Posts in the ‘Leadership My Dad’s Way’ category
Who would you rather follow? A gray haired veteran who has two kids in college or a recently promoted 30 year old former cheerleader? To me, neither of these descriptions gives me enough information. I have seen both types lead well and both types act like spoiled adolescents. The differentiator between leaders is often maturity. […]
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?
We were in last place. I was leading a team that began the year #71 of 72. By February we were alone in last place. In June, nothing had changed. As a new manager, I was losing sleep, losing my temper and losing my team. One night as I fretted over my team’s results with […]
75% of a person’s waking hours are spent on work – Getting to and from work. Thinking about work. Actually working in their job. I heard this statistic last week and started thinking about what an awesome responsibility we have as leaders. My leadership at work has huge implications for the lives of my people. […]
“I want to do your job someday Dave. Will you show me how to get there?” I loved the ambition and drive Dorothy showed with that statement. But like others before her, she had no clue what the most critical thing she needed to accomplish was before she became promotable. I had just offered her […]
Should someone continue to pay me for doing part of my job? I have encountered people who think that doing a good job in parts of their work is enough to expect continued employment and in some cases promotions. Here are some examples: A nurse who is strong clinically, but consistently fails to correctly document […]
There is a woman I know who does nothing but serves others. Every time I see her, she is helping or offering to help others. I am amazed at her energy and her constant giving. She is always in a good mood! Who are the biggest servants you know? I am talking about the people […]
“He’s doing the job. In fact, he is meeting every performance goal we have for him. But….” It’s what comes after the “But” that can drive leaders crazy and cause sleepless nights. Unfortunately, many leaders will put up with what comes after the “But” because the performance metrics are being met. It is a tough […]
It was one of those meetings. Every time I brought up an issue or an idea, all I got was blank stares or nodding heads. Every time I tried to illicit feedback from my team, I felt as if I were pulling teeth. All I heard was crickets. When I finally had enough, I looked […]
I spent a long time believing that if I was good at something, I needed to tell people about it. I thought it was a sign of confidence. Looking back, I realize I turned a lot of people off with that attitude. Few people would argue that confidence is not an important trait for successful […]
