When clients describe the leader they want me to coach, they invariable use the word “smart” or “genius.” Assuming your leaders really are smart, do they also bring out the best in others? If your employees were both intellectually gifted and effective managers, your employer should be outmaneuvering competitors. Is that consistently happening? The late Stephen Covey succinctly put his finger on the conundrum: Some corporations have made hiring the most intelligent individuals a core … [Read more...]
Why Do Leaders Deceive Themselves?
The secret of rulership is to combine a belief in one’s own infallibility with the power to learn from past mistakes. ~ George Orwell As much as we'd like to believe that we're rational human beings, we can all too easily mislead ourselves. Self-deception is a process that encourages us to justify our false and invalid beliefs. Individuals, organizations and communities experience self-deception — the root of most problems, according to the Arbinger Institute, a Utah-based consulting … [Read more...]
A Manager’s Recurring Nightmare: Conflict’s Complexity
Charlie Sheen may be our new “model” for how to effortlessly embarrass yourself and undermine your career by instigating turmoil and conflict (and he made over $1 million per episode). As he and others are publicized, it’s no wonder the concept of conflict is associated with something that is inevitable and invariably bad. On the company front, managers spend an inordinate amount of time putting out fires, particularly interpersonal ones. In my executive coaching practice, I’d guess that at … [Read more...]
Positive Leadership: 3 Steps to Real Results
The No. 1 reason why most Americans leave their jobs is the feeling they’re not appreciated. In fact, 65% of people surveyed said they received no recognition for good work in a previous year, according to Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton, authors of How Full Is Your Bucket? Positive Strategies for Work and Life (2004). According to newer Gallup research, what employees want most — along with competitive pay — is quality management. When they feel unappreciated and disapprove of their managers, … [Read more...]
Leading Change, What You Say Is THE Key
”No one has to change; everyone has to have the conversation.” —David Whyte Business is fundamentally an extended conversation. Whether you’re speaking with your boss, team members, colleagues or direct reports, conversations shape what gets done. The quality of your conversations matters most, providing either: Clarity or confusion Collaboration or competition Inspiration or resistance Profound connection or disengaged boredom As a leader, you must engineer conversations to … [Read more...]
Ethical Slips and the Irresistible Urge to Cheat
Even with a solid foundation of good moral values, no one is immune to making unethical choices. Ethical slips and traps are rampant, from telling white lies that protect a friend, to ignoring a gut feeling and following orders when we know better. Not a month goes by without some highly publicized ethical scandal. Be it tax evasion, executive pay excesses, sexual dalliances and outright fraud, many individuals are simply unable to resist temptation. Does this make the perpetrators … [Read more...]