Learning + Doing = Growth. In an effort to support committed people-centered leaders here are my two articles on creating and managing gaps as leaders. I also include links to other favorite reads, and all of these are great summer reads because they are easy reads.
Trust and Truth. The two things I believe leaders need to be building and leveraging every day. Now it is supported by research and tied to behaviors every people-centered leader should be focused on practicing. Here is a free study guide for a group of leaders to use to read the article and translate it into action. My core value is Learning + Doing = Growth. This is a gift for you that I guarantee will have an impact on your effectiveness as a leader.
Superficial relationships tend to focus on the obvious and inspire nothing new. Leadership can be lonely, and yet I see leaders creating this condition by staying superficial. Here are two tips for moving beyond the superficial.
Addressing succession planning effectively requires a shift in perspective: from viewing it as an HR-driven process to a leader-driven, talent-focused process that can also be used to plan succession in key roles. Here are reflections from a recent key note workshop I led, and all of the materials I used to equip leaders to go back and lead the process with their people.
When we really listen . . . people tell us what’s on their mind. My #1 saying to new leaders is, “Mind reader is not in your job description. Focus on listening well, making leadership decisions based on what you hear, and repeat often.” Here is what your clicks showed me in the last month, and how clicks and questions help us start great conversations with our teams.
When we ask questions of people and provide space for them to tell us about themselves and share their thoughts, it has the same neurological effect as feeding them or giving them money. People-centered leaders understand that, and practice it. Here are three difficult conversations committed people-centered leaders work to master.
Would you invest millions in equipment and NOT send technicians/engineers to training to learn how to setup and optimize it? No – – and yet we spend billions each year on leadership training and do just that. Here is data on why that is a bad idea and how to get better ROI for leadership training.
What are you willing to guarantee to your customers? In my experience working with clients guarantees are scary and hard to define. Here are some examples and reasons I believe they are critical in our journey to excellence.
There will be lots of gathering going around over the next few weeks. Here is a bit of advice to make that time more fruitful. It also follows my core value of Learning + Doing = Growth – and comes with a story of how I can be a bit slow on the learning part sometimes . . .
In coaching leaders to become more people-centered, it quickly became evident that preparing their team for the career/development conversation was critical because too many people were not ready to share what they wanted. Here is my proven process for conversation and some perspective for leaders and/or individuals desiring to own their development.
Do you have a plan for your best people on where they will be in a year? Two years? What is keeping you from asking your people about the future? Here are the 3 reasons leaders don’t ask and 2.5 steps to start this conversation. Included are links to all the resources you need to equip your people to Own It! (including a free whitepaper and links to my 4 favorite posts on this topic).
Leaders committed to growing their company or being successful in their next big role need to have mentors. This includes anyone using the Entrepreneurial Operating System or experiencing a promotion to an executive-level role in an organization. Here are 4 steps for establishing an effective mentoring experience. As a bonus, I also provide a link to a single page document that provides all the details you need to be successful and building a great mentoring experience.