Leadership is not easy. When we raise a hand and take the lead, all of our “stuff” comes along with us. And none of us is perfect. In a recent article in Harvard Business Review, researchers suggest that human beings aren't naturally equipped to navigate the friction that comes with leadership. They warn that well-intentioned leaders often step on behavioral "landmines" … [Read more...] about Avoid These Leadership Traps
Leadership
A Better Way for Consensus
“Let’s see if we can come to consensus.” Ahhh! Those can be scary words! While well intended as a nice way to include everyone, consensus sometimes signals the beginning of a long, laborious – even nitpicking – process of group decision making. It sometimes gives license to one member of the group to hold everyone hostage. And it can result in the watering down of a … [Read more...] about A Better Way for Consensus
How You Can Counter Pessimism
Like a dark cloud, negativity can hang over a team or organization when things are not going well. Pessimism can be like a death spiral and leaders often have difficulty pulling out of it. Even after the worst of a corporate restructuring, market downturn, or project crisis has passed, teams often remain stuck in a rut—flat in meetings, silent with new ideas, and … [Read more...] about How You Can Counter Pessimism
When Colleagues Meddle in Your Work
While collaboration is a hallmark of high performing teams and organizations, some team members do not know how to “stay in their lane.” We have all dealt with that coworker who constantly weighs in on projects outside their scope or offers unsolicited opinions on how you should run your department. According to a recent article in Harvard Business Review, this behavior … [Read more...] about When Colleagues Meddle in Your Work
Polite Ways You Can Say No
You want the elusive “Balanced Life” and cannot seem to get there. Maybe you need to say “no” more often. I learned this the hard way when I had so much stress that I believe it contributed to a cancer diagnosis. That was 43 years ago – I am happy to be alive and that I learned to start saying “no” more often. Here is an interesting list from Matt Rutherford on ten ways … [Read more...] about Polite Ways You Can Say No