Recovering Leader

Every Day is Bring Your Kindness to Work Day

A friendly leadership approach works wonders when you want to enable those around you to free up their most powerful talents and skills in service of a shared vision or goal.  Read more →

Four Secrets to Read the Room & Build Your Executive Presence

Failing to read the room and adjust our communication to others is a rampant problem in many if not most workplaces--whether we're too distracted or hurried, or too "busy." Even if you're the smartest most capable person in the world, if you can't read the room, you're going to fall down, time after time, because you lose the people around you. Read more →

8 Ways to Enjoy Your Work Most Days (a.k.a., "Success")

Most people settle for jobs that fall far short of “happy at work” for too many years. In fact, to some, the notion that we can enjoy our work most days, and have both rewarding and fulfilling (and even fun) careers seems absurd. Yet when you enjoy your work you’re going to do a great job—the best work of your career. Here are 8 tips for helping make that happen. Read more →

How to Battle the Bulge in Leadership Communication

If you can say something in three sentences or less, then do it. Of course details and nuance are critical to success, but so is knowing when to keep it simple. That's where good things come in threes. While some would impose a blind-logic “rule of three” to emails and other executive communication, I think it’s best to consider these specific situations where threes that are particularly useful. Read more →

Starter, Builder, Fixer, or Runner? How to Find Your Happy Problems

What type of situation best fits your leadership? Not only is it critical for a leader or executive to know themselves, but it’s also important to understand your team, and anyone you may hire. Read more →

12 Keys to Leadership

Whether it's telling the truth, calling out the elephant in the room, or simply tackling the things you'd rather put off, here are 12 simple keys to leadership you can practice every day. Read more →

7 Leadership Strengths Are Weaknesses When Taken Too Far

If you don’t check your blind spot for your own blend of these seven strengths-become-weaknesses, you’ll be falling short of taking your A-game to the field every day, so why not give it a try? Read more →

Perfectly Positioned: 5 Habits of Great Rainmakers

Great business developers, also known as "Rainmakers" have identifiable habits in common. What are they? Let's take a look ... Read more →

How to Develop Your “Future You” Mantra

Having a “future you” mantra is an innovative and individualized way to make sure you attain the goals most important to you, and to lead in the most effective way. Read more →

Get Your Gravitas On: 6 Secrets of Executive Presence

For most people promoted to senior positions, having a strong, influential voice at the big table is not standard equipment -- it takes work. Here you will find some practical steps you can take. Read more →

3 Fun Self-Coaching Questions to Kick Off 2013

Start off the new year in a "leader's way" by asking yourself three questions, then checking in throughout the year. Read more →

6 Reasons We Hang on to Marginal People, and What to Do About it

Recognizing and addressing your pattern of holding on to a low-performing person helps your organization, and is the right thing to do. Read more →

One Secret of High-Functioning Boards and Exec Teams

Boards of directors and executive teams that develop and maintain working agreements appreciate having clear rules of the road. Read more →

2012 Survey: Grade Strengths of American Managers / Leaders

This is a simple, one-question survey about your experience. Once you complete it, you can see the results. -David Peck Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool. Read more →

How to Eliminate “Update Meetings” And Be Glad You Did

Many executives, particularly in larger organizations, spend 80 percent or more of their time in meetings. All of that valuable time is highly effective only when used substantively. That means to brainstorm, pitch, discuss, debate, problem solve and/or decide something important to the majority of participants, relying on the capabilities and experience in the room. Yet much more often we... Read more →

Leadership Lessons From Recovering Alcoholics

Fear, force, greed, and need are all tried and true ways to lead. Yet none positive or sustainable. When it comes to greatness, and lasting for the long haul, look no further than 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous, or AA. Its membership has grown into the tens of millions, fully global (since well before Walmart or even Sears Roebuck, for... Read more →

Truth About Leader Development: People Can Change

The subjectivity of change bias and the three ingredients for sustainable change. In my line of work, I’m often asked whether people can TRULY change. The short answer is: yes. The longer answer is: yes and it takes three ingredients. Before we look at these key ingredients, it’s important you watch out for your own bias. Essentially, sad but true,... Read more →

Why a Leader's Emotional Impact Matters ... A Lot

“Why do I need to worry about my people’s feelings? Why don’t they automatically just FEEL like doing their best? They’re lucky they have a job! Am I there to coddle them?” These are bottom line beliefs and questions among my executive clients who tend to be more task / directive / deadline-driven. Some are thinking these things mainly when... Read more →

Land Critical Conversations Right the First Time

Many key discussions end with one or more people in a holding pattern. Unfortunately, it's often after the fact that we realize something was missed or left unaddressed. Whether an interview, tough discussion, sales opportunity, executive team or board meeting—the many variables in the room (personalities, agendas, politics, etc.) can take you off course, diverting you from your main objective(s).... Read more →

3 Powerful Practices for Aloof or Distant Leaders

If you tend to be introverted, shy, too busy to be responsive, or intentionally aloof/distant, as I posted recently, approachability’s pragmatic leadership value is likely eluding you. That wall you’ve built around you, whether intentionally or not, alienates you from critical ideas, feedback, input, and your people’s higher-level motivation/engagement—needed for them to do their best work. So what to do... Read more →

Over-thinking Challenging Situations

The outcome you achieve after facing a challenging situation—for better or worse—is limited by your assumptions or “story” going into it. In fact, walking into almost any potentially difficult conversation, our understanding is at best incomplete, no matter how much forethought we’ve given it. It’s human nature to prepare for what may be difficult, particularly if we are under normal... Read more →

Excellence in Leadership Means Being Savvy in Four Systems

Achieving, Relating, Culture, and Influencing: these four “systems” silently but surely surround us in any organization. Understanding each of them is key to maximizing your own contributions as a leader. I share this because most of the feedback I hear on the up-front interviews I do about executive clients falls into one or more of these areas. If I did... Read more →

Six Simple Steps to Ensure Your Best

What does it take for you to be doing your best most days? How do happy, effective leaders, entrepreneurs, professionals, workers, and athletes manage to bring their A-game the majority of the time? It’s simple: either deliberately or not, they have an index—one that acts as a compass to align / realign them to their best. Before I explain that,... Read more →

Leadership's "Problem-tunities"

Go ahead and laugh, as we all know many organizations recode the word “problem” into “challenge” and "opportunity." Yet when a leader can respond to a loss or setback with an open mind and ability to derive its key lessons, strife becomes the breakfast of champions. Of course I encourage you to learn as much as possible from self-reflection and... Read more →

Being in the Flow of Leadership

You're in the flow of leadership when you're 100% in this moment, feeling your feelings, and 75% sure anything good can happen. Yet life has a way of distracting us from the flow. Fear, anger, strife, pessimism and crisis are everywhere in the world. The challenge is to accept--and not deny--these tragedies and not to buy into the gloom. You're... Read more →

Great Leaders Ask Better Questions

You're paying your people too much to think for them. Guide them to do their own best thinking, and their contributions multiply exponentially. Directive behavior does the opposite ... it shuts people your up, and shuts them down. "Why doesn't she do what I tell her to do?! " This CEO mentioned he was having trouble getting one of his... Read more →

10 Areas to Upgrade Your Effectiveness

“How can my organization be even more effective?" It's a great question from my clients, and one answered first and foremost as an “inside job”—that is, I suggest and help the executive to look at their own leadership choices in 10 practical areas and identify opportunities for improvement. Thinking about your own leadership and organization, how about giving it a... Read more →

Job Seekers: Four Tips from the Hiring Front

I’ve been in the process of hiring an assistant (and down to the final handful from a high number,) and noticing a few things that may seem remedial, but are really standing out for me: Competition: Yes it’s true – there are many good and qualified people out there. Yet you can stand out from others with some effort, so... Read more →

Leading in Sync with Organizational Heartbeat

Organizations--like people--have a heartbeat that speeds up, slows down, and rests at a certain rate. Put your finger on that pulse and lead according to what you discover. You gain greater precicison about what's needed, how to be at your best as a leader, and how to help your colleagues do the same. It's a powerful practice--and surpisingly uncommon--to be... Read more →

Leadership and Complexity: Think Like a Child

Leadership requires the simplest thinking and actions when facing the most complex dilemmas. In fact, imagine a four year old facing your most pressing business or organizational issue. It would be worth it if they did. Wielding the sensibility of a young, inquiring mind (the average four year old asks 450 questions per day) is a canny and refreshing way... Read more →

Leadership and Fun on the Job

Peak professional experiences are often described as “constructive play.” If you’re hoping for the best from your people, promoting some fun on the job is well worthwhile. Leaders who believe work can't or shouldn't be enjoyable create an atmosphere of indifference and stress. Who wants that day in and day out? Encourage a playful spirit when possible and you unleash... Read more →

Survey on Leadership Effectiveness and Email: Sneak Peak

My online survey about the role of email and leadership effectiveness continues to enroll respondents, and will remain open until we have 1,000 responses. Click here to take the survey, and please tell others in your network about it. With heartfelt thanks to the 124 professionals who've taken it already, I thought just a quick sneak peak at a few... Read more →

7 Leadership Strengths Are Weaknesses When Taken Too Far

Consider a few of the typical strengths a leader may have: maybe they're a good delegator, a great relationship-builder, results-oriented, decisive, etc. Interestingly, our strengths become weaknesses when we overuse or misapply them to the situation. That's why I often hear my clients' colleagues say, "It's his strength, but also weakness at times..." So it's important to know which of... Read more →

Monday LeaderTip: Innovation’s Challenge

Innovation—in your own life, or as a leader of others—requires an open mind, creativity, capability, resolve, and courage. Many leaders get stuck in the status quo because it’s easier than tapping into these qualities in themselves or others. Beyond that, transformative change upsets our sense of normalcy, which can be uncomfortable. Yet you need not remain complacent. When you might... Read more →

LeaderTip: Pattern of Leadership

Lessons in leadership are most evident in the mirror of our own successes and failures. Underlying them are patterns of recurring beliefs and assumptions worth a hard look from time to time. Such reflection opens them up to the revisions necessary to guide you to the next step in your development. Those who don’t spend time being schooled by yesterday’s... Read more →

LeaderTip: High-Performing Leadership Teams

It’s not uncommon for an organization’s senior executives to call themselves the "Leadership Team." Yet frequently divisional self-interests drive their actions more so than teamwork—a lower-performing model for people at all levels of the enterprise. In contrast, members of high performing leadership teams watch out for each other, share resources and knowledge, trust each other, are brutally honest, embrace healthy... Read more →

LeaderTip: Maximizing Your Human Capital

Leaders need to be adept at launching their people into effective, independent action. That requires selecting / retaining people who are capable, self-motivated, and engaged in the aims of the organization and its leadership. It also requires the one(s) in charge to enable them to do their best work by providing the leeway, resources, support, and coaching they need. Both... Read more →

LeaderTip: Permission to Disagree

Fostering candid debate is critical for effective leadership. Many leaders think of themselves as open to being challenged or contradicted. Yet in practice there are two issues: 1. a significant portion of people simply tend to avoid conflict and “yes” the one in charge, and 2. the supposedly open-minded leader may have a blind-spot tendency to go on offense or... Read more →

The Why and How of Your Next Promotion

Suggestions and considerations to help you move up At its best, a promotion to a more senior level of responsibility can challenge, energize, and reward you, and enable you to accomplish something of greater meaning in your professional life. Moving up isn’t for everyone—it may not be important to you, and/or you may be happy with the level of responsibilities... Read more →

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 →

Stuck in D2D? Leadership: Be Present About the Future

Our recent leadership survey showed a startling 35% of "leaders" spend the majority of their time on day-to-day tasks and issues. Are they victims of current world economic crises? Sarbanes-Oxley mandates? I don’t think so. They’re not victims … they’re volunteers. Your attention is your choice, not a mandate. Let’s think about it. Imagine you’re captaining an ocean-liner. Now let’s... Read more →

13 Things You Should Know About Company Culture / Organizational Culture

Choreographing, or at least dancing in step with your organization’s "culture" is critical to leadership. Move well with it, and it enables you to get great things done. Buck it, or be victimized by it, and it can be your downfall. What do I mean by "culture?" There are many definitions, but I think of it as the unspoken yet... Read more →

What is Self-aware Leadership, and Why Should You Care?

It leads to sustainable effectiveness . . . Today's tumultuous conditions require leaders to master speed, turbulence, and complexity, upgrading from traditional leadership competencies to new and more flexible strategies for leading organizations. Building greater self-awareness must be a high priority. Self-awareness is not a common theme in leadership literature, and the practices that lead to it aren’t easy to... Read more →

Leadership: Being in a Beginner's Mind

"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few" —S. Suzuki (Japanese Zen priest, ?-1971) Certainty and effective leadership do not tend to work well together. One executive's predecessor left him with a piece of parting advice: "Just never show them you’re not sure." Under this predecessor’s watch, the organization not only stagnated,... Read more →

Think Like an Owner, Not an Employee

People who think and act like owners are happier, healthier, and more effective at work. Layoffs, dinosaur management styles, "do more with less," and constant role/responsibility reshuffles are the new "normal." And, these things certainly haven't made it easy for folks to have a sense of ownership and engagement in their companies. In fact, I had a junior executive tell... Read more →