-Project Manager at a Regional Engineering Firm
She looked me in the eyes and said, “I am not having any fun.” Sandy was obviously frustrated while trying to lead her peers. Sandy was trying to lead them through a leadership “ropes course”.
I smiled at her and said, “It’s not supposed to be fun for you. You are the leader.” Sandy learned a lot that day. Perhaps the biggest thing she learned was being a leader can be uncomfortable.
In fact, I believe leadership should be uncomfortable if I am doing it right! Continue Reading…
On multiple occasions during my 20 year career with a Fortune 50 behemoth, I lobbied to change the job titles of the leaders in our sales force. We were all called Managers.
I thought our titles should be Leader not Manager. But, no matter my title, I always believed I was leading. Now in the rearview mirror, I see times I had slid into management mode instead of fighting to remain a leader. Continue Reading…
I’ve been that guy. I wanted everything to run smoothly so I would do as Nancy Reagan did and “Just Say No.”
Years later, in my rearview mirror, I realize by saying “No” too quickly, I damaged my team and the individuals on my team. I missed opportunities to develop better decision makers and therefore better leaders.
What was it about me as a leader that made me say “No” so quickly? I usually had 1 of 3 excuses for saying “No” and none of them were good.
He was a good military officer and is still a good friend. He is now in a sales job that does not have a leadership title, but he is developing people where he is. I recently asked him what he was doing that made him so successful.
His response was simple: “I try to help them make good decisions.” He spent his time training people how to think. Because the people around him made better decisions, they were getting promoted. Could it be that simple? Continue Reading…
Self-awareness sounds like some new age, kumbaya, talk show topic. As an aspiring man’s man, my low sensitivity level has not always allowed me to consider things like self-awareness. But, obviously I have or I would not have been able to write that last sentence…
Self-awareness is a critical element for the success of a leader. As a leader, if I do not recognize who I am and how I affect other people, I will never reach my potential. Continue Reading…
I officiated my first wedding last month. It was a great celebration. But, I did not make it to the dance floor at the reception. I saw a video of my dancing once. That new perspective is all it took to keep me from the dance floor at this recent wedding.
If you have ever seen yourself on video after a wedding reception, you know what I am talking about. None of us dance as well as we think. It is not often we get the opportunity to see ourselves from another perspective.
Organizations who make a commitment to leadership development need to consider using an outside consultant for the same reason- the view from the outside is different. Continue Reading…
We do not lack smart people in business these days. Smart people are everywhere. We lack leaders.
The latest studies are proving leadership equates to profits. Developing good leaders does more to effect the bottom line of an organization than hiring yet another top graduate from a famous school.
Yet credentials and expertise are what most companies focus their recruiting and training efforts on. Leadership development tends to be an optional activity, while skill development is sacred. Continue Reading…
“I’ve seen it all. I’ve read it all. I’ve sat through more leadership seminars than you can imagine. Everything I see these days is just a repackaging of someone else’s work.”
Kurt’s reaction to the company’s latest leadership initiative did not surprise Judy. In her first six months as VP of the division, she quickly realized that Kurt had all the answers. At least he believed he did. Continue Reading…
“We won!!!!” The text message came through as Tim was laying out his guidance to the night shift supervisors. He sent a quick smiley face to his daughter and kept talking.
As he pulled into the garage, he knew his wife would not be happy that he was home again after 7:30 PM. He missed the soccer game, dinner and the baby’s bath time. She wouldn’t understand why he was late, and he still had more work to do tonight. Continue Reading…
The Oxymoronic Leader is not one person. He is all of us. I have been him and so have you.
Merriam-Webster defines an oxymoron as:
“a combination of contradictory or incongruous words (as cruel kindness); broadly : something (as a concept) that is made up of contradictory or incongruous elements”
Am I leading if the adjective used to describe me is contradictory or incongruous to what a leader really is? No! Continue Reading…
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