Recovering Leader

Are You a Manager or a Leader: Complete Analysis of Survey Results (Final)

In June, 2009 we started taking a sharp look at the distinctions between manager and leader. I developed a 20-question online survey (“Are you more of a manager or leader?”) that's so far received 139 responses. Given the volume of info, I broke my analysis into several blog posts that cover all 20 questions. Previous posts had analyzed the results... Read more →

Weekly LeaderTip: Lighten It Up

Organizational cultures that encourage humor and value the lighter side of things are hardly the norm these days. Economic conditions, staff reductions, having to do "more with less," and worries about job security have had a chilling effect. Widespread worry never makes anything better--in fact, it makes the leader's job even harder. Laughter's medicine has never been more needed, as... Read more →

Monday LeaderTip: How to Stop Coasting

Everyone finds themselves coasting sometimes, and leaders are no exception. It may be a short lived and healthy breather, or you may be stuck. When it’s the latter—which is more common than you might think—remember that you’re getting something out of maintaining the status quo, even though you may not like it. It pays to ask yourself questions to get... Read more →

Monday LeaderTip: Rebalancing Your Human Resources

Demands for the right skills and talent, and how well your people are matched to them, tend to change over time. It’s important to reevaluate periodically who’s doing what, and rebalance your human resources accordingly. Consider each of your people using a “blank slate” evaluation-if you were hiring them today from the outside world, what role would you definitely hire... Read more →

Monday LeaderTip: Fear and Help

Everybody experiences fear, and leaders are no exception. Leadership is not measured in a stoic demeanor during difficult times, but in accepting that you are indeed scared, and enlisting the help of others to move forward. Suppress what scares you, and you isolate yourself from the possible resources and solutions around you. We are wired to help each other-and you... Read more →

Monday LeaderTip: Building Relationships

The increasingly virtual workplace is marginalizing relationship-building as a leadership skill. Building strong professional relationships and networks is more highly correlated with achieving results than a task-centric approach to leading. Yet we are generally too “busy” to make the effort -- too many meetings, and too focused on our PDAs, do-lists, and calendars. Bridging the digital gap means reaching out... Read more →

Leadership in Sacrifice: U.S. Health Care Reform's Looming Lesson

The now-stalled U.S. Health Care reform effort shows that our elected officials lack the will and skill to exercise leadership in sacrifice. To enact reform, politicians—people-pleasers and self-preservationists by trade, would, ironically, have to sacrifice themselves politically, and at the same time ask American voters to make sacrifices of their own. Supporting it means offending multiple constituencies and interests that... Read more →