Posts with the ‘Attitude’ tag
Craig’s boss left the company suddenly due to an ethics issue. Now Craig was leading the team. The team had been on a down hill slide for a while. But now, both performance and attitudes were in a nosedive. “How can I turn it around, Dave? People are angry, hurt, and wondering about their futures. […]
Titles mean something. Team Leader, Manager, Supervisor, Vice-President- they are all titles bestowed on those who are called by an organization to lead. They have the official duties and responsibilities that go with the title. John Maxwell says leadership is influence. If that is true, are the people with the titles the only ones called […]
What if I fail? There are no “If’s”! You will fail. We all fail. We all fall flat on our faces at some point. Some of us have more scars from those falls than others. I am convinced that whatever success I have achieved in this life can be traced back to the failures that […]
The world is full of self-important, self-absorbed, and self-promoting people. I prefer humble people. They are truly a breath of fresh air when I meet them. Humility seems to be a virtue that is losing ground in today’s world. Humble people do not make for good TV. The media prefers to make the bold and […]
Ask a veteran why they served and you will likely hear the word Duty in the explanation. The concept of Duty still runs deep in military circles. Many people use the word Duty to describe the list of tasks in a job description. But the idea of Duty goes well beyond a “to do list.” Duty seems […]
They were in their robes and ready to be done with high school. I was the only thing between them and graduation and the family celebrations to follow. As the keynote speaker, I knew I better keep it short and do everything I could to make it memorable. I spoke about the choices they all […]
“Tell me about yourself.” “What is your definition of teamwork?” “What’s your biggest weakness?” These are old interview questions that rarely improve an interviewer’s chance of finding the best candidate. Some interviewers have not changed their interview questions for years, or they are using the questions they were asked when they interviewed years ago. It […]
There was an upperclassman at West Point who I was sure was the worst leader I had ever met. Then I met a commander in the Army that jumped to the top of the list. But, it was not until I hit the corporate world that I met someone who, to this day, ranks at […]
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. […]
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 […]
