Looking for some good stuff to listen to on your drive or workout? I did some awesome podcast episodes this year, and thought it would be great to showcase them in case you missed them. Enjoy!
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Blog
Best Leadership Articles of the Year
Looking for some good reads? I’ve captured my best writing from 2019 to help you boost your leadership focus. Enjoy!
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Read MoreNew Year Leadership Review and Free Planning Tool
End of year means a few things: celebration, downtime, parties, food, rest, recovery. It should also include REFLECTION and PLANNING. It’s one of my favourite times to take stock. Every year since 2002 I have developed and shared a new reflection and planning tool. I’m thrilled with this year’s edition. Free resource, no opt-in required, share abundantly. Enjoy!
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Read MoreA leadership perspective to bring you down to earth
Imagine floating in your space suit, tethered to a small cylinder floating in space. You look down at the earth, and your life is forever changed. This is what happened to Rusty Schweickart in 1969 on the Apollo 9 mission. He floated, he awakened, he returned down to earth. Here’s what we can learn.
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Read MoreImagine if... a powerful leadership mindset
Ever feel like you don’t fit? You don’t belong? A black sheep? What if you could experience something different? What if you always felt like you belonged? What would change for you then?
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Read MoreA leadership perspective on giving and receiving news
Have you ever been caught off-guard by someone’s message to you? Words are volatile things and they can be devastating. How do we navigate the turmoil of an emotional fallout?
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Read MoreA leadership framework for motivating the unmotivated
Motivation is a tricky thing. When we have it, it feels great! All in and let’s go. When we don’t have it, every day drags on like a two-legged dog. How do we motivate others when we don’t feel motivated ourselves? Let’s look at the causes, then solutions.
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Leadership archetypes - the Warrior
Warrior Leaders are the epitome of courage and strength. They embody a cultural archetype of the hero. The shadow side brings forth all sorts of problems. They develop Win First cultures, and divide people between Us and Them. If we aspire to build a more inclusive and peaceful culture, let’s focus on how we can BUILD (not just WIN) at work, and how we can INCLUDE (and not EXCLUDE).
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Team development: the best of both worlds?
Wouldn’t it be nice to cherry pick the best parts of your top performers? The charisma of Janet with the quality work of James? The genius of Tania with the easy going nature of Josh? Does such a well-rounded entity exist? Sadly, no. But we can learn to manage the shadow and light of each.
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Do you need to challenge your leadership B.S (belief system)?
We’re never so wrong as when we think we’re right. Our beliefs are rules we make up about what is right and wrong and how we should run our lives. Some of these are useful - like “It’s good not to hurt other people”, and “Always brush your teeth before bed.” Some beliefs are less useful and can spark polarisation, marginalisation, and other things finishing with ‘ation’. Might it be time for a B.S. review?
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How to deal with a dysfunctional leadership team
Do your leaders burn through people? Are they hyper competitive? Do they leave that ‘fluffy soft skills stuff’ to the more junior staff (because they’re too busy and know it all already?) Do they work in silos and struggle to collaborate? There is hope. You don’t need to challenge personalities, just their beliefs.
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Read MoreEveryone emotes - feelings and their role in leadership
Do you blow up or shut down? Are you icy, hot, cold, or warm? It’s amazing how emotions have a huge impact on our working lives, and especially on those around us. There are two things that drive our emotional self mastery: our ability to feel emotions in a healthy and productive way, and our ability to express them that does not have people running for the hills. Which are you?
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Read MoreDo you struggle with people stuff?
Many leaders struggle with one aspect of people stuff: dealing with their supervisor. Since most leaders also supervise others, chances are their direct reports also struggle with them! But most of us tend to think we are doing ok as leaders and the fault lies with others. Maybe not. Maybe we need to look in the mirror first.
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Read MoreThree people stuff mistakes to avoid
Do you have a control problem? It may show up in subtle ways: small comments to direct an outcome, doing somebody else’s work for them “because it’s just faster that way”, or constantly checking up on someone. Control is one way leaders get in the way of people doing great work. More than that though are the SYSTEMS and STRUCTURES in place (or not in place) to encourage conversations about feelings.
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Read MoreHow to deal with the Four Devils of People Stuff
Do you have people stuff issues at work? Do you witness negative attitudes, critical feedback, undermining, back-biting, emotional outbursts, simmering sullenness, or other unplesantries?
You may have the Four Devils of People Stuff at play in your workplace. Like the four elements of wind, water, earth, and fire, the four elements of behaviour, emotions, attitude, and thinking can combine for devastating effect. In combination, they create the Four Devils. And these devils can test you mercilessly.
Find out what spell you can cast to keep the nastier aspects at bay.
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Read MoreLeadership principles for tackling silos and turf wars
“I need them to step up. To take a broader view of the business. I need them to be leaders. Instead they keep their head down and just look after their own little patch.”
The CEOs I work with are savvy. They know the fastest way to advance their business objectives is by lifting up others below. A rising tide lifts all boats. It sounds great in theory. In reality, many of those being lifted stay stuck. It’s turf wars and silos.
Do we expect too much of people? Do they lack emotional intelligence? Do they need more explicit instruction?
Yes to all of these, with a caveat.
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Read MoreA leadership framework for outstanding team chemistry
“Please wash up after yourself. I’m not your mother.” Good ole passive aggressive notes in the workplace! It’s but one of the ways we erode team harmony and foster poor feelings. Great team chemistry needs simple agreements to start with. Do you have the fundamentals in place?
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A leadership perspective on building buy-in
You’ve explained. You’ve delegated. They nod back. Then - nothing. What the? Why don’t our colleagues follow through on task requirements? There are the usual suspects - you didn’t explain things well enough. Deadlines were unclear. They don’t have the skill to do it. They are overwhelmed with competing priorities. Or, something else. This one matters most.
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Do this one thing to be better at the people stuff
Why don’t they just get on and do their job? People stuff can be exasperating. Life would be so much easier if people just do what they’re told, to the level as expected, in a time frame that fits expectations. How often does this happen? Not often enough for people leaders to feel at ease with their direct reports.
It’s sad case of PICNIC - Problem In Chair, Not In Colleague. Any people problem should start with a solid look at oneself first. Thankfully there is a fundamental that you can turn to every time: read the manual.
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Read MoreWhat's the best way to level up your leadership?
There are many ways to learn leadership: read a book, trial and error, training programs, mentoring, coaching, videos. All of them include reflection. Yet we are not taught to reflect effectively. Here are some suggestions to help you grow as a person and as a leader, by asking useful questions.
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