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What Size is Your Leadership – Part 1- The Kayak

The Kayak Many years ago, a certain candidate – the former mayor of a small town – was tapped as a vice-presidential running mate for

What Size is your Leader-ship? Series Overview

No two leaders are called to the same degree of oversight….Knowing where you fit best is the key to an effective career. You may well be

“Salute the Rank -Not the Wo/Man “

Leadership Lessons from HBO series Band of Brothers – Part 2 Preview(opens in a new tab) Captain Sobol refuses to salute Major Dick Winters, who

When the Leader Taps Out

Whether due to ineptitude, slothfulness, fear, or willful neglect, many leaders go missing at critical junctures.

The Charisma Trap

Teacher: Describe the qualities of a leader Classmate raises hand: “Oooo oooo pick me!” “Yes?” “They’re tall, athletic build, dress nicely, good looking. Usually male,

Diving In – (Just Jump, part 2)

My very first post in 2014, Just Jump, I detailed my experience facing one of my fears as a 50+year- old: Jumping off a 3

Just Jump! Why I Force Myself to Jump off the High Dive Board

This is a repost from 2014. There is now a sequel, Diving In. P.S. These are NOT my feet!;) Several years ago I realized that

Helicopter Managers

Next to abusiveness, micromanaging is a top morale crusher Dahlia oversees the information systems department of a mid-sized IT consulting firm. She has been on the

The 7 Worst Ways to fire Anybody

Letting an employee go is one of the trickiest key tasks of a manager. It is part of management and accountability. It’s never the thing

Is Chaotic Leadership really “a thing”? The

The headlines are full of judgments against our current Commander-in-Chief as running a chaotic administration, leading by instinct, and other unflattering terms to describe his

Be Specific! How to see REAL Performance Improvement

Up your game, Tone it down, Chill out, Be more supportive, Adjust your attitude, Come to work on time, Stop abusing time and leave, Be more creative, Be a team player… These are

Want to be Great? Let your team members soar

Sid Daniels is an assistant Vice President for a company that employs 7,000 people nationwide. He has two veteran deputies below him who have proved their competence over

Power: Gollum couldn’t handle it; can you?

One of my most popular posts; good enough to share with you again!

Facing off with your Passive-Aggressive Managers

You might be a C-Suite level boss with many managers below you. Many in your management pool may carry over their personal dysfunctions into their

Reverse-Engineering Your Worst Management Disasters

Reverse engineering is taking apart an object to see how it works in order to duplicate or enhance the object. – WhatIs.com Reverse engineering our disasters

Emotions at work: A great servant but a TERRIBLE master

Scenario: You wind up in the COO’s office for the umpteenth time for “the talk”. You are once again upbraided for your reactiveness at a

Prop or Drop? 7 Last- chance Fixes for Poor Performers

Some employees do such poor work, have such miserable ethics and are so obviously misaligned with the values of a company that they are relatively

Gratitude – Humility that makes you Great

I received an unexpected blessing today when a young woman cashier at a bakery called me “mom” and said, “And you are mom because you paved

Power: Gollum couldn’t handle it; can you?

Lessons from the Lord of the Rings (LOTR) Trilogy The enduring popularity of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fable trilogy, the Lord of the Rings (LOTR) is owed

Managing Your “Meeting Pouter”

You’re in your monthly strategic meeting when for the umpteenth time, Feng makes a snarky comment to a new suggestion. Everyone either glares at him with

Preparing to LAUNCH; 10 Questions to answer before your next step up

How do you get from where you are at work to the upper management-level position where you want to be? We should all be aspiring

Put your VOICE in the room

We’ve all been at the meetings when the participants take their stereotypical roles: the constant text-messager or gadget-meister; the one who invariably takes the topic

Coaching Your Executive Team (Silos – Part 2)

In my previous post about breaking down silos I wrote of the importance of seeing the executive team you are a part of as the priority team (Team

Breaking Down Silos – Team # 1

While still a consultant, for 15 years I was simultaneously part of a pastoral team at a New York City-based Church. In my capacity I

But you are not a Jedi YET…

When you’ve changed and grown but your boss still sees you as an apprentice. In Star Wars lore, a Padawan is the apprentice of a

Imposter Syndrome – Are You Afraid You’re a Fraud?

Let me begin this chapter by saying that if you are a fraud, a high school dropout masquerading as a doctor or the CEO of

Failure Coaching for Leaders

This post is adapted from my upcoming book: Pitfalls of Fear Driven Leaders and how to OvercomeThe “It’s OK to Fail” club has more and

How Extraordinary Leaders Communicate: 7 Principles of Fierce Conversations

The best thing a courageous leader can do is to learn to have genuine, “fierce” conversations that change things.

Why everyone labels you “aggressive”

I enjoy the coaching that accompanies my role as a training facilitator for mid to large-sized organizations. As an outsider I can see behaviors and

Dear Toxic Boss: I’m talking to YOU

All of us have seen them. Some of us have worked for them. Some of us have been them. You know ” them” : the screamer; the humiliator;

A Tiger in the Forest – Taming Your Team-Busting Employee

Thomas Friedman in Friedman’s Fables tells the tale of “The Friendly Forest” , a place where all of the animals live happily together until a new

The Shift – (cont’d) Surviving Your Transition to the Top

IT’s lonely at the top. If I could summarize one key point in surviving a major promotion it would be this: To Thine Own Self Be

The Contemplative Leader

The unexamined life is not worth living. – Plato In management there is a bias towards action, and necessarily so. Managers get things done through people and they

The S H I F T: What no one tells you about how a big promotion alters your life – part 1

1. Titles do matter “Oh, I’ll just be the same guy you always knew. Just with a new corner office. Title means nothing to me”

Leadership Lessons from “The Dog Whisperer” – Part 2

This is part two of my series on leadership lessons from watching the Dog Whisperer TV show (His new show is called “Leader of the

Leadership Lessons from “The Dog Whisperer” – Part 1

I began watching the Dog Whisperer several years ago in the midst of tremendous personal, spiritual and professional change. While we did have a dog

Courage, Part 2 – If You don’t have it, you can GET it!

A courageous leader knows that there is a cost in genuine leadership Malala Yousafzai is a teenage Pakistani school student who, in retaliation for her high profile

Courage: If you don’t have it, you can GET it – Part 1

One of the most memorable scenes in movie history reminds us that some attributes of character that may not be innate may be acquired. In

How To

Get a grip and get a plan that you can implement from day one.

WE SLEEPWALK THROUGH MOST OF OUR LIVES

Bad things happen to everybody

HOW CAN WE STOP BEING OUR OWN OBSTACLE?

How can we be on the other side of it, be resilient individuals who can accomplish their goals regardless of the obstacles?

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