Jane has been recently promoted to Senior Manager at a technology firm. When I met Jane, she told me her most pressing problem: I have some really smart people on my team. While that seems great, they’re really challenging to lead. What should I do? Leading highly intelligent people is a double-edged sword. The (obvious) … Read more
This post was published this past week by the American Management Association. You can click on the link below to read it. Thanks! https://playbook.amanet.org/training-articles-leadership-nice-manager/
Not long ago, toothpaste had an identity problem. If you remember, all tubes looked like this: They took up a lot of prime shelf space in the medicine cabinet. They’d only lay flat, unless you put it in a cup. Getting the last of the paste out of the tube was hard work. (Let’s not … Read more
Have you ever been washing the dishes and you were instantly hit with a flash of inspiration? Or maybe you were taking a shower, or going for a run, or commuting to work, or just about to fall asleep, and you suddenly came up with a great new idea? I’ve asked hundreds of leaders the … Read more
Mael is concerned. He doesn’t want to be the latest victim of the Peter Principle: the phenomenon where people are promoted to their own level of incompetence. An outgoing, gregarious personality, Mael is one of the most popular (and in-demand) personal trainers at a local gym. The owner has just promoted Mael. He’s now the Head … Read more
This past Tuesday, I was on a conference call with Mindy, an HR Director for a financial services company. I asked her what her company’s biggest leadership issues are. Mindy said, “Our leaders don’t hold their people accountable.”Mindy’s company is not alone. Accountability is an issue for many organizations.According to a survey conducted by AMA Enterprise, … Read more
When you’re asked, “How’s your week going?”, is your gut response to say: Crazy Busy? If so, you’re not alone.Crazy Busy – constant urgency – has become the new normal.Only there’s one problem. If everything is urgent, then nothing is urgent.There are things in life that demand urgency. A heart attack. A house on fire. … Read more
Simon has a problem. Simon’s been in the insurance business for 25 years. A senior leader at his company, he’s knowledgeable, caring, and well-liked by his direct reports and colleagues. Simon’s organization is rolling out their own corporate university, and they’re tapping their senior leaders to serve as faculty to teach various courses to their … Read more
Sarah is the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Last week, she flew across the country to spend an hour meeting with eighteen of her high potential leaders. They were all gathered together at a week-long leadership development program together. In the world of a CEO like Sarah, that trip represents a significant investment. Sarah … Read more
Daniel leads a team of twenty research scientist/leaders.In preparing to work with the team at their annual leadership conference, I spoke to Joanne, one of Daniel’s direct reports. Joanne brought me up to speed with the team, their group dynamics, and the work that they do. One of the things Joanne shared was: One thing you … Read more
