development Archives - Scott Patchin

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 . . .

Micro-manager or Micro-supporter? One tip for starting the change.

Are you a micro-manager or micro-supporter? There is a difference, and the team you have around you will mirror your style. The good news is you can change and have a higher performing team. The other good news is that the outcome will be worth the work. Here is a tip to doing it.

Powerful Questions

Great conversations start with a question. What if that question was a powerful question? Leaders that ask powerful questions invite themselves and the people around them to bring more of their heart and mind to their work. Here are four powerful questions to add to your script and resources to explore more.

Wait Not – Waste Not

In the age of lean thinking waste has become a focus. While the focus is often financial and physical waste, the waste to our organization of waiting is often overlooked.

Simple but not Easy

Simple and not easy characterizes many choices we have to make as leaders. Simple blurs the resistance that keeps us from moving forward with decisions that are not easy.

Time for a Career Check-up?

Stephen Covey called it “Sharpening the Saw.” It is that time when we step back and take a look at where we have been, where we are, and where we are going.

Post #300 – Two Things That Are Critical For Great Development Conversations

Leadership and performance. It is easy to get lost in the the theory. Here are two key pieces of information to keep leading and individual development in perspective.

#peoplecentered #leadership – A Hashtag Does Not Make It So

What is leadership? How effectively am I leading? I believe great conversations start with a question, and here are the answers a group of leaders gave me during a recent presentation of my keynote workshop #peoplecentered #leadership – A Hashtag Does Not Make It So. It was a great conversation.

How to win the Talent War – part 2

Nature abhors a vacuum. In the war for talent, your leadership weapon is to create positive vacuums and provide support for those willing to fill them in a positive way. It is not always easy work, but it will be the work that makes you stand out as a leader. Talent management, when done well, is about building a team of vacuum fillers and being skilled at creating the right vacuums. Read on . . .

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...

The ONE key to performance

Everyone is a leader. More correctly, everyone has a chance to lead each day in all aspects of their life. It is your choice, so what is your answer? I work on helping leaders to lead more effectively, and I believe leadership is a partnership, so getting teams to work together is critical to effective leadership. Here are 5 tips for helping people manage their career and performance. The title should be – 5 Tips to help you lead from wherever you sit in the organization.

Empathy: 3 Things Leaders Can Do to Develop It

Leaders have to be empathetic, and unfortunately there is not a metric on empathy which makes it elusive and often ignored. That is until the feedback comes by key people leaving or they do not care about me/us. Empathy can be developed, and here are three things any leader can do to develop it. Great conversations start with a question, and empathy requires some great conversations.