Doris Helge is The Official SelfGrowth.com Guide to "Leadership". You can find complete information on Doris Helge and her products by visiting https://WomensLeadershipTips.com.
Distractions are rapidly becoming enemy No. 1 in the workplace. In fact, 45 percent of employees work only 15 minutes or less without getting interrupted, and 53 percent waste at least one hour a day due to all types of distractions according to recent research by harmon.ie, a provider of social ... Views: 1788
Asking your direct reports questions rather than always telling them what to do is a key way to develop their abilities and help them grow. That said, there is one question-word in your leadership tool chest that I suggest eliminating altogether:
"Why?"
Why? (Couldn't resist... ) The very ... Views: 746
Questions are one of the most powerful tools we have at our hands as leaders. They can help us engage others, gather information, set the stage for coaching and feedback, and allow us the opportunity to listen rather than talk. The power of questions is undeniable.
I am a big fan of collecting ... Views: 760
There are many theories on what leadership is. People love to give flowery language and fiery quotes that seem more motivational than instructional. Listing endless adjectives about leaderships is not defining leadership or even describing leadership. It actually shows how hard it is to say ... Views: 3198
Each of us are the way we are due to several factors out of which our upbringing, our beliefs and values formed during our formative years play a major role. Thus when with interact with others, there is exchange of views and values which if they match results in a 'harmonious' relationship and ... Views: 759
Surely you have met them. I had in my office one guy who always seemed to know what is going to happen in the future for our company, our promotions, the market in which we operated, the fate of the government along with inflation rates. A wise guy you may call him but personally I felt ... Views: 950
While I was starting to share some of thoughts with you on the topic of how to take tough times in your stride I suddenly remembered a cartoon I saw long time ago. It was that of David and Goliath where, David sees Goliath tinier than him though the picture of Goliath is hundred times magnified, ... Views: 906
I was waiting for a workshop to begin this week in Kansas City, Missouri when I looked out the window at a tree that was just starting to bud. Except for the small branch right up against the window, which was far beyond budding – it was in full bloom. Picture it – a full tree just turning ... Views: 637
You may have seen the story on 60 Minutes, or seen the stories throughout the media all week. There has been a big conversation about the idea that the Stock Market is being “rigged” by high frequency trading. That is the thesis of the new book Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt by Michael Lewis. ... Views: 666
Gallup is a very smart organization and they do many things well. They also provide great services to organizations and those that lead them, especially in understanding the problems, challenges and solutions to employee engagement.
But their findings, in some recently reported research, could ... Views: 683
I recently watched the movie, “Saving Mr. Banks,” a Walt Disney film that shows the process that Walt and Mrs. P.L. Travers used in creating the movie “Mary Poppins.”
The thing that stood out to me the most is that the creative process is messy, yet, it’s full of joy and happiness. The ... Views: 1000
We live in a competitive world. Leaders who want to secure the next top positions must master themselves publicly and privately. Tenacious people will gain an awareness of how executive presence and influence can propel them to the front line for promotions.
Like an Olympian training for ... Views: 1023
Onboarding.
It’s that very corporate sounding work for what used to be called New Employee Orientation.
If you work in a large organization, your HR department likely has created a process for doing this – and while the depth and success of these efforts may vary widely, chances are your ... Views: 642
It’s 7:30 p.m. on a Thursday evening, and you’re still at the office preparing for a presentation you’ll make to top management early the next day. You have just hung up the phone after speaking with your spouse, and the annoyed voice on the other end of the line still rings in your ears. ... Views: 767
If you live in most of the United States or Canada, you recently lost an hour of sleep. If you live in some other parts of the world, you’ve got a couple more weeks to hold on to that hour. I’m talking, of course about Daylight Savings Time.
Some people love it (especially in the fall when they ... Views: 685
A leader knows that he or she may be the smartest person in the room, but isn't smarter than the entire room. Use your team for good ideas.
Leaders have a combination of intelligence, charisma, character and experience. These are very difficult to define and even harder to teach. Which is ... Views: 1199
Delegation is something that every leader has feelings about.
Some feel they do it well. Some don’t even know where to start. Some have seen a good example of it. Some feel like every time someone has “delegated” to them, it felt like they’d just been dumped on. Some think it is something ... Views: 748
We all have limits – the boundaries beyond which we just don’t go.
After all, it wouldn’t be safe.
It wouldn’t be prudent.
It wouldn’t be easy.
We set limits for safety purposes, for logical purposes and sometimes as excuses.
Limits are a part of life.
But as leaders, we must be in the ... Views: 697
Luck.
Some think it is some kind of magic.
Some think there is no such thing.
Some think only others have it.
Most wish they had more of it.
Years ago I heard the definition of luck as:
Labor
Under
Correct
Knowledge
While I believe there is truth in that clever acrostic, ... Views: 688
A Strong Executive Presence Inspires Others
Knowing how your executive presence influences others is a sign of a wise leader. The physical presence in a room can hurt or hinder a group’s morale and productivity. The goal of effective leadership is to have frontrunners who know and ... Views: 1359
The main idea behind corporate trainings is that organizations are all about people and the way they respond to each other. Yes, businesses have a technical side to them too but the fact remains that in a typical organization people-related issues outnumber technical snags any day. This is a ... Views: 647
What is it about losing weight that makes it so hard to stick to? Why are you throwing up your hands and crying “I need help losing weight”? It seems pretty straightforward right: burn more calories than you take in and lose weight over time. So you either increase your exercise routine or ... Views: 1527
Although it was a beautiful sunny spring day outside, there was a dark cloud hanging over attorney Steve and his office reflected it. Steve was the managing partner of a multiple-city law firm spread across the state.
He complained about how unfocused, distracted and disorganized he felt. He ... Views: 1099
There’s no controversy here: everyone knows that listening is important.
In every training event I facilitate, conversation turns in one way or another to listening. We all realize it to be important because people are talking to us, and we need to understand the messages or information they ... Views: 670
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a man with a vision. It was a huge vision which he dedicated his life to and who challenged the rest of us to do the same. Not only did he champion equal rights but also equal access to economic opportunity for all Americans. A lesson we can all learn from MLK is ... Views: 1077
He’s won one Super Bowl, so far. He’s been the NFL’s MVP 4 times, set numerous records, and more are likely in his future. He was recently named The Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated. And for the next few days will be among the most talked about and read about people in the ... Views: 684
As a leader, all day long you are wearing a hat. Not the kind that people might laugh at or that might smoosh your hair, but a hat nonetheless.
For the next few minutes I want you to think of the various roles you play as a leader and different hats that you wear. While there are likely more, ... Views: 837
Ultimately, a leader who shows that he cares is good for the organization. Some critics may write this off as being touchy-feely, but people are people and an organization is made up of many, many emotional people.
A leader has to find a way to show his followers that he cares about them. ... Views: 1104
Leaders are responsible for making things happen, on-time and as scheduled. Superiors and subordinates don’t want excuses from their leaders, they want results.
When a leader makes a commitment to complete a task or accomplish a mission, follow-through is the guarantee that he provides to ... Views: 3522
Good leaders must possess the ability to effectively communicate to superiors, subordinates, and peers. Responsive leaders must not only be able to communicate effectively, they must be able to communicate in a timely manner with clear purpose and intent.
A leader must possess the ability ... Views: 1399
Lots of people have visions of crashing and burning when giving a speech. The nightmares seem real, and yet while you may not like presenting and may have had some blunders, you’ve likely not had a presentation-nightmare-come-true like Michael Bay (Director of the Transformer movies, among many ... Views: 693
One of the truths about leadership, not often talked about, is that when we become leaders we must begin to look at and see the world differently – at least if we want to be successful and effective.
Following that idea, the obvious question is, what are the ways we need to look at the world ... Views: 729
Physicians take the Hippocratic Oath before they can practice medicine. Lawyers take a professional oath after they pass the bar. And people elected to all sorts of positions take an oath of office.
Considering how important the leader’s role is in communicating change effectively, and how ... Views: 695
If you make a list of leaders who have made a difference – whether the list is global and historical, or local and recent – you will find they all have one thing in common.
Those leaders are bold.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines bold in part with these three definitions:
not ... Views: 687
We spend the early parts of our lives adding to our vocabulary. Teachers and parents want us to learn new words. And research shows that vocabulary is a good predictor of success. And yet I am asking you to take four words from your vocabulary?
Yes I am.
To be clear, it isn’t like you ... Views: 686
One definition of a leader is “one who is followed by others.” Another is “one who has influence or control over others.” This is accomplished by force (including authority based on position) and charisma (people want you to lead them).
This implies that a leader is a person who expects others ... Views: 1089
Leaders are responsible for producing outcomes and getting favorable results; sometimes the results are good, other times the results are not so good. Whether the results are positive or negative, a leader’s objective is to continuously improve organizational performance over time. One way to ... Views: 1345
Leadership is a privilege reserved for those who are ready for the awesome responsibility of training, developing, mentoring, guiding, and correcting the people who are under their charge. The task of leadership offers long hours, lots of hard work, frustration, setbacks, and ... Views: 916
Most of us live our lives identifying ourselves as someone who is completely separate and independent of other people, places, circumstances and situations.
We have the experience that other people, places, circumstances and situations just “randomly happen to us” - completely ... Views: 1591
Last week I had the privilege of again hosting two students from the Akilah Institute for Women in Rwanda. Akilah is an organization about which I am deeply passionate. It is a college for young women in East Africa that “offers a unique model of market-relevant education empowering graduates ... Views: 2233
Sycophancy is defined as “fawning obsequiousness. Synonyms: grovelling, servility, cringing, fawning, kowtowing, bootlicking, toadyism, slavishness.” Obviously, these ar negative terms. Being a sycophant is a negative thing. Being a sycophant is the worst form of lying to yourself, because a ... Views: 1378
Leaders exist in all walks of life. More importantly, everyone has the potential of acting in a leadership position. We can all be more successful by establishing a positive attitude and also by having an attitude of gratitude. Leadership includes vitality, charm, being flexible and also ... Views: 1326
The title of this article is a quote from Robert Pirsig from his book “Lila: An Inquiry Into Morals.” Mr. Pirsig is best known as the author of “Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance,” widely regarded as the best selling philosophy book of all time. I highly recommend both books (for what ... Views: 1141
Webster’s dictionary defines integrity as the state of being complete or undivided. When we act out of integrity we’re operating from a deep and secure space within ourselves. This affords us enormous power to achieve our dreams and goals.
When our inner selves and outer selves ... Views: 1576
A mentor of public speaking once suggested, “Since it is impossible to eliminate speech unfairness from the society, permitting verbal expression of various forms of intolerance should be promoted.” In other words “free Speech”. Free speech refers to speeches that are demeaning and offensive to ... Views: 982
Many Professional Speakers out-perform others in giving speeches or taking their stage. But does their public speaking predict their vocational success? Does it all come down to the power of the voice or possessing the authority over your own convictions, thoughts and opinions? Public speaking ... Views: 890
Everybody comes out of a team building workshop feeling renewed and with a deeper sense of camaraderie. The immediate splash back is that co-workers tend to be more helpful and tolerant of each other a few days after the activity. But unless the team building activities lead to some type of ... Views: 1721
Several years ago, Pete Carroll was the head football coach at the University of Southern California. During his tenure, the school won three NCAA championships. In the last 20 years, only Nick Saban has enjoyed a better record as a college football coach.
Pete left USC in advance of a ... Views: 1251
It's 8:06 Monday morning. I'm gazing out the balcony window of my Las Vegas hotel room after a weekend of teaching. Across the courtyard, I can see the palm trees refusing to submit to the will of the desert wind and a few tumbleweeds race across the manicured grounds. My thoughts drift to ... Views: 964
The saying ”Act or be Acted Upon” holds such truth that the importance of being aware and in tune with your life, should always be at the forefront of your thought process. Life moves on everyday, and you are either actively moving along with it, or are passively being led by an invisible ... Views: 942