"The inexperience of youth gives us the freedom to ask the hard questions even when the answers are harder to hear. Over time, our concerns about what people will think overshadows the freedom of our youth. We become hesitant to share our truth or ask the hard questions. Our concern produces fear, which causes us to [...]
Increased collaboration creates buzz throughout the organization about you. Over time, people will be talking about you in a good way when you are not around. With whom should you be collaborating? If you were to create a list of thought partners, who would be included? Click here to purchase the book.
Demonstrate Vulnerability Leaders who successfully lead and develop diverse talent are students of vulnerability. They let their guard down, put aside pretenses and share their stories to establish common ground. These leaders are comfortable with not having all the answers, they listen actively, and freely embrace the perspectives, opinions, and thoughts of others. This helps [...]
Leaders who effectively express their emotions use words and physical expressions to communicate their feelings in a constructive way. This helps to build the authentic relationships that contribute to successful leadership. Consider the leader whose facial expression appears to communicate a particular feeling before he utters a word or the leader whose poker face gives absolutely no indication of [...]
Leaders are not infallible. Given the scope of their work and the magnitude of their decisions it goes without saying that a few mistakes are inevitable every now and then. Mistakes, however, should not be used to de-value one’s sense of self-worth. Even the most soundly planned and researched business deals and projects may not succeed. Attitude, perseverance, [...]
Maintaining mutually beneficial relationships can have immeasurable returns, in terms of providing a supportive network to buffer the negative effects of stress, and promoting a positive team and corporate culture. When relationships are not as strong as they could be, a leader’s impact on the organization may be marginal. Loyal and trusted colleagues create the [...]
Empathy is a key component of every leader’s emotional intelligence. Covey calls it “seeking to understand.” Imagine how different you would lead if you took time to gain the perspective of your boss, a peer, co-worker, or direct report. Some confuse empathy with agreement, but understanding does not require agreement. It does require consideration. The [...]
We operate from three forms of energy – physical, emotional, and mental. Our energy in each of these areas becomes depleted as a result of not getting enough rest (physical energy), pushing the envelope on a project without a break (mental energy), or dealing with the stress that results from perpetual firefighting (emotional energy). Fast fixes [...]
When leaders demonstrate compassion, they understand the wants and needs of their people and feel motivated to act on their feelings. Compassion is empathy and caring in action. Empathy begins with curiosity about other people and their experiences; and leadership effectiveness is heighten when leaders work to understand other people without bias. The business case [...]
The stories that reveal the most about us are usually the ones we would rather not share. Sometimes they are embarrassing, too painful, or make us feel vulnerable. I recently had a conversation with a leader who had experienced a challenging year. His son was in a car accident and he lost a sibling to cancer. [...]
