It is always surprising to me to hear about organizations that do not promote or support “feedback” for its employees. In one organization I worked with recently, I was told that leadership expects (and wants) its employees to “just know what to do.” To expect everyone to “just know what to do” is to assume […]

Get a group of managers or supervisors together and, inevitably, the conversation will land on a topic that is a common source of stress and frustration for many leaders. In fact, they often share their horror stories in an effort to empathize, comfort, and even compete with one another. While many dislike it, they don’t […]

It is the most overused question in the history of business. I heard it first about a dozen years ago during the recession of 2001. At the time, I knew there was something I didn’t like about the it. That sentiment has only grown stronger with each passing CEO presentation or company town hall meeting […]

That’s a great question and I had no idea until I read A World Gone Social by Ted Coine and Mark Babbitt. According to Coine and Babbett, the Social Age is a revolution, one that affects all parts of the business model. The way an organization creates, delivers, and captures value. The way a business […]

The ability to communicate effectively is one of the most important responsibilities of a leader. When they do it well, things seem to work more smoothly. However, when it is done poorly, it results in countless problems including missed deadlines, poor performance, interoffice conflict, and don’t forget gossip. Yes. When people don’t understand what or […]

As I’ve suggested for many years, the iceberg is a great metaphor for leadership… the 10% above the waterline represents the skills of the leader and the 90% below the water represents the character of the leader. In an attempt to learn more about these unique products of nature, I ventured with my family to […]

In my early days of Corporate America, being a leader meant you had a title, responsibility and authority, and a larger cubicle with a view. In other words, you were the “boss.” The boss made all the decisions and you, the employee, were expected to simply follow all the policies and procedures that had already […]

The ultimate purpose of giving someone feedback is to help them get better at something … to improve their performance. But often times, feedback and how it is delivered leaves the recipient feeling devalued, deflated, and defeated. Ill-delivered feedback has a far-reaching impact. Not only does it impact the team’s morale but it affects the […]

As a strengths-based coach and facilitator, people often share with me that they have taken the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment but never really did anything with it. While the results were unexpectedly accurate and they experienced several feel-good moments reading their report, they never understood how to take this extraordinary insight and turn it into something […]

Today I had the awesome privilege of sitting under the teaching of Curt Liesveld, Advanced Learning & Development Consultant at Gallup and co-auther of Living Your Strengths. In our session Curt reminded us of the importance of trust in a strong relationship and the impact it can have on the performance of those around us. […]