Early in my career, I worked in the plastics industry as a process and product development engineer. At the time, I had a degree in chemical engineering, and I had just completed service as a nuclear engineering officer in the U.S. Navy. I had a pretty good technical background, and I knew almost nothing about polymers. This lack of knowledge created a bit of a problem for … [Read more...]
Don’t Forget This Resolution for 2020
2020 is almost here, and we have another opportunity to build new skills and improve weaknesses. So what should you focus on this year? According to Andrew Sobel, creator of the masterclass Building Relationships That Matter, 2020 should be all about developing strong relationships. Why? Because when you can't make real connections with others in the workplace, you struggle … [Read more...]
Last-Minute Shopping List for New Leaders
When I look back on the Christmases of my childhood, I have lots of fond memories. I remember when I got my Hot Wheels track, all shiny and orange (the loop-to-loop was amazing). I remember when I got my rock tumbler that I wanted so badly (but barely used). I remember my electric football game (with the Joe Namath action figure). I remember my slot hockey table (and how … [Read more...]
Is Your Culture Strong Enough to Keep People Onboard?
How is your company culture? If you don't know the answer, it may be time to take a look back at 2019 and figure out what you should change for 2020, says Deb Boelkes, author of The WOW Factor Workplace: How to Create a Best Place to Work Culture. "In a strong economy, people have their pick of good jobs. If your culture is one of disengagement and toxicity, your most … [Read more...]
6 Critical Practices for Leading a Team
This is a guest post by Scott Miller, EVP of Thought Leadership, FranklinCovey, and author of Everyone Deserves a Great Manager: The 6 Critical Practices for Leading a Team. Have you ever worked for a bad manager? Nearly everyone knows what it’s like to work for a soul-crushing, morale-killing, please-don’t-make-me-go-to-work kind of manager. But if you’re fortunate, … [Read more...]
Tactics to Calm Yourself Down Fast
Last week, we shared a post by Quint Studer, "How to Handle Yourself During Stressful, Busy Times." This week, we're following up on the post by offering more advice from Struder, author of The Busy Leader’s Handbook: How to Lead People and Places That Thrive. You are going to be stressed, but you will only make it worse if you can't calm yourself down in the heat of moment. … [Read more...]
How to Stop Obsessing Over Your Leadership Mistakes
If you've never made a mistake at work, raise your hand. Chances are, your hand is NOT up. If it is, kudos. You might be the first person ever to not make a mistake on the job. Most of us do, especially in the early days of leadership, but even leaders who have been at for a long time slip up. They make bad personnel decisions, act without thinking, jump to conclusions, lash … [Read more...]
What is Your Leadership Contribution?
I’m a big fan of questions, both reflective and projective questions, to help us learn, grow, plan and succeed. Here is a question stem I conduct for myself and one I encourage leaders at all levels to conduct on a regular basis. It starts with the simple question: What is my contribution? This question stem leads to some useful questions for us to consider as leaders. … [Read more...]
Don’t Blame the Last Guy
This is a guest post from Pam Fox Rollin. You would never stoop to blame. Or would you? You're going to be tempted Especially if the person who last had the job was let go, demoted, or otherwise removed, you'll be tempted. But even if the last guy was elevated to his/her next walk-on-water job, you're still going to be tempted to blame him for your team's … [Read more...]
Overcome Your Distraction Addiction
There are lots of things people become addicted to. I believe one of the most prevalent isn’t ever mentioned in the same breath with the addictions you thought of as you were reading the first sentence. What can we do to deny the allure of the distraction, regain our focus, and maximize our productivity? Good questions. Here are some answers for you. Stop multi-tasking You … [Read more...]