Team harmony is good, right? Maybe not. We often view team harmony as the ultimate goal. We celebrate a lack of ego and a culture of collaboration. Yet many professional groups fall into a subtle but dangerous trap: they mistake collegiality for alignment. When respect and trust are replaced by a mere avoidance of conflict, the result isn't a better team—it's delayed … [Read more...] about Is Your Team Too Collegial?
Decision Making
Shape Your Team Members’ Careers
What truly separates a "good" leader from a "great" one? Often we think of great leaders as inspiring and motivating. While these are important qualities, new research recently reported in Harvard Business Review, tells us that great leaders aren't just great motivators; they are expert talent allocators. Their secret sauce isn't how hard they push their team, but how well … [Read more...] about Shape Your Team Members’ Careers
Identify Your Core Values
We all have core values that are very important to us – as individuals, teams, and organizations. It can be helpful to identify, clarify, and articulate these values to give us benchmarks of how we want to behave. As individuals, reflecting on our values regularly can help us stay on the path in life we want. As teams and organizations, a set of stated values can help us … [Read more...] about Identify Your Core Values
Align Your Strategy and Budget
What do you expect from your new strategy? Did you go through all of that strategic planning effort to decide to keep doing the same things? Are you just going to change the dates on the cover page and continue with the “same ‘ol, same ‘ol?” Never have I worked with an organization on their strategy who wants more of the same. They always want to be better. If you … [Read more...] about Align Your Strategy and Budget
“The Future is Not What it Used to Be”
Imagine driving at night on a winding, unfamiliar road. It's dark; the headlights illuminate only a short distance ahead, and there's no GPS for guidance. A fork in the road appears, and there's no sign or indication of where either path leads. Meanwhile, a car behind is tailgating and flashing its lights, creating pressure to make a quick decision. When the potential … [Read more...] about “The Future is Not What it Used to Be”