Being the leader of a work team is not only about distributing or assigning activities and waiting for progress to be reported, it goes much further than that. Today more than ever, being a leader represents a great challenge for the people who perform this role. Why? Because the generations…...
How to Succeed Without Being the Smartest Person in the Room
As part of a set of research interviews, my colleague at MIT’s Center for Information Systems Research (CISR), Martin Mocker, and I once asked technology staffers at 40 big companies what impact they thought they were having on their companies. Sadly, many said that they didn’t think they were having…...
Leading in Lockdown: How to support your team while strengthening your business
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, both individuals and organizations have been going through trying times. Today, leaders are presented with new challenges as well as opportunities to strengthen their teams. In 2020, with new norms emerging post-COVID-19, the world saw the rise of WFH culture. As with anything…...
Gratitude for Leaders: How to Win the Gratitude Battle
Ungrateful people are:Easily discouraged. Ingratitude creates constant disappointment. “What’s the use.”Resentful of the benefits or advantages others enjoy. Unthankfulness doesn’t enjoy the success of others.Entitled. Ungratefulness hates seeing others advantaged but expects advantage for itself.Self-obsessed. Ingratitude has little room for others because the world revolves around its own troubles, disappointments,…...
If you’re a bad leader, it’s up to you to fix it
The expectations on leaders and bosses these days is huge. They are expected to work long hours, be on call, sort out complex problems, juggle competing demands, all the while knowing there is permanent job insecurity. The day-to-day working environment often operates like a pressure chamber. Actions and reactions are…...
Hired at 25 – Fired at 35: The Turning Point for the CEO of Dunkin Donuts
Transformational moment: “You can learn more – if you can survive it – from a setback than you can from success. Success is a dangerous thing if you have too much of it.”“My best learning occurs when I hit one of those bumps in the road. I realize that there’s…...
Of All the Complaints I’ve Heard about Bosses, I’ve Never Heard this One
Of all the complaints I’ve heard about leaders, I’ve never heard anyone complain…“I wish my boss would stop encouraging me. I get too much encouragement.”It’s easy to miss the mark when you call people to face new challenges.Good intentions backfire. Unexpected resistance knocks you for a loop. Perhaps you misread…...
How to Take Your Team to the Next Level in 30 Days
The Magic Wand: If you waved a magic wand over your team, what would emerge when the smoke clears?During a team meeting, make a list of words that describe the team you aspire to develop. (Yes, you love your team. But what would cause you to love it even more?)Describe…...
What Makes a Great Boss?
So, what does make a great boss? Is your boss “The Good Shepherd” or maybe “The Devil Wears Prada”? While some employees may love their bosses – especially when some line managers are willing to go the extra mile for their employees: “My boss offered to skip an important meeting and loan me…...
Distraction: Defeating the Beast that Contaminates Leadership and Dilutes Effectiveness
Meaningful contribution requires merciless elimination of insignificant action. The seduction of distraction is it makes you feel important while diluting usefulness at the same time. The habit of hurry drains fulfillment and frustrates engagement. No one achieves excellence by doing one thing while thinking about the next thing.…...
How to Become More Decisive When You Fear Making Decisions
Two reasons we decide not to decide: #1. People-pleasing:Excessive people-pleasing leads to indecision, anxiety, resentment, and misery. After all, how can you fully know what others want?People-pleasers can’t say no for fear of disappointing. Anyone who can’t say no lets others drive decisions.If you can’t make decisions, someone else runs…...
How to Be a Good Leader at Work
A strong leader in the workplace can bolster a small business's push for success. As a small business owner, you inherently find yourself at the top of the company's hierarchy. You may make the decisions, pay the bills, and run the company in accordance with your business plan for success,…...
Don’t Pretend Things Smell Good when they Stink – Instead Shift Focus
Focus on people before digging into problems.The leaderly response to stink is empathy for your team.The rush to fix problems devalues people, but empathy respects and connects.Exploring problems and seeking solutions comes easier when people feel respected and connected.Talk to the person in front of you before working on the…...
How any Manager can Increase Influence and Fuel Peak Performance
5 factors that increase influence and fuel peak performance:Influence – not position, power, or pressure – fuels peak performance in your team. (Even remote workers.)#1. Relationship:Real relationship intensifies influence.Who is more likely to give you their best? Someone you’ve been pushing and feels resistant toward you, or someone who believes…...
Upcycle, upskill and unite – three ways for leaders to survive COVID-19
Looking at different organisations a business can partner with is an innovative way to extend resources through other expanding networks, keep business going and open new avenues of opportunity that can exist for years to come, writes Aaron McEwan As the COVID-19 crisis unfolds the old adage of adapt or die…...
The 5 Powers of Experience. Do You Have Them?
4 dangers of inexperience:Misled easily. Inexperience is blinded by unverified optimism. First-time investors get starry-eyed, for example.Decide quickly. Inexperience – unaware of potential pitfalls – blissfully moves forward. Naiveté believes the path forward is easy when it’s hard.Puff up naturally. Inexperienced novices haven’t learned that humility applies most when you…...
