Relationships are tricky. They start at random places – soccer games, first days of a new job, school functions, board meetings. They only actually become a relationship, a thing that we can point to or hold up as something that has been created if we continue to deal with each other or are connected in some way. Leaders need to be good at this. Talent management requires this. Great conversations happen when we are focused on this.
Building a culture and developing leaders are two big conversations. A new book by Rich Sheridan does a great job telling one story and helping people understand where they should start. Great conversations start with a question – and the best conversations are honest, lead to thoughful actions, and ultimately improve performance. Rich Sheridan has a great story and I recommend it to leaders who want to build a better culture.
Fear is to an organization as water is to a house. It always finds a way in, and only does damage if it stays around for a while. Leadership by fear is a choice, and often it is not about intentionally doing it, but by ignoring the habits that replace fear with love. Here are some leadership tips about having great conversations that allow fear a voice, and create a conversation that makes it hard for fear to stay around.
Professional development is a lot like golf, and to make talent management work we have to figure out a way to make work more fun. Here are 3 Tips for making development more fun, and it involves a leader going first and making it safe for people to explore and learn while they work. Developing talent in an organization is about making practice part of the work, and leadership plays a key role in doing that.
We cannot lead without input from others. That input comes from having great conversations, and one conversation that will give you the best information to lead is the One-on-One. Here are 3 Tips for being more Approachable, a key skill for being an effective leader. Leadership development often starts with having the right habits, then working on the skills within those habits that will make you more effective.
Talent management is about great conversations. Training can help develop your people, but the question is What can I do to improve the ROI on my training? Here are two tips for making your training dollars have a greater impact on your relationships with your people and with the performance of your organization.
Joy by Rich Sheridan chronicles the forming of a company and how a culture focused on Joy was created. Menlo Innovations is not perfect, but they are intentionally trying to do things differently. I loved this book, because I believe talent management is done through Great Conversations, and Rich gives us all a glimpse on how that has worked at Menlo. It is a good read, and any leader or entrepreneur should read it.
We cannot get better without feedback. It is a critical piece, and in my experience people are not effective at giving or getting it. If you believe that relationships are critical in leadership and building effective teams, then you know that great relationships start with honest conversations that lead to thoughtful actions, and ultimately higher performance. It is the core of talent management and leadership development.
The one I go back to daily is Seth Godin. I like Seth because his voice is edgy and challenging, and he writes about things that are important. Here is a piece of his recent post called The feedback you’ve been waiting for . . . Getting feedback is the foundation for development, and yet it is hard to get and hard to give. Here are some tips for Leaders on how to build moments where it is easier to hear it.
Talent management is about having thoughtful conversations that lead to meaningful actions and ultimately higher performance. The one on one is a key conversation. Here are three questions to ask and some other questions that will help you make that time more thoughtful and meaningful.
Talent management is about great conversations. More specifically, honest conversations, resulting in thoughtful actions, and resulting in higher performance. Here are 5 questions that will help you create space for people to be honest. There still have to be actions that have to get done, but step one is getting it out on the table. Included are some links to templates that can help you have those conversations as leaders.
We scramble for the perfect gift, and often it is right in front of us, and behind us, and around us. Our time is a great gift, and for leaders it is too often forgotten because of all the other things we are trying to do. How do you make your time matter? First, recognize how valued it is, then give it. Talent management is about great conversations – go have one.