Two weeks ago I wrote about how leaders needed to be more human to achieve the “success trifecta” – a great company, happy employees, and a fulfilled leader. One of the pillars of the more human philosophy is the establishment of the Culture of Accountability. I touched on it briefly on that previous post – it’s …
It’s so tempting…… There are times when it seems so logical, and so right, to just kick it back and push the auto-pilot button. Things are going fine. There are no disturbances in sight. Status Quo? Sure, why not? (Plus, I’ve got other distractions calling me – like all those Social Media sites that keep popping messages on my …
I was always uncomfortable on a pedestal. Call me modest, or humble, or whatever, but it just doesn’t suit me. There’s something so detached about it. There’s a real physical separation between you, the leader, and they, the people you lead. Communication from the pedestal is made by words and sounds, both written and spoken. But words …
It’s once again time for my annual trip to Chicago next weekend, for my SOBCon event. The thought of that trip always brings back memories of a conversation I had a few years ago at the event with my good friend and fellow blogger Chris Garrett. In that conversation, we had a (very) deep discussion …
It was the spring of 1981 – my junior year in college. I had just successfully completed my “core” courses in my selected major of accounting with “A”s across the board, and was sailing towards my senior year with a bright future of debits and credits ahead of me. Accounting seemed right for me. I …
When I think of leadership lessons that I’ve come back to time after time (after time), this one always bubbles up to the top of the list. Leaders HAVE to stay out of the Comfortable Middle. Here is my original post on this topic that appeared in 2007: I was noodling over the weekend about a …
“They just don’t have it.” “It’s not there.” “I can’t find it.” “I’ve got it!” “He’s got it!” “She’s got it!” We’re all looking for this thing, this “it”. The difference maker. The “je ne sais quoi” that gets a team, a company, and ourselves past the ordinary and into the rarified air of extraordinary. The trouble is, this “it” isn’t …
In 1977 I wanted to dance like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. That scene where he did a solo performance to the Bee Gees’ “You Should Be Dancing” was mesmerizing. I HAD to get a three piece suit of my own and give it a try. Travolta was leading the way towards making disco a …
You can feel it. And it’s not a very comfortable feeling. There’s this presence hovering over you, watching your every move. There’s tension in the air, and it permeates your thinking. Every action, every word on a page, and every utterance is tainted by that tension. They get over analyzed, over scrutinized, over thought and over processed by that …
Leaders, if they are to live up to their role as those who “show the way”, need to do a lot of talking. However, there’s a trap door lurking on that speaking platform, and if we fall in it, we can take the teams we lead down with us. The trap is simply this: We do …
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