Sometimes the difference between very good and excellent are the little things. As a baseball junkie, I’ll often hear a commentator share the cliché: “That won’t show up in the box score, but what that player just did saved a run.” Inside Baseball Explanation: the “box score” is the official record that is reported after every game (once in newspapers, now online). It … [Read more...] about Master the Little Things
teamwork
Improve Your Team Emotional Intelligence
The importance of improving our individual Emotional Intelligence has gained a lot of momentum in recent years. However, it is also important to improve the Emotional Intelligence of our teams! Most leaders try to build a first-rate team by bringing together a group of first-rate people. But as a recent Harvard Business Review article points out, a collection of … [Read more...] about Improve Your Team Emotional Intelligence
Improve Your Facilitation Skills
The star leader today is not just someone who has excellent individual skills. They are the people who can bring out the best in a team. Whether it is in sports or in the boardroom, a “star” is someone who “makes everyone around them even better.” A key skill in making a team stronger is the capability to effectively facilitate meetings. A recent article in Harvard … [Read more...] about Improve Your Facilitation Skills
Manage Without Micromanaging
Micromanaging is a classic leadership mistake. You were hired to manage the team because you were an excellent individual performer. And now you want everyone to perform at the same high level. So you are constantly looking over their shoulders. You don’t want to micromanage, but you need to know what is going on – and that things are being done properly. What do you … [Read more...] about Manage Without Micromanaging
Leading Your Inherited Team
We all do a lot of work in teams, which is why I consistently recommend Patrick Lencioni’s book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, to people. A recent article in Harvard Business Review focuses on a special situation for leaders – inheriting a team. This has happened to many of us in our careers and it definitely requires careful navigation. It is interesting that the … [Read more...] about Leading Your Inherited Team