Powerful Giver? As I wrote it, the word oxymoron came to mind. Leaders should read Give and Take by Adam Grant, and EOS (Entrepreneurial Leaders) should pay special attention because success in leadership requires effective giving behaviors. Here are three skills that will help leaders become more effective at being what I call a people-centered leader. Well done, Adam Grant.
Are you a giver or a taker in your approach to leadership? Adam Grant’s book is a powerful exploration of that question and provides great research to educate us, offering givers things they can do to be more effective leading AND still be a giver. Learn about this book and the 8 values that define givers and takers.
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.
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.
I’ll soon be publishing a list of 5 books I recommend for leadership book clubs. A new addition is my favorite book I’ve read this year: Triggers by Marshall Goldsmith. Here is why every leader and EOS/Entrepreneurial Operating System® leader (or any people-centered leader) should read it.
Seth Godin says “it is your job to figure out the path” and while most people will say they want to learn and develop, it is important that people demonstrate that ownership as part of the process. Not everybody is ready for it, and as a leader you need to spend your time with people that are ready. Here are three tips for testing individual ownership for growth and development.
Are you developing your best people? Do each of them have a development plan? You cannot have the former without the latter, and here is how to get started.
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 . . .
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.