Effective Accountability Requires 200%

“What we really need around here is some accountability.”

Have you ever heard these words? Maybe you’ve spoken them yourself.

If so, you were probably really, really right! But the challenge is that no one wants to be singled out as the one responsible for dropping the ball.

Who’s job is accountability anyways?

4 Questions to Ask BEFORE Initiating a Difficult Conversation

Something happened at work that set off your alarm bells. Maybe you’re a nurse and the physician ordered a drug you believe may trigger an allergic reaction from the patient. Maybe your employee showed up late for the third time this month – and this time it caused you to miss an important deadline. Or maybe another department set up a new process that inadvertently doubled the reporting requirements from your team – which you’re not staffed to accommodate.

What happened wasn’t your decision – otherwise you’d just fix it. You’re not the person in charge. Someone ought to say something, right? And if so, that someone is probably you.

6 Barriers to Achieving Your Dream Job

Photo by Randy Tarampi on Unsplash

One of the highlights of last year was the time I spent hosting a webinar on dream jobs with my brother, U.S. Marine Harrier pilot Capt Cale “Rowdy” Magnuson. The concept of “dream jobs” has always fascinated me, so much so that I dedicated an entire chapter to it in my recent book Stand Out!

For the record, I believe the magic formula for a winning dream job mindset is high aspirations + realistic expectations. Pepper in some hard work, creativity and patience, and anyone can make it happen!

All Hands on Deck Leadership

Who’s the real leader around here?

It used to be that the leaders were the people in charge. As long as they did a good job, all was well. When they stumbled, the organization suffered until an adequate replacement could be found.

That type of leadership doesn’t work any longer. Why not? Because at its core, leadership is less about being “in charge” and more about creating positive change. It’s a responsibility we share together – all of us. In an interconnected world, there is simply too much leadership responsibility than the people in charge can handle on their own.

4 Critical Skills for Leading People

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 4 skills:

  1. Assume Positive Intent
  2. Set Clear Expectations
  3. Give Quality Feedback
  4. Show Appreciation

Master these skills, and leading people will be a rewarding experience – for you and the ones you’re privileged to lead.

Overcome Your Fear and Lead

“Never take council of your fears.” That’s a quote attributed to many legendary leaders over the years. They knew what many of us are still discovering – that fear has the power to cower the best of us into making foolish decisions or taking irresponsible actions (or inaction).

We all experience fear. The more leadership responsibility you accumulate, the more fear you’ll have to negotiate.

Leaders who don’t conquer their fears will exploit the fears in others.

6 Questions To Foster Greater Team 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 Johns Hopkins study noted that one in four individuals will suffer a mental health disorder in any given year… and that was before COVID came.

These are the people you work with. These are the ones you lead. This is your reality in 2020.

Resilience is the ability to persist through challenging situations and overcome adversity. But what is the leader’s role in these challenging times? How can leaders provide the resilience their teams so desperately need?

Here are six questions leaders should use with their teams to get the conversation started.

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

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 be enough Gen X’ers to take their places. Ready or not, it’s time for young professionals to prepare to lead.

The question isn’t if. It’s how soon… and whether or not they’ll be prepared. If you’re a leader, a big part of that responsibility falls on your shoulders.

What I Believe About Leadership

Several years ago I interviewed with a large leadership development consulting firm. Things were going as expected until the office president threw me a curve ball by asking for my point-of-view on leadership. I was stumped. I had many ideas on what good leadership looked like but I didn’t have my own original model. Fortunately, I shared someone else’s POV I appreciated and was able to satisfy the president with my answer.

These days, my point-of-view on leadership keeps growing as I grow. I’ve continued to push my own beliefs of what effective leadership is and what the best leaders do. In fact, in my white paper Nine Ways to Be the Boss Everyone Wants to Work For, the very first best practice I share is that effective leaders “Believe in the cause.” They know what they stand for and case a positive vision for others.

So… what do you believe about leadership?

I’d like to share ten of my leadership beliefs with you.

7 People Every Young Professional Needs to Get Ahead

My colleague Ann challenged my thinking recently. As she transitioned into a new CEO role, she reflected, “Other people have paved a way for us to succeed in ways we probably don’t realize.” I bristled at first because I wanted to believe most of my success was self-made. (This despite my being far from CEO material.) But a few days later as I stared out the window counting the Camaros in the parking lot, I came to a realization.

Someone else has already invented the wheel. And because of that, all of us can focus on greater achievements.

Easy Button Leadership (EBL)

In my book Ignite Your Leadership Expertise, I wrote that leaders make life easier, less complicated and more fun for those around them. When I first drafted those words several years ago, I’ll admit they felt a little cheesy. But over the years, I’ve come to realize their merit all too well.

“Leaders make life easier, less complicated and more fun for those around them.”

When you take just a minute to notice the state of the American corporate workforce, it won’t take long to realize pretty much everyone in charge leads an incredibly hectic life. They fight fires, address new problems and rush to prepare for the next emergency meeting – all before their coffee is finished!

If you want to support the leaders in your organization, be careful! When your help looks or feels like more extra work, be prepared for a negative reaction. Instead, look for ways your ideas and requests can feel like an “Easy Button” (from the famous Staples television campaign) for their challenges.

Leadership Lessons from My Time in the Military

Kirkuk, Iraq, 2008

It’s been over a decade since I returned from a year-long Army deployment to Iraq. It’s been over six years since I finished my military obligations altogether. Even though I’ve all but forgotten my initial trip to the recruiter’s office, some things will stick with me for life.

From time to time, I’m asked how my military experience informed my leadership. Here is a small sample of my lessons learned.