We take special time this week to remember the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the impact he has made on society. In communities and schools across the nation, his “I Have a Dream” speech will be replayed and recited. “I Have a Dream” is an amazing speech and aspirational vision that Dr. King shared with us. But effective leaders – like Dr. King – are much more … [Read more...] about Leaders: More than Dreamers
Leadership
Leaders are Always Visible
These are definitely challenging times for leaders of all types of organizations. As I have met with C-suite leaders over the course of this past year since becoming Dean at Villanova, I have heard time and time again about how their role has increasingly changed so that now they feel they are being asked to “weigh in” on events in the news on a regular basis. Very different … [Read more...] about Leaders are Always Visible
Conduct a Premortem
We’ve all seen the TV docs do a postmortem to figure out why and how a victim died so the NCIS detectives can catch the bad guy. A lot of organizations will conduct a postmortem after a big event or project has concluded to do an evaluation (though I prefer an After Action Review, since I hope no one died while implementing the project). Research has demonstrated … [Read more...] about Conduct a Premortem
Building Your Bench
Staff turnover is a fact of life – as much as you might want to use your wishful thinking to make it go away. Once you have accepted that fact of life – now it is time to prepare for it. Here are some things you can do to be prepared to successfully navigate the departure of key staff: *Identify possible successors – internally and externally. Even if your organization … [Read more...] about Building Your Bench
Thanks for the Feedback (Or Not)
We know that receiving valid feedback for improvement on our performance and then acting on it is a helpful way to continue our professional development. However, it is all easier said than done. This is one of the helpful themes of the book Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well (even when it is off base, unfair, poorly delivered, and, … [Read more...] about Thanks for the Feedback (Or Not)