Communication:
No team ever failed because of too
much communication.
A lot of people do not like performance reviews. Many times it is the anticipation of bad news that can cause anxiety in the individual. The fear of the unknown can overwhelm people.
That’s the problem. Nothing that is discussed in a performance review should be unknown.
That is why they are called performance reviews – NOT performance reveals! Continue Reading…
“Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at its testing point.” –C.S. Lewis
Wow. Opening this post with this quote from C. S. Lewis just heightened my level of attention to a subject that has been watered down through over use and misunderstanding through the years. How do we recover the word Courage from the Buzzword purgatory it’s currently relegated to?
My answer is to define it and to continually discuss it. That is the problem with corporate values statements as well. They are inadequately defined and communicated infrequently.
The topic of courage has generated a lot of interest in recent posts. This is a previously published blog where I define courage and give examples of everyday courageous acts.
My last 5 years leading sales teams I noticed a shift in our corporate culture. Because of increased regulations corporate compliance became a mantra throughout the organization.
Playing within the rules is a given in business. But, the increased communication around compliance had a negative side effect. Compliance became a goal in and of itself. The implication was that if I had a compliant team, I was a successful leader.
“You are one of my projects. I want to help you and teach you some of the things I’ve learned the hard way.” Mitchel took a drink of his beer, looked at me, nodded and thanked me.
I had just transferred to a new geography. Mitchel and I were peers. The only difference was I had been in leadership in our company for 5 years and Mitchel had recently been promoted. I knew he and I would work well together and become fast friends.
I was right…and wrong. Continue Reading…
I know why you said what you said! I know why you did what you did! I am able to diagnose your motives. Because I believe I know your motives, I am sure you are the problem and not something else–like me!
These are all lies. But, they are lies that we easily fall into. I’ve done it. I have been sure of someone’s motives. Have I ever been right? Maybe. Continue Reading…
Ownership or excuses. One is the mark of a leader. The other is a sign that I am bound for mediocrity and failure. In the long run, people who make excuses stall out.
Making excuses is a habit. I wrote about how West Point deals with this habit in West Point: How Leaders Seize Accountability. But what are the results for me if I habitually make excuses? Continue Reading…
Bill finally cut bait. He was done coaching Travis. The national sales meeting was the last straw. Travis was astonished. “Why now? I thought the meeting was a huge success.”
“Travis, for six months you have paid me for advice, and you have never once tried to follow any of my directions. You nod your head and then you ignore what I have said. And I am not the only one!” Continue Reading…
The story ended as they all seemed to end, Terry as the hero. The sales team sat quietly and nodded their heads. The story that Terry had meant to use to inspire greatness in his team, fell flat.
Once in her car, Sandi called Erin to vent. “Has Terry ever made a mistake? Has he ever ticked off a client? Has he ever really been in a situation that didn’t go his way?” Continue Reading…
“We won!!!!” The text message came through as Tim was laying out his guidance to the night shift supervisors. He sent a quick smiley face to his daughter and kept talking.
As he pulled into the garage, he knew his wife would not be happy that he was home again after 7:30 PM. He missed the soccer game, dinner and the baby’s bath time. She wouldn’t understand why he was late, and he still had more work to do tonight. Continue Reading…
Imagine a company that truly lived by its values. Imagine a company where Trust was a core value. What would it be like to work for a company that habitually operated like the values they espouse? Continue Reading…
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