"Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you." – Eileen Caddy In the United States, we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, and it is appropriate, perhaps even expected, to find reasons to be grateful. Of course, the reality is that we should find reasons to feel grateful every single day, and … [Read more...]
The Key to Having More Time? Delegation
One of the co-workers I’ve most liked and respected in my career is a hardworking woman who is full of great ideas and ambition and takes a lot of pride in her work. She is someone who you can tell is going to do great things during the span of her career. That’s why one day, during a particularly stressful week, I was surprised to hear her say that she has a hard time … [Read more...]
Putting Out Fires: Stop, Drop and Role
I’ve worked with well-meaning, highly-principled leaders and managers for years. When the topic of coaching and developing their employees comes up, I often hear that they know coaching is important, they want to coach more, but they don’t have time because they are too busy “putting out fires.” Right now, that probably has never been more true. The pandemic put many leaders … [Read more...]
The First Delegation Question
Delegation is one of the most important skills for leaders to master. That's right, it's a skill. If you don't get this first question right from the outset, your efforts at delegating could be doomed to fail. https://youtu.be/pfxlM9in1gE?rel=0&showinfo=0 Tweet it out: Do you know why you are delegating? The wrong answer will lead to terrible results. (Hint, it isn't … [Read more...]
Stop Working Hard and Work Smart Instead
If extra-long workdays have been the norm since you became a boss, it’s time to find out why, before you burn out. Because at some point you won't have anything left to work harder. You'll have used up all your mental power, energy and enthusiasm. However, you can always work smarter. Follow these steps to do so. Take a close look at what you’re doing during those long … [Read more...]
Take These Actions to Prevent Missed Deadlines
During a recent dinner conversation, I asked a close friend “What is your biggest complaint about work?” Without hesitation, he said “People who miss their deadlines.” Then he went into a 20-minute tirade about how one missed deadline by one person throws everything off. He talked about how it is almost always up to him to make up for that person’s shortcomings. Finally, … [Read more...]
A Much Better Way to Delegate Work During Stressful Times
Busy is a good thing, but if your employees are stretched too thin, it could be hurting the quality of their work. You may not be able to add staff right now, but you can do one thing to ease their stress: Show your employees how to prioritize work assignments. Conduct a workload assessment Take time to review what is on each employee’s to-do list. Discuss what they … [Read more...]
What Shouldn’t I Delegate?
Delegation is extremely important to our success as leaders, but there is one very important task that absolutely should not be delegated. Here's what I'm talking about... https://youtu.be/rKCK6Ya7MrA?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0 Tweet it out: Great leaders delegate often, but they don't delegate the important responsibility of coaching. via @KevinEikenberry … [Read more...]
6 Steps to Setting Clear Expectations
The most important thing you can do as a leader is to establish expectations for your employees. After all, if you don't show your employees what success looks like, they may never figure out what it takes to succeed within your organization and team. Follow these six steps to set crystal-clear expectations for your staff: Make them clear for yourself. It is … [Read more...]
The Go-To Danger
This is a guest post by Amy Beth Miller, business writer and editor. As a new manager, knowing there are one or two outstanding team members you can rely on in a pinch is a great comfort. The problem comes when you go to that go-to person too often. I knew I had reached that point one day when I turned to ask Doug to handle another last-minute assignment and could see … [Read more...]