This morning, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced the nominees—including Pearl Jam, Janet Jackson, Journey and more—for its 2017 induction ceremony. That got me thinking about music and bands, and the role each member plays. The singers in the band are out front, and the lead guitarists often have the coolest solos, but without the drummer—or with an off-rhythm … [Read more...]
Make This Your Top Priority When Communicating With Employees
The late great Jim Rohn, was more than just a great speaker, he was a modern day philosopher. One of my favorite quotes by him “The goal of effective communication should be for listeners to say, ‘Me, too!’ versus ‘So what?'” epitomizes what communication should be all about, especially in the workplace. As a leader, being able to communicate effectively is probably your … [Read more...]
Shhhhhh! Leader Thinking Here
We live in a busy, filled-to-the-brim world. That is true for everyone, but especially for leaders. There are more distractions, diversions and noise in our world than ever before in history. While everyone has 24/7 news, email, texts, social networks and a hundred other sources of information and noise coming at them all day, leaders probably have more. More demands, more … [Read more...]
When An Employee Says “I’m Too Busy”
New leaders in particular deal with more change resistance (and resistance in general) from their employees. Bitter coworkers who were overlooked for the promotion dig in their heels and make life hard for new managers. Some just want to take advantage of the new guy or gal. Others want to see how far they can push you. That sort of behavior, as juvenile as it is, can … [Read more...]
Planning to Hire Someone? Do This First
It's this time of year when companies are working on their plans for next year. They are finalizing budgets, setting goals and more in hopes of building on this year's successes or improving performance that didn't quite meet expectations. Additionally, some businesses are sketching out plans to increase hiring in the coming year, while others must beef up staff to manage … [Read more...]
6 Ways to Be More Comfortable and Confident When Receiving Feedback
On this blog, we talk a great deal about how you, as a leader, can provide better feedback—that gets results—without busting employees' morale. Today, I want to talk to you about how you, as a new leader, can become much better at receiving feedback. After all, chances are your boss, HR and maybe even your employees will have a great deal to say about your performance, … [Read more...]
8 Keys to Successful Performance Conversations
It is likely you have had an experience like this in your past: You are 8 or 10 or 12 years old. You’ve done something wrong, but maybe you don't know what just yet. However, you certainly know you are in hot water after you have been told to “Stay after class,” “Go to the office” or “Wait until your father gets home.” Whatever the offense, the event goes about the same. … [Read more...]
Why New Leaders Can’t Avoid Learning
You can run, but you can’t hide. That's what people say. However, there are leaders everywhere who do hide, like ostriches burying their heads in the sand, when their teams are under-performing or when challenges arise. Leaders who want to blame others, the economy or the market for their team’s lack of success. Or “leaders” who have a title, but shouldn’t, because they … [Read more...]
Feeling Pressure? You Probably Aren’t Prepared
Football officially starts next week, folks. Today, I will share one of my favorite quotes from, undoubtedly, one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game. Perhaps his quote "Pressure is something you feel when you don't know what the hell you are doing" tells us why that is. Prior to retiring this year, the two-time and reigning Super Bowl Champion had broken … [Read more...]
The Comfort Zone is Your Biggest Obstacle to Change
In a recent post, Frank Granara and Lorraine Grubbs, co-authors of Beyond the Executive Comfort Zone: Outrageous Tactics to Ignite Individual Performance, offered insight on how to shake things up and push both yourself and your team out of your comfort zone. Today, I am going to expand on that. Take a minute and mentally put yourself in a place that you love. You love the … [Read more...]