During a recent visit to a client company, I spent time with two different leaders whose initiatives weren’t progressing satisfactorily. The first leader was chatty and made sweeping motivational statements. Her team was deeply committed,... Continue reading
A newly hired VP called me the other day, expressing frustration with her indecisive and apathetic colleagues. My unspoken response was: “They’re not even strong enough to be a Team of Rivals.” When a leadership... Continue reading
Consensus sounds so nice: Everyone agrees and moves forward together. Kumbaya! Seems like a good thing, right? But here’s how one client described the way his company practices consensus (with my italics): “We have to... Continue reading
Bringing a new person on to the team almost always takes more work than expected. No matter how senior your team is, it can take significant effort to get the new person integrated with the... Continue reading
When a new executive joins your team, it can be frightening and frustrating. Their new ideas may not mesh with the current culture, strategy, or environment. You wish they understood how the company really works,... Continue reading
Urgency in the workplace has crucial uses -- and some destructive misuses. Yes, urgency may be exactly what’s needed to confront an actual emergency, serious risk, or persistent negative circumstance. But too many managers and... Continue reading
What do executives mean when they demand accountability? And what do employees mean when they complain that no one in the company has any? Usually, they mean that someone should have decided, acted, or otherwise... Continue reading
You can’t directly motivate anyone, but you can definitely create conditions in which people choose to contribute, participate, innovate, and push themselves. Demonstrating your own commitment helps set the bar for the team -- not... Continue reading
You see your colleagues every day, or at least several times a week. You all get along, appreciate each other’s good intentions, and care about the company. And yet, some of your colleagues’ behaviors drive... Continue reading
Leading and developing an organizational culture really means leading and developing the people within it. Culture doesn’t change according to your directives while you’re sitting comfortably in your corner office. It’s not enough to espouse... Continue reading
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