Leaders are in the job of creating experiences for the people they lead. Great leaders are particularly intentional about crafting the arc of that experience. They know what note they want to leave things on. They plan out their arc so that people walk away with a clear vision of what’s next. Great leaders plan … Read more
Organizations, by their very nature, are designed to create processes and systems. There’s a good reason for this: there’s a need for the various parts to work together to create outputs. On one hand, this makes sense: without results, we won’t stay in business. But on the other hand, there’s a flaw in the design: … Read more
Connected. Collaborative. Creative.How well do these qualities describe the team you lead? In today’s workplace, no one gets far working on an island. Effective teamwork is critical for success.Intuitively, you already know that. When a team is ‘humming’, you feel it. On the flip side, when a team is struggling, you feel it too. You … Read more
As a child, I remember being dragged to a department store by my mother (what 10 year old boy likes going shopping?) and having to serve as the interpreter between my Mom and the sales clerk. I should mention: I’m no polyglot. I only speak English. Both my Mom and the clerk were speaking English; it’s … Read more
As a leader, there’s no doubt you’ve been in situations where the best thing you could do is to stop and ask others for help. Did you?If not, why not? Consider this “bizarre but true” story: Last Monday, New Jersey resident Noel Santillan flew to Iceland on vacation. Landing at Keflavik International Airport after an overnight five-hour … Read more
The first meeting was over the phone, two weeks ago. I was speaking to Bart, a Senior Marketing Manager at a Fortune 500 consumer products company. Bart was my principal point of contact. The purpose of our call was for Bart to prep me– provide relevant context and the desired outcomes for a leadership training … Read more
The professional basketball league (NBA) is about halfway through their 82 game regular season. The #1 ranked team in the Eastern Conference is the Cleveland Cavaliers. Last season’s Eastern Conference Champions, the Cavs currently have a record of 30 wins and 11 losses. On Friday, they fired their head coach, David Blatt. Yes, you read … Read more
This past Saturday, my wife Mary and I went out for dinner with another couple (Mike and Liz) at a local Italian restaurant.After sharing an appetizer of Gorgonzola Garlic Bread, we waited for our entrees to arrive.Mary and Liz had both ordered the Beet Salad. Mike had ordered Eggplant Parmesan. I’d ordered Pan-Seared Salmon.Our waitress … Read more
Happy New Year!Did you create a list of goals for 2016? If you’re like most people, your resolution(s) focus on either achieving a specific goal (e.g., making more money), or improving yourself in one of the following dimensions: Physical (health, wellness) Emotional (relationships, mood) Mental (learning, focus) Spiritual (meaning, passion) It probably also involves taking … Read more
As a leader, you have to influence others. This sometimes means telling them what to do. When you’re leading on-on-one, you can be casual and conversational in your direction, and, for the most part, can get your point across. If the person you’re leading doesn’t get it, you’ll have direct and immediate feedback that they’re lost. … Read more
