
Below you’ll find a list of All 200+ Leadership Breakthroughs Posts From Newest to Oldest
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We’re in the mist of The Great Resignation. Employers are seeking creative new ways to retain and engage their talent. Some employers are handing out larger raises than in the past. Talent shortages are creating opportunities for leaders to step up.
How might you make the most of this opportunity?
How might you avoid shooting yourself in the foot?
As purveyor of effective goal planning for over two decades, I am more aware than most folks about how goal setting is used and misused. When I recently discovered the term “Anti-Goals”, my curiosity peaked. Is this backlash for pursing goals?
I’ve discovered and documented some really good reasons for people to sour on the idea of goal setting. Here are three examples of how and when using goal setting as a leadership tool can fail.
Most citizens of the world have experienced two of the most disruptive two years we can remember. The result is the proliferation of FUD: Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt. In the presence of FUD, it’s all too easy to become self absorbed with our own challenges. And thereby easy to dismiss those of others.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your level of extroversion?
If you gave yourself an extrovert rating of 7 or higher…
* You are more likely than most to experience conflict when interacting with the more introverted people in your workplace
* To effectively lead these folks, you will be more effective by adapting your approach.
I once had a new coaching client begin our engagement with this intriguing request. “I don’t want this to get touchy-feely.”
On the surface, this is a potential challenge for a leadership coach. One of the most important aspects of a coach-client relationship is connection. Does connection require getting touchy-feely? It depends on what that term really means to the person making request. There are similarities between a coach’s role and a leader’s role. So let’s take a closer look at the possible rewards and consequences with a touchy-feely approach to communication.
We likely agree that integrity is a critical leadership trait. With your reputation on the line, I would argue that a leader’s integrity is so important that it needs to be defended whenever it’s threatened or challenged. As a leader, your integrity is judged on your ability to both make and keep your promises.
My 2020 Lemonade: I’m extremely fortunate. I would describe the year as an opportunistic adventure. My friends and family have stayed healthy and safe. I know I’m in the minority when I share that I’ve had a really great year. I’m aware of my fortuitous status. So I’m compelled to share my recipe for 2020 lemonade.
While it may be true that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. The truth is that we not only judge books, we also judge people. It may seem superficial, but we all make snap judgements based on experiences, sights and sounds. When you show up for a virtual meeting, you’re being judged by your non verbal communication. If you want others to respect your ideas, you need to look and sound like a person worthy of that respect.
Without warning, the events of 2020 challenged our resiliency. We’ve all temporarily lost much of life that we took for granted. Then we discovered the temporary conditions would longer than expected to go away. This required us to summon even more resiliency. The challenge intensified. How do we get more resiliency? The answer lies in the celebration of Thanksgiving.
When it comes to effective decision making, there’s no substitute for being informed. At the same time, we’re living in the information age. We’re more likely to have too much data than too little. What’s a leader to do to discover what’s really going on? I have eight recommendations including a simple magic word.
What are “Triggers”?
There’s no denying it. We all have events that can lead to a reaction. In psychology a trigger is a stimulus; a reminder of a past experience strong enough to generate a reaction. It can be sensory; smell, a sound, an image or just familiar words. When stimulation action occurs with potential for unintended consequences.
Many of us suddenly have more time. Time is the scarcest of all resources. Count your blessings, assuming you’re healthy. We all realize that the future will be different. How? We can’t be certain. But there are degrees of uncertainty. Leaders are not completely in the dark. We’re getting plenty of clues about what lies ahead. Here are some examples:
As you seek to become more of a leader and less a manager, how will your conversations need to change? You will need to speak less of what needs to be done and how to do it. Instead, speak more about why. In the words of acclaimed author and executive coach Marshall Goldsmith:
“What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There”
Gaining Proficiency: Our days are filled with countless routine tasks and activities that we successfully complete with little thought and low awareness. After lots of repetition, we can become so proficient, we’re able to simply “go because we know.” Your proficiency only happens after repetitive practice.
What are some new skills or behaviors you’d like to develop? Have you considered what’s involved in getting to the point where you’ve truly become proficient? The Law of Proficiency applies to every skill you’ve developed. And every one you’ll need or want to have.
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