Coaching News
Who’s In Charge Now? …and who’s going to do all the work?
I have been vexed lately by organizations that have failed to have a succession plan for key leadership positions. Why do we do that to ourselves?? Maybe a better question is “why do we keep doing that to ourselves? It seems to be filed in our playbooks as one of the...
Quiet Quitting– and more leadership malarkey
Okay let's get this out of the way: this “Quiet Resignation” stuff is just a load of crap. Nothing more. Don’t fall for it, thinking you now have some incredibly useful excuse for why people aren’t performing as you think they should. Sorry – no cigar. It’s a made-up...
Just listen to me and stop trying to solve my problem!
There’s an old adage that goes: If you’re always solving other people’s problems, you will always be solving other people’s problems. That’s a serious issue for me, and I struggle to stop babysitting other people’s monkeys as part of my own circus. It’s a hard habit...
Teams, Gaggles, Flocks and Org Charts–The first rule of the leadership team is…
Just because we lump a bunch of people together at work and call them a "team," doesn't make it so. A group, gaggle, bunch, or flock just requires box similarities on an org chart. Most identified teams, simply put, aren’t. A couple of decent authors have stated...
“Stupid should hurt…”
I was recently involved (as a participant) in a strategic planning event; the facilitator, Alan Pue, was discussing many of the ways that planning — and its subsequent implementation — can go wrong. In part of that commentary, he mentioned as an example a firm’s...
What Does Leadership Feel Like?
Probably too many attempts have been made to define leadership. Everyone seems to have their own favorite definition. More often than not, it comes down to “I know it when I see it.” So instead of struggling to identify good leadership behaviors, try looking at the...
Who’s Got Your Six?
As a leader in your organization, who’s got your back? Are the people you work with watching out for you, or do you find yourself covering your six to keep from being stabbed in the back? I’m a huge supporter of the new “Got Your Six” campaign to unite...
I Hate Goal Setting
– it’s not the same as setting goals. I hate goal setting. The whole business of it. That’s why I was surprised by a conversation I had with my daughter a couple of weeks ago. Home from her fall semester, she was describing her goals to me – her grad school...
It Is What It Is
–But what is it? I looked up from my desk the other day and noticed (again) a retirement present from a good friend and co-worker that says, “It is what it is.” Too often, I hear that phrase uttered in a tone of voice that conveys resignation to an unpleasant...
Boss, We’ve Got a Problem
—now’s not a good time to overreact! Leaders must be intentional about creating a culture where employees aren’t afraid to identify situations that need correcting and where they feel empowered to suggest improvements. That kind of climate doesn’t develop by...
Integrity isn’t Flexible
–if you don’t have it at the top, don’t expect it at the bottom Regardless of what a company says, how a company deals with ethics and integrity issues directly reflects actual senior management values and loudly communicates those values to its employees. It...
Span of Control
What’s the optimum number of direct reports? How many people should a single manager have working for them? What we are referring to, of course, is “Span of Control,” and though there can be unique situations in some organizations, their are also decent historical...
Process beats promise any day…
One corner of my Performance Triangle is Process. These are what – and how – things happen within your organization. They include things that are formal, informal, in writing, unwritten, etc. Some of the more obvious include: • Organizational structure • Policies and...
