Family Time, Writing Time and Cookie Time!
After wrapping up some business today, I plan on moving quickly into family mode. Rumor has it that I'm in charge of cookie decorations this afternoon and present deliveries tomorrow.
Smiles, Sales and Leadership
I enjoy observing how the help in stores engage with their customers. What you see and hear speaks volumes about the leaders they work for. Want to know how people feel about their jobs and their bosses? It’s on their faces. Employees mirror the treatment they receive from their leaders.
Art Guest Posts at Lead Change, My Next Book & Other Updates
I confess to focusing a great deal recently on the future of leadership. This was evident in my guest post, "The Great and Perilous Leadership Journey Ahead,"at Tanveer Naseer’s site, and in today’s essay, "Leadership Guidance for Our Children." at the Lead Change site. And while you're visiting Lead Change, be certain to check out the many great blog posts from some truly outstanding leadership writers and thinkers.
Leadership Caffeine™: How to Appropriately Respond to Positive Praise
It’s easy to start believing the praise you hear in the hallways about your leadership approach. Easy and dangerous. I’ve always been leery of the unfounded and saccharine-sweet praise that is bestowed upon leaders. While you may call me cynical, I prefer to think of myself as pragmatic. Here are five ideas for appropriately responding to positive praise:
Management Excellence Book Review: Management? It’s Not What You Think
I confess to having a proclivity for essay collections when it comes to reading about management. Essays move along quickly and they offer the reader the opportunity to capture quick sound bites over breakfast, on the train or in other ideal reading rooms. Also, there’s the reality that many management books struggle to adequately fill the space between the book-covers, offering up their best in the introduction, the first chapter and the wrap-up chapter. Here are my thoughts on: Management? It's Not What You Think! by Henry Mintzberg, Bruce Ahlstrand and Joseph Lampel.
Management Excellence Book Series: Six Disciplines Execution Revolution with Gary Harpst
I started this book series to share the insights and approaches of some truly sharp people on solving vexing business problems. This particular interview with Gary Harpst, author of, Six Disciplines Execution Revolution and the earlier Six Disciplines for Excellence, taps into Gary's hard won, practical experience and his great ideas on helping small and mid-sized businesses deal with strategy execution. Enjoy the thoughtful, actionable and experience-tested guidance from Gary in our podcast interview!
10 of My Favorite Dumb Ass Management Mistakes
In the spirit of my post, “At Least 20 Things to Stop Doing as a Leader,” which has grown well north of 50 thanks to a deluge of reader comments, I’m back with a list of some insanely stupid and all-too-common management mistakes. These focus more on the decisions, actions or inactions that contribute to creating even bigger problems. While I’ve remained on the positive side of the law here (felons, you’ve had your day!), some of these mistakes are truly criminal. Please feel free to chime in with your additions.
Leadership Caffeine™: What to Do If You Find Yourself Irrelevant at Work
Wondering whether you are still relevant in your workplace is one of those topics that many think about but few discuss. The “R” word after all is at the heart of our self-worth and self-esteem as professionals. If you find your relevance slipping away, here are some ideas for assessing your situation and taking action to rebuild your professional reputation at work.
Lessons Learned and Joy Gained While Writing 500 Posts on Leadership and Management
My lessons learned and my sincere thanks for your support during my journey towards 500 posts on leadership and management.
Dealing with Active Resisters and Apathetic Loafers at Work, School or in Workshops
There are those that are eager to learn, inquisitive, participative and genuinely excited to hear something that challenges their pre-conceived ideas or that expands their thinking. These Active Learners bring energy to the situation and they raise the quality of the engagement for everyone involved. Unfortunately, it’s common in many settings to meet the alter egos of the Active Learner. They come in several shapes and sizes, ranging from Aggressive Resisters to Apathetic Loafers. What's a manager, educator or facilitator to do?
