coaching

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.

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3 Questions that help create a culture that SUPPORTS performance

3 Questions that help create a culture that SUPPORTS performance

Is a performance conversation you are having with your own leader, peer, or direct report laced with adjectives and/or emotions? Too often they are, and it clouds the real issues that need to be talked about. Here are some tips for creating a culture that supports performance – whether you are a leader or someone being led.

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Relationships or Performance?

When relationships matter, process trumps outcome. Leadership does not have to be about relationships or performance, and yet there are circumstances where performance do trump relationships. Great conversations start with a question. Here are some questions to help you think about how you are aligned as a leader.

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Jackhammers and Leadership

What was your first leadership lesson? Mine happened when I was 19 and learning how to operate a jackhammer. Here is what I learned, and how it frames my work as a leader, a coach, and even a father. Some thoughts, and a question for you: What are you challenged with today that you have to learn to let the jackhammer do the work? Great conversations start with a question. Lead well and go have one.

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When we don’t react, and Listen

Great conversations start with a question. Leadership development is about learning to listen and then react, and to act out of an understanding of most of the variables in the situation so that the decision is the best one for your people and the organization. That is what I believe, and this is a piece of how to DO that has a leader. This is also a foundation for talent management.

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Lots of Reasons, No Excuses

Talent management is about great conversations. One aspect of a great conversation is Lots of Reasons, and no excuses. This is a leadership tool that will transform how you listen and how you lead. When you do it well, accountability and safety follows.

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Excuses or Reasons? Two practices to help you listen

How many times have you walked into a situation as a leader, parent, or friend and heard a mountain of excuses and nothing got fixed? We know the impact of an excuses, but how do we get to a different outcome? Talent management is about having great conversations, and having those conversations requires us to manage ourselves well and maybe make some changes on how we manage others. Here are two practices this week to focus on.

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New word for your leadership toolbox – Capacity

Talent management is about great conversations. One topic that should be part of every conversation is our capacity and how it is being stretched, grown, shared in the work that we do. Leadership development is about helping leaders do it for themselves and using that experience to become capacity planners for their team. What is leadership? One answer is being a capacity developer of talent.

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3 Books That Make Great Graduation Gifts

College graduation is coming. There is lots of talent coming into the workforce, and here are three books I believe make great gifts for new graduates. Talent management is about having great conversations. These gifts have the potential to start those conversations.

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How do I know you are a high potential? My 5 Qualifiers

A key part of talent management is identifying, developing, and retaining your high potentials. Here are five things I look for in the identification of high potentials. The students that inspired this post were just highlighted at the The Michigan Economic Summit that was put on by Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan. It was a great event.

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4 Keys To Successful Transitions

4 Keys To Successful Transitions

Talent management is about great conversations. Preparing for and managing through transitions is something we can prepare for, and there are conversations we own as inner work and through the work we do with our community. Here are 4 keys to preparing for and navigating transitions.

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