Organizational Effectiveness

One Critical Component to Leading Change

I had two separate experiences with leading change recently that demonstrate one critical aspect that is often the difference between success and failure. Let me share the two scenarios – see if you can guess what it is. Of course, I’ll share it as well. Scenario #1: Recently I was…

Critical First, Comprehensive Later

March 14, 2022 Organizational Effectiveness

One day when I was still working in a corporate role during the pandemic, I had a rather unique leadership class experience. I was scheduled to facilitate on a certain topic, but hadn’t actually received the training myself. I had planned to at least complete a preparatory review, but since…

5 Ways to Serve a Stressed Out Team

September 15, 2021 Organizational Effectiveness Resilience

Stress and resilience have been my most requested leadership topics for over a year now. Just recently, I received another request. (Catch a recent conversation here.) Leaders want to know: how can I lead my team when they’re at a breaking point? And even though they may not say it,…

4 Critical Skills for Leading People

March 15, 2021 Organizational Effectiveness Personal Effectiveness Video

4 Critical Skills for Leading People – 4 min I’ve been wanting to share these four foundational people leadership skills for quite a while now. In over a decade of working with thousands of leaders, I estimate that 80% of all people leadership challenges come down to one of these…

6 Questions To Foster Greater Team Resilience

October 19, 2020 Organizational Effectiveness Personal Effectiveness Powerful Questions Resilience

No one has gone untouched in 2020. But it hasn’t just been the COVID-19 pandemic that has impacted each person, it’s the repercussions. Work instability, financial hardship, rapid pace of change, family lifestyle adjustments, isolation and loneliness. The stress, anxiety and pressure have reached new levels for many individuals. One…

5 Questions You MUST Ask Your Young Professionals if You Want to Engage Them

July 6, 2020 Organizational Effectiveness Personal Effectiveness Questions Young Professionals

What’s the quality of your conversations with your young professionals? More specifically, what questions are you asking them? In my new book Stand Out!, I share that young professionals today are the leaders of tomorrow. The reason is a matter of simple mathematics. When the Baby Boomers retire, there won’t…

How to Lead Former Peers

September 3, 2018 Communication Organizational Effectiveness

Have you ever received the good fortune of being promoted to the new leader of your team, only to find that life got complicated and edgy the moment you started? All of a sudden, your peers knew you as “boss” and not just their buddy. There’s a vast difference between…

Developing a Servant Leadership Strategy

March 5, 2018 Humility Organizational Effectiveness Personal Effectiveness Servant Leadership

I first heard the term “servant leadership” in high school. Since then, I’ve seen and heard it referenced over and over again in books, presentations and casual business conversations. One of my initial aversions to the term was that while it sounded nice, the connection to results was soft or…

12 Crucial Questions to Better Decision-Making

September 11, 2017 decision-making Influence Organizational Effectiveness Strategic Thinking

Decisions fascinate me. Occasionally they come easily. Sometimes they are difficult. Oftentimes they’re stressful. Some have huge implications. Most have a variety of influencing factors. Some decisions turn out perfectly. Some blow up entirely. Leaders are responsible for making important decisions that by nature aren’t easy. In fact, in a…

Leading Older Employees with Confidence

May 1, 2017 Organizational Effectiveness Personal Effectiveness

When I think about what makes a great boss, one of my first items is someone who really knows what they are doing – a true expert. And when I think about what makes a true expert, in my mind it’s always an older person, someone with sage-like wisdom who…

Creating a Leadership Culture

March 13, 2017 Culture Guest Post Organizational Effectiveness

This post comes courtesy of Mark Miller, a best-selling author of 6 books, an in-demand speaker and an executive at Chick-fil-A. His latest book, Leaders Made Here, describes how to nurture leaders throughout the organization, from the front lines to the executive ranks and outlines a clear and replicable approach…

14 Questions to Answer Before Signing Up a Vendor

March 6, 2017 Organizational Effectiveness

I love the opportunity for new partnerships. Having been on both sides of vendor & client agreements, I’ve enjoyed some partnerships so incredible that folks were often eager to work extra long days – and then chum together afterward. Unfortunately, I’ve also observed situations where hundreds of thousands of dollars…