Leadership Articles

Are you a leader or a follower? When faced with a difficult problem, how do you react? How you face problems is one of the critical factors that helps determine how successful you will be in life. Its also one of the key qualities of a leader! Leaders solve problems- followers go to leaders to get their problems solved.nnThe first thing to do when faced with a problem is assume there is an answer out there- it just needs to be found. Worrying about the problem gets you nowher

Conflicts are inevitable, but the more we know about human nature, the more positive the outcome of a conflict might be for both parties. We know that different people have different priorities and different ways of dealing with situations that may occur, but in general, human beings have certain characteristics that are very similar – even across gender, racial, and socio-economic lines.nn· People love to be agreed with.n· People hate to be disagreed with.n· People like

Much like the lighthouse that provides guidance and direction for sea-bearing vessels, leaders must become the beacon of light in their own lives before they can effectively lead others. nnAs we have come to learn, true leadership is not about a title or a position in an organization. Nor is it about a person’s genetic make-up, level of education or socio-economic status. Leadership is a way of being. Effective leaders are those who lead by a set of core values that reflect

If we take a look at all the past mayhem and destruction, we will find it all emanates from the minds of human beings that used their intellectual brain to the detriment of humanity. On the 4th August two main headlines hit the news. Martha Stewart was sentenced to three extra weeks for being outside and enjoying the fresh air and going to Yoga classes. This is reminiscent of any past witch hunt by religious zealots. n nAnother headline read - Ayman al-Zawahri, a deputy leade

Before you read any further, get a pen and a piece of paper. Write down all the groups you belong to. I’ll help you get started.nnI am a member of the human race. nI am a male/female. nnKeep writing until you have at have at least 10-15 groups on your list.nnNow that you are back, let’s review your list. nnI’m guessing that you will notice some groups that you are a member of without even making a choice, like the two I gave you to start your list. You also will likely

If I asked you whether or not you thought you were a truly effective leader, you would probably say "no". Well, guess what - you'd be absolutely right. And you'd be absolutely wrong.nnYou see, very few of us are exceptional leaders by nature. But we are leaders nonetheless, regardless of whether we realize it or not, and the influence we have on others, particularly if we are around young children for any length of time, is exceptional despite our awareness - or lack of aware

We have always been told that "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" espouses the philosophy of win-win as being the only way to negotiate and form agreements with other people - be they at home, at work, in the community or wherever. However Stephen Covey actually tells us that sometimes Win-Lose or Lose-Win or even some other philosophy may be needed. The problem is that you may not fully understand win-win, read this article to find out more. nn“The 7 Habits of Highly

We all use questions everyday – in every part of our lives: as a leader, as a peer, as a parent, as a team member, as a spouse. We can’t get through the day without asking at least some questions. Even if the only questions you ask all day are:nn“How are you doing?”, ornn“What’s new?”nnYou are still asking questions.nnSo I’m not going to urge you to simply ask questions; that doesn’t make much sense – you already do that. The challenge I have for you today

I say that phrase often.nnIt’s part of my personal philosophy, and it’s part of my business philosophy.nnLet me explain…nnPeople around the world (you included) buy learning materials, books, audio programs, webinars, tele-seminars and attend lectures and workshops every day. These learning options exist whether you want to learn about leadership, leopards, or being a lifeguard. nnCompanies and organizations everywhere organize and fill workshops and classes continually

Many of you hear me speak all over the nworld and I teach the process nn“What you sow, you shall reap”. nnIt is a principle that is based upon nwhatever you do today will predict your nfuture. You can’t dispute the fact, it’s nnot fiction, it’s fact, that what you do ntoday will predict your future.nnI see hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs nfailing because they try to force feed and nshorten the success process by making some nmoves and deci

Differences between the way women and men communicate and perceive the world not only sometimes irritate us in personal relationships, they can block professional success. How many of the following common gender communication differences have ever made you or one of your direct reports want to scream, scratch your head in disbelief or quit your job? • A woman wants to build solid relationships with team members so people will work well together and accomplish a task more suc

QUESTION: I’ve never been in a leadership position before. How do I get my team to trust my leadership? How do I get employees to follow me? ANSWER: First, recognize that your fears are perfectly normal and understandable. Every leader and executive I’ve coached during the last 12 years, even executives who have taken extensive leadership classes, sometimes worry about how to get people to trust and follow them. THE INSECURITIES OF SUCCESSFUL LEADERS If you explore biogr

QUESTION: I’m in a new leadership position. I’m excited about the opportunity for advancement, but sometimes I feel insecure about my ability to lead a team. I’m afraid I’ll fail if I can’t get people to trust my leadership. It frustrates me when I wonder why I’m the leader instead of someone else who might be more qualified. Although I can ask experienced leaders in the company questions, I don’t have a mentor. My function is somewhat unique, so I don’t see a person who is

QUESTION: I know I’m qualified to lead our team but I would be working for a boss who is consistently critical. The existing team leader has accepted another job, so the position is vacant. I’m not sure my skin is thick enough to report directly to a superior who meticulously scours every tiny detail, eager to discover any imperfection. Our boss’ style drains the team’s creativity, motivation and confidence because he also ignores all signs of progress. Our team could be at

QUESTION: Even though I have the right training and experience for a leadership positio I want, I don’t have enough confidence to apply. Just the thought of interviewing makes my stomach squirm. I have good ideas about how I can make a positive difference as a leader but I’m stalling instead of completing the application. ANSWER: DISCOVER THE HIDDEN GIFTS IN YOUR INNER CRITIC Since you were smart and motivated enough to gain the training and experience you need to move up

During winter Leadership Coaching Sessions, leaders often complain, “Employee morale is so low on gloomy winter days! My team members and direct reports left for the holidays energized and happy. Some of them returned in January exhausted and crabby. Even some of my best performers seem difficult to motivate right now.” “A few people have short tempers. One guy acts lethargic. One woman seems depressed. That behavior isn’t like either of these people! I’m not acting differen

Have you ever walked into a place of work and felt heaviness in the atmosphere. Like fear was the predominant emotion permeating the work place. People only did what they were told, never showed initiative, avoided problems, and finger pointed to others as the source of problems. Gossip was ...

How often do you say something like the following to yourself? I’ll be happy when: • I change and become the person I want to be in my lifen • I get a new home or car or boat or new toyn • I win the lotteryn • My boss learns how to supervise me properlyn • I can be friends with everyone I meetn • I ...

One of the biggest confusions which rest in most peoples’ minds is that they can not understand the fine line of difference between assertiveness and aggressiveness. According to my experience, assertiveness comes from supreme self-confidence, knowledge about the subject and overall ...One of the biggest confusions which rest in most peoples’ minds is that they can not understand the fine line of difference between assertiveness and aggressiveness. According to my experience, assertiveness comes from supreme self-confidence, knowledge about the subject and overall self-reliance.

I get called to fix people problems and I'm really good at that. Most often the person I'm helping has a supervisor or executive team member who has huge gaps in their own management skills. For example here are some of the deficiencies I observe: • Personality differences • Stagnant ...

It's human nature to want a better life, to strive for new things, and find meaning through our experience and existence. People are restless; they want a raise shortly after receiving the most recent one, they desire a promotion, new challenges at work and/or in their personal lives, better ...

Most of us have had the experience of working on teams, an experience, in retrospect, we often regret having had. Consequently, you probably have a pretty good idea of the things that are typically "wrong" with groups. By "wrong," of course I mean those behaviors that are getting in the way of ...

A while back I dated a guy for about two years, he was the best "gift giving" guy I've ever met in my life. We lived quite far from each other so there was a lot of traveling involved, but every time we got together he would always go out of his way to make me feel special. He'd plan activities I've never done before, always took me to new places and gave me the greatest gifts ever.

James MacGregor Burns (1978) first introduced the concepts of transformational and transactional leadership in his treatment of political leadership, but this term is now used in organizational psychology as well. According to Burns, the difference between transformational and transactional leadership is what leaders and followers offer one another.nnTransformational leaders offer a purpose that transcends short-term goals and focuses on higher order intrinsic needs. This res

Have you have ever loaned money to a friend or family member when you really didn’t want to because you felt you had to? Then, here is some timely advice for you: Never feel that you must surrender when it comes to making a decision about whether or not to loan your money. There are ways for you to turn down a loan request in good conscience without agonizing over it, or hurting or antagonizing the feelings of the person who has made the request. Here are some suggestions: If you do not have the money, do not be embarrassed to say so.

Why doesn't this person do what I want them to do? Can't they just get along? Why is he so abrupt with everyone? Why doesn't she follow the steps in the process like they are meant to be followed? Why are so many mistakes made? Why do I have to follow up so much to make sure the work gets ...

Every successful group venture, whether in the business world, the family home, an educational setting or a community campaign, is the result of effective leadership. Simply put, leaders accomplish desired results by influencing others. The most significant contribution a leader can make is to change others through responsible stewardship. Many frustrated leaders fail to realize that they have a perfectly useful tool for stewardship and change in the art of good conversation.

Employee retention is a hot topic. Every employer knows it's terribly expensive, time consuming, and disruptive to operations to repeatedly recruit, hire, train, and then lose employees. There are many reasons employees leave their jobs. However, time and again, employees leave because of ...

Few people understand the value of decisiveness. The ability to make quick decisions not only lends you an air of confidence, intelligence and authority, it can also make the difference between a positive and negative outcome in many situations. Some people believe that they are just “naturally indecisiveness” which is decidedly not true. Indecision, like every other behavior humans display, is simply a learned behavior. When you take the time to understand where it comes

As leaders of living systems, the ability to reflect is one of the most important disciplines to develop. Over the years we have found that, at particularly difficult times in life, when confused and disheartened, and times of exhilaration when life is filled with joy and happiness, the jou aling practice helps center us and provides a space for reflection and learning. The Internet is filled with jou aling advice, and jou aling workshops abound.

"For what we've discovered, and rediscovered, is that leadership isn't the private reserve of a few charismatic men and women. It's a process ordinary people use when they're bringing forth the best from themselves and others. Liberate the leader in everyone, and extraordinary things happen."rn— James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner, The Leadership Challenge: How to Keep Getting Extraordinary Things Done in Organizations Leadership is a verb, not a noun. Leadership is action,

Trust is the fuel that propels teams and organizations to high-levels of success. Yet, organizational leaders today unknowingly do almost everything in their power to sabotage trust. The primary way in which trust in organizations is sabotaged is by a leader’s communication style. One particularly egregious style of leader communication, which significantly undermines trust, is called “indirect communication.” We have all fallen victim to indirect communication at one point in our professional or personal lives. For example, have you experienced…

One of the obstacles I face with my professional clients is their inability to recognize and overcome sabotaging self-talk. Through coaching them I realize how personal image can be, and how easy it is to be overly critical of ourselves –when we really need to be our own biggest fans.

Are your employees satisfied or engaged? As a business owner or manager, you had better know the difference between the two. Your employees may be satisfied at work because they are happily doing the bare minimum to keep you off their backs, but that’s not the same as being engaged. Engaged employees are the passionate ones who happily put in extra time when needed, are enthusiastic about the projects they are working on and are the most positive employees you could ever have!

In a recent leadership workshop participants were asked to share all the things their peers, subordinates and bosses do that drive them crazy and make their jobs more difficult. Two full flip-chart pages were filled. Next, the same group of participants was asked to identify the things they wish they would do instead. There was dead silence for what seemed liked an ete ity. It seems to be human nature to focus on the things we don't want, especially the undesirable behaviors that we wish others would refrain from engaging in.r

Trying to find a way to further your personal development in 2013? Why not take on a few of these leadership-based New Year's Resolutions? 1. Keep the Main Thing, the Main Thing! Wise words from a successful entrepreneur in one of our recent Young Presidents' Organization Forums. CEO giants like Bill Gates credit their ability to avoid "shiny object syndrome" to focus on the most important thing. The challenge for visionary CEOs is to "See the Future First but Focus on Core S

People often find themselves caught in the minute details of their day-to-day routines and experience a sense of disconnection from what is really important. Where your focus goes, your results flow! (Negative focus equals negative results; positive focus equals positive results.) Are you happy with your results on a daily basis? Stop the sink-or-swim approach to life and start making a big enough splash to achieve the life you really want. To avoid being sucked into a downwa

Almost everyone is interested in knowing how to make money online. Whether you're between jobs, a student, looking for a parallel concert or just a quick bustle to earn some extra money, making money online is a great way to fill your wallet. Almost everyone is interested in knowing how to make money online. Whether you're between jobs, a student, looking for a parallel concert or just a quick bustle to earn some extra cash, making money online is a great way to fill your wallet.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover!” - Mark Twain This week I had a pleasant introduction meeting with a Sydney based entrepreneur who successfully leads a group of companies which are all focused on leadership & people development. One of the first questions he raised was r

The most important aspect of issuing a written warning letter for any violation of policy is to make sure you are being fair and consistent!

As a professional image consultant one of the things that always amazes me is how many clothes professionals own that they never wear. Women tend to wear only 25 percent of their wardrobes, and men wear 85 percent of the clothes in their closets. That statistic indicates that women like to go shopping and buy items as an experience and an event, whereas men tend to only purchase what they need. But having all those extra clothes hanging in the closet only interferes with getting dressed in the morning.

In today's challenging economy and the rise of a fickle and unstable workforce, leadership skills are more important than ever to combat the costs of high staff turnover. The new generation workforce have different values and expectations, and if their needs are not met, they walk. Many companies can't afford bonuses and extra perks to keep their trained workers and have to use other "enticements" to attract and keep their workforce, and they rely on strong, confident leaders to lead the way and achieve these miracles.

So something’s been bugging you. You know that you need to make a change and you’re pretty sure there will be big consequences. So how do you go about it? Here are five things to consider that will make a tough change just a bit easier. 1. What's the cost of status quo? Not making a change that you know you need to make is costing you. Sit down and make a list of the payoffs you’re receiving physically, mentally, and emotionally for keeping things as they are. Then list the prices you’re paying for maintaining the status quo.

More companies than ever, both small and large, are considering ways in which they can introduce eLea ing in their bid to boost the skills of their employees. Many companies are opting for eLea ing because, when implemented correctly, it allows employees to learn in their own time. If they have access to a computer and an internet connection, they will be able to take part in online training. Of course, putting together a corporate training strategy is easier said than done. We do want to take you through the steps required.

Today's job market has become very complex, there is a lot of competition and unemployment numbers are soaring. Finding a job is not about circling possible jobs on Sunday's newspaper and then having to choose between a few offers… quite the contrary. The job market is very competitive, people are accepting less pay and gruelling work hours just to take care of their monthly bills. Modern moms are under pressure having to decide wether to take a big pay cut and stay home with the kids or pay for daycare and work to contribute to family income.

Over seven years ago, I created this management model and have been using it ever since. The model ensures that employers attract and retain peak performers. It's direct, to the point and easy to adopt no matter what the organization size or budget. The employee management model is called - the EDGE. EDGE is an acronym that stands for: Educate, Develop, Guide, Empower.

Preparing a written warning letter for insubordination is no different than any other disciplinary action! However, one of the major mistakes that many supervisors make is mistaking insubordination with disrespectful behavior. In short, insubordination is defying authority or in opposition to it. Although it is easy to confuse the two it is still important to define the poor behavior correctly.