Leadership Matters contains 31 daily insights to inspire extraordinary results. day 15: Influence A traditional definition of leadership often includes “getting people to follow your vision.” However, in today’s mega-matrixed world, leaders often do not have direct authority over those they need to help realize their vision. The truly inspiring leader often leads through influence…
The Leaning Tower of Pisa was constructed in three stages over 177 years. Work on the ground floor of the white marble bell tower began in 1173. The tower began to sink after construction had progressed to the second floor five years later. This was due to a mere three-meter foundation, set in weak, unstable…
William James, the father of psychology, stated that the most fundamental psychological need is to be appreciated. We all want to feel fully appreciated for our work. The payoff for inspiring leaders is that people do more for those who appreciate them. Although leaders widely recognize the need for appreciation, it tends to be a…
Here is an excerpt from Leadership Matters. It contains 31 daily insights to inspire extraordinary results. day 28: Trust Trust is the basis for all successful leaders and all successful relationships for that matter. You cannot buy trust, but it is free. Trust is priceless yet can be earned over time. Have you ever tried to…
When employees don’t get the necessary information to perform their jobs, including asnwers to the fundamental four questsions, they tend to “fill in the blanks” with their own assumptions, and their assumptions are often worst-case scenarios. This is not necessarily a reflection of the leader. It’s our natural human insecurity. We often assume the worst in…
(This post is excerpted from The 5 Coaching Habits of Excellent) Your words speak the truth. They reflect your commitments – your promises to act. Whether you have a long conversation with a friend or a business conversation with a work colleague, every word makes a difference. The results of our interactions are rarely neutral;…
Whether you coach a sports team, workers, family members or volunteers, the 5 coaching habits will help you inspire reliable performance. The 5 coaching habits address basic human needs, so they work across generations, industries and cultures. The tools that support each habit are simple and actionable. No rocket science, just real-world, proven results. Take a look at…
We tend to think of consequences with respect to the short term – the immediate impact of our performance (positive or negative). That’s the easy part of defining specific consequences. But it still leaves a lot to the imagination. As the circle of consequences below illustrates, we need to help employees see and understand the longer term,…
A business that delivers reliable results is a sum of reliable teams, and reliable teams are the sum of reliable individuals. So, building reliable business results really starts with a leader coaching each team member to deliver reliable individual results. Leadership is an inside job. It starts inside with your personal leadership, traits like integrity,…
Here we go again! I frequently tell my clients that no trend goes on forever. My mom used to say, "This too shall pass." Both phrases keep us humble when we are at the peak and hopeful when we are in the valley. In December of 2008, I wrote a manifesto titled "Here We…
