When you have a member of your leadership team leave, filling a key seat with a new person can happen one of two ways: smoothly or chaotically. Utilizing the tools provided by EOS can support your efforts to ensure a smooth transition,...
Leadership Transitions
Leadership Wisdom 101: Developing Your Capacity to Lead Change (Part 2 of 3)
Managers make widgets; leaders make change. Seth Godin said this, and I believe it. It is why change management is one of the key skills we need to develop as leaders. Opportunities to develop these skills are found both in and outside of work. Here are two models that will help you navigate any life change, and a free download to help guide you next time you are faced with a change.
My 7 Favorite Books for a Leadership Book Study
Book study groups are an easy way to get leaders at all levels of your organization connecting and learning together. Here are my top 7 book recommendations, plus book study tips.
Hope as a leadership strategy: 4 keys and 2 questions to help build one
Leadership is often about hope, especially in times of change and uncertainty. How do you harness the power of hope when leading? Create a hope formula and build a hope-filled leadership strategy.
3 Questions to Shift Perspective on Performance Gaps
Too often we see performance gaps as things that are to be hidden or apologized for. Our narrative around these events contain adjectives like poor or disappointing, which only makes us want to escape them more. It does not take a Psychology major to spot someone who is not comfortable in their work – we just have to listen to the story they are telling. Then you find a person or place where gaps are accepted and more energy is put into talking about them . . .
Mind the GAP
How do leaders effectively manage their personal growth and the growth of their organization? It boils down to MIND THE GAP, and here is a keynote workshop I did for a group of economic development professionals in Michigan. It includes tools and techniques (including the Entrepreneurial Operating System) I use to help them Create / Manage / Own the GAP.
How to win the Talent War – part 1
How worried are you about finding the right people? Lots has been written about the talent shortage recently. In a recent study my state (Michigan) actually ranked as the fourth toughest state for finding talent based on a survey of employers. As I interact with...
Time to DEVELOP PEOPLE – 3 Tips to Make It Happen
Time has replaced money as the number one excuse from leaders for not developing their people. Here are three tips for making it happen if it truly is a priority, and one tip includes a lesson I learned parenting teenagers to help shift the conversation from excuses to reasons. I believe Learning + Doing = Growth, and here are some thoughts and resources for making that happen for you and your people around leadership and individual development.
4 Questions People-Centered Change Leaders Ask
Leadership is about change management. Here is a story about a coach of a football program rich with tradition, and he was not successful. It had nothing to do with him being a good coach, because he has proven he is a great coach – in the right situations. Getting the most out of your talent and leading effectively is about people-centered leadership. In transition, this is even more important, and here are 4 questions to ask and a proven process for navigating that change.
Writing More Effective Goals – Some tools that will help
My goal is to equip leaders to lead more effectively, and development plans are a key part of leadership and general talent development. Here is a LinkedIn article i just published and one other worksheet you might find helpful.
Leadership and EGO: Words of Wisdom from Alan Mulally
In a recent Inc. editorial, advice from Alan Mulally (past CEO of Ford and Boeing) was direct and simple – It’s not about you. It is all about the plan. The biggest trap for leaders is EGO, and Mulally gives some simple advice for battling that in how you lead and in the culture you create. Inc. Magazine is a must read for leaders in my opinion, and here is a great excerpt to share with others at your next leadership meeting.
Read Seth
People who want to be there best find ways to feed their thirst for excellence. For me, Seth Godin is a voice that feeds me. He takes a fancy corporate slogan like Entrepreneurial Spirit and makes it simple, real, and actionable. I have two questions I ask people to see how hungry they are for knowledge and personal excellence – Do you read Seth? and What is your favorite TED talk? Here is a few thoughts for leaders and individuals.