The leaders I talk with – whether they are in corporations, nonprofits, or government – tell me that most of their days are frenzied. They feel like they are in a “constant state of urgency” – going from one fire to another. This is the issue that Steven Covey was addressing in his book First Things First as he suggested that leaders need to spend less time on what is … [Read more...] about A Constant State of Urgency
Leadership
Developing Your Self-Awareness
Developing your self-awareness has long been thought of as a key to improving your leadership capability. Self-awareness is valuable because if you understand yourself extremely well then you can choose the appropriate effective behaviors to fit the situations you find yourself in. Without understanding yourself, you act on your natural “tendencies” which might not always … [Read more...] about Developing Your Self-Awareness
Managing “C” Players
You’d like to ignore them or just resign yourself to the idea that there is nothing much you can do, but one of your important responsibilities as a leader/manager is to address the “C” players you have on your team. If you don’t, you risk alienating your “A” players who want to be on a high performing team and tempting your “B” players to underperform. A recent article in … [Read more...] about Managing “C” Players
Top Ten List: Running a Great Meeting
It’s really not that complicated, which makes it even more maddening that meetings seem to be run poorly so often. If you have been recently frustrated about that, click here for some comic relief with a clip from the classic, Bloody Meetings. Not every meeting has the same purpose, but following are general guidelines for running an effective meeting. Feel free to forward … [Read more...] about Top Ten List: Running a Great Meeting
Healthy Team Debates
We know that “constructive conflict” is an important part of effective team decision making. If individuals within a team do not feel comfortable proposing alternative ideas to one another then the first idea suggested might be approved or, maybe worse, whatever idea the boss suggests will be adopted. Many authors, including Patrick Lencioni (The Five Dysfunctions of a Team), … [Read more...] about Healthy Team Debates