Most of us are feeling scared and uneasy right now. Uncertainty, worries about our health, our loved ones, our jobs and more are causing many of us to lose sleep at night. However, Karen McGregor, author of The Tao of Influence: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Leaders and Entrepreneurs, believes some good can come out of this ordeal. "Now is the perfect time to dissolve fear-based … [Read more...]
Becoming a More Positive Influence: Are You the Villain?
This is a guest post by Ryan Gottfredson, Ph.D., a mental success coach and cutting-edge leadership consultant, trainer, and researcher. Judging by the plethora of Marvel and DC Comics movies that come out on a regular basis, we are a society that is enamored by heroes. But, in order to have heroes, you have to have villains, right? If you are anything like me, you have … [Read more...]
Become a More Humble Leader
The late Zig Ziglar once said, "Humility will open more doors than arrogance ever will," and we couldn't agree more. When you stay humble, you are open to other's ideas, you are willing to accept and improve your weaknesses, and you realize that nothing is permanent, so you work hard to stay in your position. Being an exceptional leader requires that you continue growing … [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...]
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...]
Why You Should Never Ignore Office Politics
This is a guest Post by Bonnie Marcus, author of The Politics of Promotion It’s a fairly common myth that if you work really hard and have a track record of solid performance, you’ll be successful. This formula worked well for us in school. When we kept our head down and did all the required work, we did well. Our recognition for that effort was good grades, perhaps even … [Read more...]
The Power of Thinking Good Thoughts
In his novel Shogun, James Clavell says: To think bad thoughts is really the easiest thing in the world. If you leave your mind to itself it will spiral down into ever increasing unhappiness. To think good thoughts, however, requires effort. This is one of the things that discipline – training – is about.” That is a powerful thought and one that is incredibly important for us … [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...]