In this article, I draw from history lessons to suggest a fresh model and set of skills based on old-school nation-state diplomacy to help today’s senior managers and organizational leaders navigate the challenges posed by varying constituent groups in our volatile era.
For individuals who choose to lead, it pays to see the signposts. Here are several significant moments in the career of everyone who leads that merit your complete engagement.
The old supervisory model and mentality are obsolete. The essence of the new role is empowerment and support. Perhaps instead of having individuals write off the opportunity to contribute to others and their organizations in unique ways, we might just build the next generation of great leaders. I’ve checked, and we need more of those great leaders!
Teaming and collaboration experiences happen in all walks of our professional and personal lives. Some experiences working with others are draining, others passable, and just a few are energizing and even fun and successful. You can hope these fun, productive experiences emerge by chance. Or you can be deliberate about creating the conditions that improve the possibility of a great collaboration experience. I opt for improving our odds of bringing one of these productive, fun experiences to life. Here are four ideas to help:
Journaling is one of the most powerful continuous improvement tools we can use in our working lives, yet many are unsure of how to get started. Here’s some guidance and twenty journaling prompts to help:
During my coaching calls with leaders at all levels, much of our time is invested in how to engage and structure the conversations to uncover value for all parties. Here are some tips to help you pre-think and design your discussions to achieve successful outcomes for all parties.
The economic weather is changing, and it feels like a storm is approaching. Possibly a big one. The question on my mind is, “Will the leadership lessons of the past few years stick?”
We write and talk about succeeding as managers and leaders in this world. We spend a lot of money on training. Your humility, commitment to creating a personal experience for everyone, and your authenticity in leading from the heart may be most of what you need to succeed in your important role.
How do we access the power of purpose in our role when many above and around us might not be playing with the same sense of motivation? Here are some lessons from some great managers about finding and harnessing the power of purpose in their work. Read and think about how you might put their ideas to work.
Ideas are oxygen for problem-solving. Yet, all the ideas in the world won’t help you solve the challenges in front of you if you don’t have solid ideas-to-actions flow. As leaders, we need to complete the process and make sure there’s a robust Ideas-to-Actions machine operating on our teams and in our organizations. Here are approaches to help strengthen the flow of ideas into actions in your workplace:
