While I support your team members' development through workshop programs and one-on-one coaching, my primary job is listening. Without violating our sacred commitment to confidentiality, here are some of the big themes I heard this year that might just help you manage more effectively.
Much like the alchemist's search, discovering the "just right" leadership style in today's maelstrom of issues and wicked problems is elusive. Yet, for those striving to lead successfully, there is hope, and it comes in the form of a blended, adaptive model of leading.
In Part 3 of this series, the emphasis is on managing the discussions successfully with empathy and clarity. It turns out when the feedback discussion goes off the rails, as happens all too often, it's because empathy and clarity were nowhere to be found.
Thinking about looking for a new job? I’ll wager the first thing you feel compelled to do is update your résumé. It’s a nearly universal reflex. And, it’s wrong. My advice is to push away from the keyboard and spend time gathering data and thinking through the value you bring to your teams and firms. It's time to form and articulate your professional value proposition.
For many managers, giving and receiving feedback is challenging. However, when feedback is approached properly, it can be a powerful tool for strengthening individual and group performance. Here are seven actions you can take to succeed with feedback:
We all can benefit from the right type of specific, behavioral, task, or situational-focused feedback. Unfortunately, our natural fear of either giving or receiving feedback often gets in the way of harnessing value from this input.
While it's hard to stave the flood of emotions that occurs from missing out on a promotion, it's essential to put the situation in context and turn it into a valuable lesson and potentially a catalyst for personal development.
We place extraordinary amounts of pressure on our leaders to solve the big problems in front of us. In reality, they don't have the answers. They are looking for individuals to provide ideas that point to solutions. Here are five ideas you can use today to help and start leading without authority:
Don't let the title of this article mislead you; I love mentors. I've been on the receiving end of several great individuals' wisdom and support during my career. However, it's the sponsors in my different organizations that advocated for me and opened doors to opportunities that challenged me to stretch, grow, and succeed in real-time.
In the face of complexity and risk, the simplest solutions are generally the best ones. These are indeed challenging times for anyone responsible for managing and leading initiatives, teams, and functions. It might seem as if answers are hard to come by, yet, the fundamentals of effective leadership never go out of style. It's a [...]
