Leadership Challenges: Millennials and Elusive Candidates June At C-Level

Leadership Matters --
Empowerment & Employee Engagement

August At C-Level

It's almost Labor Day. Summer's about over... everyone at work is trying to squeeze in one more vacation before school starts... traffic is going to suck again (as if it ever doesn't) ... and... what's this? You're on the verge of missing some key 2016 objectives? And just a few months left...

How can that be??

Not to worry, you know what to do; after all, this "ain't your first rodeo." We'll just work harder, right? Yeah, we'll get everyone to buckle down and get their noses back to the grindstone. That should do it. After all, we aren't working that hard now, are we?

Let's not kid ourselves into believing we can pull off a year-end goal "coup" with that approach. Might as well just plan on a Christmas miracle.

How about some crazy thinking...? Let's try to be more collaborative instead, so we're all pulling in the same direction.

To that end, does your leadership team (all levels) "play well" together? If not, there's potentially a lot of energy going to something other than productive efforts -- quite likely at cross purposes. Are your leaders communicating honestly and effectively about difficult issues? Do they have the necessary skills to do what we need them to, and do they know how to apply those skills effectively?

If the answer is no to any of those questions, do something about it. Today. For some ideas, you can turn to this timeless article Executive Teamwork -- Why senior staffs must play well together on our website.

...and if you'd like to know how we can assist you, your organization, or a colleague of yours, please fill out this form, and we'll send you some specific information, articles, engagement results, and so forth.

Featured Articles

Leadership -
Empowerment Done Right

- Put 'em in a box and learn to say 'yes'

by D. Kevin Berchelmann

I used to believe that empowerment and delegation were the same thing... that we just invented the term "empowerment" because so many managers sucked at delegating.

I was wrong. I try not to say that too often (just ask my family), but it's a certainty here. I was wrong.

Low Employee Engagement Isn't the Problem...

- Low leadership engagement is.

by Kevin Ross

Not long ago, I received a request for comment about employee engagement being at a record high. That seemed like an odd request, since almost everything I've read in recent memory was lamenting dismal engagement survey results.

Poking around some, I found that employee engagement soared to its highest level in five years - a whopping 34.1% in March - only to fall back below 33% in May and June. In other words, it sucks. Thanks, Gallup, for keeping it real.

Leaders & Laggards

In this section, we take a look at recent news and events, and make a gut-reaction determination for three categories:

Leadership
Leader

Demonstrating Clear, Personal Leadership

Leadership Milquetoast

Mediocrity in Leadership
Usually an Opportunity Not Taken, or Similar

Leadership
Laggard

Leadership Has Its Idiots, We Show You Who They Are

Marillyn Hewson, Lockheed Martin's CEO, is the real deal. Fresh vision, bold initiatives, and an environment that fosters "frank and thoughtful discussion and company-wide collaboration" got LMCO back on track and doubled market cap in just three years.