business press, but are we really walking the innovation talk? Highly effective organizations get past the rhetoric and […]
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When you feel called to do something, you really don’t have a choice, do you? It’s an overwhelming feeling. It’s when an activity or vocation suddenly becomes an imperative – something you simply must do. It’s positive, powerful, and invigorating. It provides you with clarity. It pushes you forward with purpose and passion. That’s amazing. […]
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Leadership is about them, not you. If you want to maximize their productivity, you have to value the team, not just drive the team. That means seeing them in a more holistic sense – even in the face of their imperfections and mistakes. It’s easy if you begin by realizing that you’re imperfect, and yet […]
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(an excerpt from my forthcoming book, Live Hard) Self-improvement isn’t difficult to understand. You just have to ask the right questions and seek answers honestly. You must be genuinely open to feedback – a terribly useful and sometimes painful catalyst for change. Feedback comes from many sources: self-reflection, observation, task performance, comments from others, opportunities […]
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Success is about being brave in the face of THE FEAR, and open to THE CHALLENGE, in order to realize THE DREAM. We all have THE DREAM. It represents a desired future state. Your hopes and aspirations, your glowing picture of what you wish to achieve. We all dream, but, far too few of us […]
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