“How will you do that?” Since my time as a business systems analyst, designer, and software engineer, and now as a leadership geek, trainer, coach, and consultant … people constantly ask me, “How can we do that?” But “how” is the wrong question. It’s almost always asked out of sequence. Don’t ask how until you’re clear about what. The instant …
How does your team think?
Every now and then, Amazon puts a really good book on their Amazon Kindle sales. I would never have come across Time to Think: listening to ignite the human mind, by Nancy Kline, if it hadn’t showed up as a 99-cent special one day. (Sorry, everyone, it’s back up to its regular digital price of $5.99, $12.99 for the paperback, and still …
Interview: Leadership Communication
I’ve known and respected Catherine Mowbray-Lorenz for years, so I was delighted when she invited me to join her on the BlogTalkRadio show Women Lead. We talked about how leaders, especially newly-promoted women leaders, can communicate better, and what it means to be a manager, leader, and supervisor in today’s challenging environment. Thirty minutes of fun and information – enjoy! …
Where’s your power?
Power. It’s a tricksy concept, isn’t it? Kind of uncomfortable for a lot of people. As a leader, you have power. You might be a new manager with just one person reporting to you. You have power. Actually, you have power even if no one reports to you. We all have power. It’s how we use it that matters. Or …
Are you scary?
You might be more scary than you think. A recent Harvard Business Review article cites research indicating that although 66 percent of survey respondents said they were “never” or “rarely” scary to their employees … that wasn’t necessarily their employees’ experience. Simply by virtue of your title, you may appear intimidating to your team – even if that title seems relatively …
Is empathy important for leadership? (Hint: YES!)
Empathy isn’t just for close friends and family members going through hard times. Empathy is also for our teams, co-workers, and leaders. It’s a crucial leadership skill. Watch the video to learn about the three levels of empathy and why understanding someone doesn’t mean you agree with them!
Are you ready to WIN? (and that’s NOT what you think!)
I am not a fan of long hours, hustle-at-all-costs, and burnout. Been there, done that, and I don’t even want to see the T-shirt! Yet I’ve attended plenty of meetings where the team was exhorted to “crush it,” “kill your numbers,” “beat the {unreasonable} deadline,” and so on. Frankly, even typing those terms makes me feel slightly ill. So when …
Whatcha gonna do about that?
“I’d love to get a promotion.” Whatcha gonna do about that? “I want to change careers.” Whatcha gonna do about that? “I’d be a good team lead!” Whatcha gonna do about that? “I dream of a house in the country.” Whatcha gonna do about that? “I’d like to be CEO someday.” Whatcha gonna do about that? Wishes, dreams, wants, desires, …
Do you have Tall Poppy syndrome?
Tall Poppy syndrome is the desire to mow down those you feel are above you or head of you – those who seem more successful, wealthier, drive better cars, have nicer offices, and so forth. It comes with a desire to not be a Tall Poppy yourself. But there’s a big difference between arrogance and well-earned pride. And if you find …
Can you learn empathy?
Some of the foremost leaders in business and science believe in the importance of empathy in the workplace – and in the world. “People will try to convince you that you should keep empathy out of your career. Don’t accept this false premise.” ~ Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, Inc. “The reason why I use the word ‘empathy’ is because …