Less is often more. Most of us know this. Yet, most leaders end up “adding” more things to do for their organizations, rather than getting rid of things. Research shows we are “wired” this way. When humans are asked to think of ways to improve things, we fall into “addition bias.” We can be much more effective if can focus some of our time on a “stop doing” list. A … [Read more...] about Get Rid of the BS
Implementation
Leading Win-Win Negotiations
Some people think that every negotiation is a battle to get the most you can for you and your side. Others like to avoid conflict and want to quickly compromise – “Let’s just split the difference.” Both of these approaches could lead to sub-optimal outcomes. Often, a negotiation can lead to a real “win-win” for both parties, which is different and better than a … [Read more...] about Leading Win-Win Negotiations
Mastering Accountability
You had a great plan, but it didn’t work. What happened? All too often it is because somewhere along the line, someone failed to do what they promised and no one called them on it. They were not held accountable. Lack of accountability is a huge problem in organizations. In fact, Patrick Lencioni names this as one of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team in his great book … [Read more...] about Mastering Accountability
Improve Your VUCA Leadership
The U. S. Army invented the term “VUCA” back in the late 1980s to describe the global environment once the Soviet Union fell. VUCA stands for Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous. Many organization leaders adopted the term to describe their environments as well. Since COVID, many people feel like we are experiencing VUCA on Steroids. With that in mind, here are some … [Read more...] about Improve Your VUCA Leadership
Breaking Your Slump
We talk about it in sports, but it happens to all of us – we sometimes get into a slump. What to do? Baseball players are notorious for trying all kinds of wacky things to break a slump. One player threw away his “unlucky” jersey. Another poured lighter fluid on a bat and lit it on fire with “his” bat “watching.” This was supposed to scare his bat into action. And … [Read more...] about Breaking Your Slump