Coaching News
Timeless Leadership… This is NOT Rocket Surgery– Good enough for Patton, good enough for you
I'm a military veteran. USAF. 13 years, 8 months, 13 days. If I was counting. As such, I frequently read old military books, discourses, and papers to compare corporate leadership today with historical military leadership. The similarities are astounding. A 1941 book...
Conflict Resolution: Why does something so simple have to be so hard?
A tip of my hat to my sister for this month’s inspiration. I’ll call her Kevina to protect her real identity, but she’s not going to read this anyway. You might be surprised to know my sister can be quite direct and is unafraid to offer her perspective to those whom...
Surprise! I Actually Don’t Know It All! — Lessons learned, circa 2023
As the coach and consultant, I’m supposed to be the expert; offer advice, coaching, and counsel to my clients, and provide insights and thinking to get “unstuck” and make progress. To help them succeed. They pay me to bring concentrated expertise and specific judgment...
HELP! I hate to ask, but…
“Can I do something to help?” “No thanks; I’ve got it.” Sound familiar? It should. That short conversation takes place millions of times every day across this country in the workplace, in stores, in the kitchen, between co-workers, bosses and employees, spouses, and...
1:1 Meetings aren’t for you — You know that, right?
Look, nobody is saying you guys don’t talk to each other. Really. I mean, think about it… with some of your direct reports, you speak multiple times each day. Hell, some of them all day. Like it or not. And no, that wasn’t a question, so stop nodding your head. And...
Who’s Going to Miss You When You’re Gone?
From work, I mean. I may have a dark sense of humor, but I’m not morbid. No, my guess is you’re going on vacation in the next two months and not much thought has been given about who’s going to get your job done while you’re not there. How do I know? It’s the end of...
Middle Managers – where’d they all go? — Please come back – we’re sorry!
In today’s business climate, where rapid change, technological breakthroughs and improvements define the quest for high performance, middle-managers are making a comeback —a real renaissance of sorts. But the more appropriate reaction requires a candid look at why we...
Bob Fires Assholes
Bob Fires Assholes... and you should too! Bob’s a client, the chief executive of a fairly large company in the Northeast. His name is not really Bob, but he really is a client, and a recent experience prompted me to share this (with Bob’s permission). At the beginning...
Directions in Leadership — Turning the wheel or tapping the rudder
I have interesting clients. Not “interesting” as in some Sigmund Freud shrink, scratching his chin and saying “Hmmm, interesting,” as we lie on the couch droning on and on about the deeply-rooted events of our drama-filled childhood… more like “interesting” as opposed...
“I Have a Great Job!” …said almost no one ever.
A really short read for some of you today: Everyone who has a great job, raise your hand. Okay, the three of you with your hands up can go back to checking your email. Everyone else should keep reading. If you’re not in a great job, how about those of you with a good...
Clueless is as Clueless Does …Dunning-Kruger vs Johari
I’m going to catch shit for this by leadership academics, but I catch shit for a lot of things I write, so… The big news from last month that isn’t surprising describes how a mathematician proved the Dunning-Kruger effect isn’t really a good reflection of human...
The 5 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership — and they’re non-negotiable, folks!
Leaders, new and old, sometimes lose sight of the most fundamental tenets of leadership. Here’s a reminder… I frequently tell executives that leadership – its concepts, theory, and core applications – haven’t changed in a millennium. Some our demographics may have...
Recognize Recognition — And it shouldn’t be the exception!
People have often heard me say, “I’m not trying to make happy employees.” It’s true. Now, I’m plenty happy if they are happy, but their happiness isn’t the goal. Their engagement and satisfaction are. And though similar, they aren’t the same thing. Happiness is...
