Recovering Leader

Monday's LeaderTip: Trust and Control

Excessively controlling behavior-hovering over people and projects-is often confused with leadership. But how do you know when your good intentions to "help" have crossed the line? You may notice your people tend to be compliant, shying away from making bold choices or suggestions. You may also find yourself exhausted, acting more as instruction-giver than one who delegates. If your people... Read more →

Are You on Transmit or Receive?

Who are the people in an organization most familiar with what could be done to improve a process, the division of responsibilities, or a project? Generally, they are the people doing the work. When a leader is more often on transmit than receive, such people are likely to be reluctant to step up and make suggestions for constructive change. I... Read more →

Great Post today on "Not An MBA"

Great blog, and a great post on what happens when the founder(s) stay in charge, yet fail to adapt / learn new skills necessary to lead as the business changes. Definitely worth reading the post, and the blog... Read more →

Looking for Stories of Personal Leadership

I write almost exclusively about leadership, and I want to hear from you! There is "leadership" through positional authority, like a company hiring a CEO, and then there is personal leadership, which is usually more courageous and inspiring. I am looking to be inspired, and to help you inspire others, based on your own stories of personal leadership Just to... Read more →

Monday's LeaderTip: Facing Forward

A constant danger for any group is a preoccupation with the past or present. It shuts down possibilities for creativity and effectiveness, trapping people into discussing things that can't be changed. Moving a discussion out of the past or present into the future is a simple and powerful leadership tool. In fact, just by saying "let's look ahead – how... Read more →

Leadership and Self-Acceptance

Self-acceptance is particularly important for leaders to model for others, as it leads to many important areas of progress: Taking responsibility. Accepting others. Finding what you bring to the table that is uniquely your own. Letting go of any attempts to control people and situations. A sense of well-being. Supporting other to win. When a leader accepts them self as... Read more →

NYSE: Forget Grasso -- Prosecute the Board

As reported in today's New York Times, former New York Stock Exchange chief Richard A. Grasso is likely to be ordered by the New York Supreme Court to return a large chunk of his $139.5 million parting gift (calling it "severance" is a tad understated.) He is mainly guilty of transcendent greed that lands him squarely in the piggy pen.... Read more →

Monday’s LeaderTip: Task and Relationship

Effective leaders heavily invest in building and maintaining relationships. Results-driven people tend to lose sight of this and get obsessed with the goal or project at hand—making colleagues feel they are a means to an end. While tasks / projects come and go, those who understand that relationships are an enduring source of strength have an advantage over others. The... Read more →

Leadership and Teaming

"We're all in this together" is a brilliant statement about team work. Jack Taylor, founder of Enterprise Rent A Car, said it over seven times in an interview I did with him last month. He mentioned it was his "leadership approach" (my term, when I asked him the question) but with repetition, I realized that he had baked it in... Read more →

Monday’s LeaderTip: Rushing to Judgment

Good instincts and decisiveness are both leadership assets. With them, a leader can rapidly choose a clear path forward. Yet when decisiveness is taken too far, we can get in the habit of making choices too quickly, even when circumstances warrant a more nuanced view. Sometimes a closer look is needed to avoid poorly-informed decisions and ineffective solutions that can... Read more →

Leading from the Groove of Situational Awareness

What? Given the size and complexity of organizations, competition, clients, vendors, and markets today, and instantaneous communication, how does a leader keep an insightful, real-time focus on what's important? Athletes call it "Field Awareness," and pilots (and those who study how humans interact with technology and process) call it "Situational Awareness." Situational Awareness is the practice of getting into a... Read more →

Monday’s LeaderTip: People-Pleasing

Leaders who attempt to please others by giving too much of themselves can unintentionally cause more harm than good. However positive the motivation, taking too much responsibility for the well-being of others diminishes a leader's ability to make incisive decisions. While kindness is a leadership asset, it needs to unfold within clearly defined boundaries. As you consider your professional relationships,... Read more →