The ‘To-Do’ list on Monday often starts with what was left on Friday. Then the messages start coming in from the people that depend on us for things — boss, peers, customers, kids, spouse, aging parents, our team, and friends. Then we respond like we have on every other Monday — we get to work. Here is a solution that will cost you an hour and give you a return many times your investment.
Leaders need to have guides in place to help them return to their path. Quotes can do that, and here are two that are guides for me.
What is the impact of being a loner? What is the impact of feeling a part of a community? Data provides the answer, and the message is consistent and powerful for finding friends and building connections in our teams. Here is a sip of data, and 4 things every leader needs to do to drive towards the positive side of community, both personally and with the team they lead.
Leadership lessons are all around us. Here is a lesson I learned around EGO during a golf game. The irony is that I failed to listen to the exact words I wrote and the metric(my score) reflected it. Here is how to identify where your ego is getting in your way and three questions to step back and reset. Watching the movie Tin Cup is your homework if you want to explore the topic further.
What is your lens on success? Does it look like this? Success = Perfect (does not do x, y, and z). In the season where we celebrate success, I am reminded of how this fundamental formula opens very different doors for us. Here is a challenge to this view of success and one subtle thing we can do to open a different door.
Not enough money. Not enough time. Not enough resources. Not enough budget. Do you live in the state of any of these? A wealth manager taught me something today that translates through a lot of situations leaders run into personally and with the teams they lead. Explore it and learn a couple of key questions that can help move past ‘not enough’ to ‘enough’.
Managers make widgets; leaders make change. Seth Godin said this, and I believe it. It is why change management is one of the key skills we need to develop as leaders. Opportunities to develop these skills are found both in and outside of work. Here are two models that will help you navigate any life change, and a free download to help guide you next time you are faced with a change.
My data shows that 100% of the time leaders skip this assignment. What is the assignment? Sit down with one of your people and use the Team Member Fact Sheet to share some information about each other. People-Centered Leaders know the importance of knowing their team members, and don’t let the barriers get in the way of doing it.
Wisdom comes in many forms. I look for opportunities to be in the room with people that are telling their story so I can listen to their words and feel their presence. The Book of Joy transported me into a room with two leaders worth listening to as they celebrated their friendship and reflected on topics I believe are critical to people at this point in our history. Not just for leaders, but for anyone who is looking to lead in their own life, regardless of their title or place.
A trip to Italy reminded me of the importance of speaking the same language…and the barrier is not always cultural. In organizations, we use different words for things which results in conflict between departments and a lack of alignment between leadership plans and the priorities people are working to each day. Here are two tips to address that in your organizational strategies.
Does technology improve our mental health and increase the health of our key relationships at work and at home? Here is some data meant for parents, but with an important impact on habits and key leadership skills.
Having a tough time with traction? A key leadership skill is assessing the mindset of your team. Here are some key questions based on the research by Carol Dweck and her book Mindset. It is not about being a good or bad person, it is about being effective at helping the team and company grow.