Leadership Blog Network

Imagine, if you would, that your company put Eeyore, stuffed donkey from the Winnie-the-Pooh books who is wont to lose his tail, in charge of employee motivation in your office. You can just imagine the meetings. You can imagine him in his deep, monotonous voice, talking very slowly as he says something like, "Hello, everyone. I'm here to motivate you. There are a lot of great reasons to work here. The company is doing a lot of great things." Here he would pause to heavily sigh. "We've really... Read Full Story

If you want somebody to change how they are towards you, you've got to change how you are towards them. It's that simple. Stinks, doesn't it? I mean, time it was that if an employee was a problem, we could just chew them out or write them up or fire them and move on. But as time's gone on, it's started to dawn on people--even bosses --that being bossy isn't the best way to get your way. In fact, being bossy is a pretty good way not to get your way. It seems counter intuitive. I mean, it makes... Read Full Story

Well, my last blog post suggested that good leadership requires that we sell feedback to our associates. I need to admit that the reason I was talking about that topic was because I was starting a series of what I call behavior reviews. In my first book, You’re In Charge…What Now? I talked about his practice. It is my view that leaders need to focus on the behaviors they observe in their associates, long before they focus on results. I am of the very string opinion that Behavior drives... Read Full Story

When I was doing volunteer work in Brazil, I met a wonderful indian family living in the city of Manaus. Manaus is a huge city of four million people, but when you start coming to edges of it, the rain forest still creeps its way into the city. This family was living in a little ravine on the edge of a neighborhood near the north end of the city, where the foliage around their house was pretty thick. The person who I was working with at the time was a huge nature fanatic. He dreamed of... Read Full Story

Wednesday January 28, 2009     Topic : Leadership   Challenges Reference : Charan, Ram “CEOs in Tumultuous Times.” Chief Executive, December 12, 2008. http://www.chiefexecutive.net (Articles and Archives).   It is no secret that managing in these difficult times is far more difficult than at other points in the business cycle. Credit has been greatly reduced and securing adequate credit support has been difficult. Many have been forced to reduce... Read Full Story

The Top TEN Ways to Become a Contagious Leader Find the leaders on the team you lead that have no title. Keep a cool head even in times when the world is falling apart. ("Contagious Leaders respond reasonably to even unreasonable situations" M. Wofford, Contagious Quotations) Call employees “those that work WITH you”, instead of those that work FOR you. Adhere to the principle that “communication is not what was said, but what was received. Maintain clarity around the fact that attitudes are... Read Full Story

Tuesday, July 1, 2008        Topic : Worker Distractions Reference : Jackson, Maggie. “May We Have Your Attention, Please?” BusinessWeek, June 23, 2008. pp.55-56.   The number of distractions at work seems to be proliferating at an accelerating rate. Even if you have an office, there are countless interruptions from staff, the phone, cell phone, blackberry, faxes, office drop ins, instant messages, and the like. It makes it difficult to concentrate, focus on... Read Full Story

As we approach the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday , I thought I'd engage us in reflection on the things for which we are most thankful. I am most thankful for: My family ... and my close friends who have become family My health -- which enables me to do things I enjoy (including running my business) My circle of colleagues/trusted advisors who keep me inspired (even when things don't go as planned) My opportunities and challenges -- which help me to learn, grow and inspire others ... just to... Read Full Story

Many of the leaders that I work with express frustration with "attitudes" as they work to resolve workplace conflicts. Recently, a participant in a training class I was leading shared a story about a standing conflict between two people on her team. As she described the problem, she made frequent reference to the rudeness and aggressiveness of one of the parties. More... Read Full Story

"Man is by nature a political animal." -Aristotle, Ancient Greek Philosopher, Aristotle books// Whenever someone tells you that they are not doing something for "political" reasons, it is a sure sign that that is exactly what they are doing. We all live "political" lives, and to deny it is to deny the fact that our primal nature, as Aristotle alludes, is to think first of ourselves and, then, of others. Self-preservation spawns political or self-serving behaviors. We have a point of view... Read Full Story