I teach tools for communication and leadership, rather than scripts, templates, or blueprints, for a very specific reason: tools adapt to the situations within which we use them, but scripts, templates, and blueprints are fixed – static – rote. I also talk about the problem of what I call “communi-telling”: top-down delivery of information or mandates about what is going …
A little respect, please
I’m not one to make wild generalizations, but I think it’s safe to say that everyone, no matter who they are or what they believe, wants to feel respected. BUT – and it’s a significant BUT – there’s a difference between earned respect and owed respect. It’s generally understood that people in positions of power are “owed” respect, because of their title, …
How to lead through uncertainty
What a great click-bait title for today’s environment, right? The fact is, when the uncertainty is this extreme, and even CEOs aren’t sure what to expect or what to do, well, what are the options? There are four basic trauma reactions: fight, flight, freeze, and fawn. We’re seeing all of these. Multiple BigLaw firms have chosen fawn, volunteering to donate tens …
Who has a voice?
Who, What, When. Who can say something; What they can say; and When they can say it. This is a cornerstone of culture, whether good or bad. (Note that I didn’t say a cornerstone of corporate culture. It is that, but it’s much broader; it’s a cornerstone of all culture, whether that’s family, community, corporate, or country.) Who has a voice? …
The need for variability
Last week, I wrote that leadership isn’t math – that “leader plus situation” does not always equal a specific action. Two plus two will always equal four, but leadership is, as I said in that article, a big fuzzy gray area. An astute reader, who occasionally sends me thoughtful and articulate responses to my articles (thank you, Mark!), did exactly that, …
Leadership isn’t math
Two plus two is four. Every time. Leader plus team … doesn’t add up the same every time. Leader plus employee – likewise. As much as we love to think we can teach people to be leaders by teaching them leadership styles, leadership models, leadership rules – we can’t. Leadership doesn’t add up the same every time; it’s situational, a …
Appreciate is a Verb
We’re supposed to show appreciation – as leaders, as friends, as community members, within our families. It’s a good thing, right? And it’s often expressed verbally. “You’re awesome!” “You rock!” “You’re amazing!” Other times, it’s about something specific. “You did a great job on that report – thank you.” Being specific about appreciation – about what we’re responding to – …
Are leaders allowed to get angry?
Once upon a time, I barked at an employee who was pushing back on a client request. I completely understood his pushback; he was right, and the client was wrong. But this was what the client wanted, so “right” and “wrong” weren’t relevant. (To be clear: it wasn’t going to break anything, including the law; it was a difference of …
What is “integrity”?
I was sitting in traffic a few days ago, deliberately not going through the light toward the left-turn lane, which was backed up. You know, “don’t block the box.” The person behind me wasn’t happy about it. There’s a common saying that “integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching.” Which is valid, of course. But I …
What questions are you asking?
“As long as the answer is right, who cares if the question is wrong?” That’s the Dodecahedron, from the absolutely delightful book The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, with illustrations by the inimitable, and sadly recently deceased, Jules Feiffer. I’m rereading it for the gazillionth time, having just given a copy to a friend to read to his seven-year-old daughter. There’s …