Values
The Resistance
Engagement: I was slightly amused at the recent NY Times anonymous editorial about the “Internal Resistance” to the present leadership. “Welcome to our world,” I said out loud to no one in particular. They are lucky that this is out in the open. We in the private sector rarely get such a heads up! According […]
Two Levels Up
Autonomy: I hear a lot of discussion these days about keeping employees engaged in the workplace. Let me explain what employee engagement has to do with “two levels up.” We know, from the research by Daniel Pink and others, that knowledge workers require three things to be fully engaged at work: Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose. […]
What Is a True Patriot?
Happy Fourth! As those who read my newsletter know, we are on vacation in Europe at the time of the publication of this blog post. And while I usually shy away from any political topics in this business blog, I think it is appropriate to pause and think about patriotism on this day. I believe […]
Simplify
Why Simplify? A leader must be able to make the complex simple. That is not easy to do — on several fronts! In many (most?) organizations today, our employees know more about the details of their jobs than their leaders do. This is inevitable in our modern world and will only become more true as time […]
Meaningful Work
Engagement: There’s lots of talk about employee engagement these days. And there’s good reason for us to be discussing this topic. Gallup tells us that about 70% of our employees are disengaged. It’s been the same number, plus or minus a percent or two, since they have been doing the employee survey. Apparently, few find […]
Differentiation and Values
Values: I spend a fair amount of time discussing culture with executives and entrepreneurs. In my view, values underpin the culture in an organization. They are the foundation of decision making. And the decisions that get made define the culture of the organization. Yet many (most?) organizations do not pay significant attention to developing values […]
Unintended Consequences
More Pain: Finally. But who’s going to jail? According to the 2/2/18 article in the Los Angeles Times, the Federal Reserved ordered Wells Fargo & Co. to “cap its growth and improve its corporate governance.” This is supposed to be punishment for “widespread consumer abuses and other compliance breakdowns.” But who’s going to jail? And […]
Doubt and Learning
Embrace Doubt: Often, I will start out with a new client, project or endeavor with a considerable amount of conscious doubt. What makes me think I can do this? What makes me think I will be the best coach for this person? When will they find out I’m really an impostor? Frankly I can’t think […]
Pressure From the Top
Out Front: To be a leader often requires that we apply pressure to the team, from the top, to effect change. The leader is “ahead” of the organization. She has a vision that requires the organization to move in a different direction. And she needs to more or less force the desired change to happen. […]
Trust But Verify
Trust I think it was Ronald Reagan who popularized this Russian saying, Trust But Verify. For me, in the leadership arena, this has a special meaning. Let’s start with trust. My definition is: Trust means that I get that you authentically have my best interest at heart, not just your own. We can expand that […]