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. […]
LEADING IS A PROCESS
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 […]
STUCK HAPPENS
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 […]
HAVE THEIR BACK
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 […]
BATTLING BUREAUCRACY
(excerpt from my forthcoming book Live Hard) We’ve all made fun of bureaucracy, right? Bureaucracy is an organizational reality that involves a hierarchy of authority with a defined reporting structure, rigid division of labor and control of resources, and lots of formal and informal policies and procedures for everything. People fill assigned roles and work […]
JOIN THE PARTY?
Wouldn’t it be nice if work was a simple meritocracy? The rules and metrics would be clear. As a result, knowing who is performing well would also be very clear. Promotions would go to the most capable, the process would have no ambiguity, perceived fairness would be high, and so on. It’s simple, right? Not […]
THREE STAGES OF YOU
Many people embrace personal improvement, but the process can be difficult. You see, there are only three stages of personal growth: indulging ignorance, building independence, and chasing potential. All lives begin in ignorance. Too many never escape. It’s so easy. A person is born, told what to believe as a child, and never learns to […]
JOIN THE REVOLUTION!
What a fascinating time to watch the shift in generations across the modern talent pool. To put it mildly, what was considered progressive just a few years ago will become an absolute expectation in the next few years. Much has been said about what the younger generations value and what we must do to make […]
SHOULD YOU JUMP?
In the past, professionals worked for a few companies over the course of a career. Today, increasingly, they work for many – easily ten or more employers in a career. Unfortunately, many of these “jump” decisions are not smart. They are well-intentioned, but not necessarily productive. There are very real costs associated with making bad […]
DIVERSITY AND THE FUTURE OF LEADERSHIP
Dear Millennials, Gen Z, and beyond: the global population is aging – the so called silver tsunami has begun. It is your gift to unwrap. In talent pools across the planet, older people are exiting the workforce in large numbers. This means that women, minorities, and young people will assume positions of leadership like never […]
