Your leadership ability depends entirely on how others evaluate you
You may have a leadership title or tremendous leadership potential, but that in itself doesn’t give you leadership presence. Here are typical comments I hear when asked to coach an up-and-coming female whose career has stalled: “It isn’t that she couldn’t do the next job. It’s that no one on the executive team sees her…
When we slow down, look for options and are creative in our thinking, we save money, time and energy
It was my lucky day when Emile told me he had some roadkill in his freezer that he would trade for a couple cases of beer. Not so lucky for the cow that had been hit by the semi on the highway, I guess. Emile told me he had lots of steaks in the boxes…
Finding a leader who’s not burnt out by COVID-related uncertainty is like finding a unicorn
If you’re in a leadership position and feeling burned out, you’re not alone. It seems weekly leaders tell me they’re fatigued, exhausted or burned out. I’m not surprised. In fact, as we prepare for the seemingly endless next waves of COVID-19, finding a leader who’s not tired of the uncertainty is like finding a unicorn…
A silly, unrealistic comedy about real life
I’m not a big fan of fiction in any format. I prefer that writers clearly elaborate their theories or explain what’s actually happening in the world. I’ve also never been particularly influenced by the latest draw in popular culture. Given my disposition, I was surprised to find myself binge watching the hit comedy Ted Lasso…
The mad and the bad have no place in any organization
I had just joined a factory in England’s industrial heartland and my new Managing Director – let’s call him Neil – was five foot two, 240 pounds of explosive malevolence. He was an ex-purchasing director whose winning formula was to squeeze his miserable suppliers into penury, and he was honing his approach with his new…
Inspiring loyalty takes leaders with insight into the human heart and sensitivity toward the hopes and aspirations of others
Think loyalty is dead? Think again. Loyalty may not look like it did 25 years ago – when companies offered career-long employment and workers unquestioningly followed orders – but loyalty is far from deceased. Loyalty is an intrinsic human characteristic based on emotional attachment that can be tapped, nurtured and developed. Inspiring loyalty takes leaders…
The invigorating power, money and control involved in running a business can cause evil decisions
In early 2000, I had to fire my wife from our startup business. The business was struggling and my wife was involved in running one of the departments part-time, between looking after our kids and working as a counsellor. Sales in the department and the store as a whole weren’t going as expected and we…
Management is responsible for turning a leader's vision into reality
Business and management guru Henry Mintzberg argued a few years ago that businesses are asking for trouble because of their penchant for separating "leaders" from "managers" and placing leadership in a superior role over management. We are suffering, in other words, not from a lack of leadership but from the absence of good management. Mintzberg…
When you aren’t listening you’re missing an awful lot
Last week, my friend was lamenting that she was away for her 16-year-old son’s first day of school and wouldn’t be there to pick him up. Obviously, her son doesn’t need his mom there. But driving him home lets her listen to him vent. It gives her insight into what he’s thinking, how he’s doing…
Find someone you can trust to communicate what you’re going through
On a recent Sunday afternoon, I went over the handlebars of my bike, bent my front wheel and landed on my head. My son Caleb wasn’t surprised – in fact, I’ve noticed he worries about me when we go riding. And I admit I’ve had my share of accidents on my mountain bike. The thing…
Humanistic coaches focus on encouragement and positive motivation. They believe humans seek out fun and want to actualize themselves
“Fun is good.” – Mike Veeck, creator of a variety of innovative and fun baseball promotions Unfortunately, the vast majority of coaches, from the youth level to the professional level, adopt a militaristic coaching style. They believe a taskmaster mentality is how you get the best from athletes. It’s not. “Nothing, according to the research,…
We have an employee who is always convinced he’s right. It’s so fundamental to his personality that he refuses to take direction
Faith Wood knows how to resolve conflict. Her years in front-line law enforcement taught her how to effectively de-escalate any situation to a successful conclusion. Faith will use her knowledge of conflict management to guide you through the often stressful experiences you may encounter in your personal or professional life. Her Conflict Coach column appears…
Entrepreneurial diarrhea can leave leaders and their teams exhausted, sapping their energy and consuming valuable resources
“I need your help!” were the first words out of John’s mouth when I walked into his office recently. “We’re starting a new business and I want you to help us figure this out.” As I looked at John, my first thought was: “Oh my god, he hasn’t got this business running properly yet, and…
The list of expenses for business owners sometimes feels never-ending
Profit is one of the most misunderstood and misconstrued words in the English language. Customers often think that profit is anything between a company’s cost for a product or service and the customer’s purchase price. Employees think profit is the difference between the selling price and the cost, less their wages. In reality, profit is…
Whether it’s a manager having trust in a staff member, employees having trust in their leader or leaders having trust in their decisions
As a child, I had a tremendous fear of falling. I would climb a tree and couldn’t trust that the branch wouldn’t break. I climbed cranes, cliffs and buildings, and was always afraid that my footing would slip and I would fall. Perhaps that fear was grounded in the fact that I had already fallen…