Leadership Articles

Do your ever end your day shaking your head wondering how anything ever gets done? Do you often watch people operate at work, scratch your head, and wonder: what must they have been thinking? I’ll bet your answer to both questions is: often! After 23+ years of studying people, both inside and outside of companies, I am frankly stunned that we accomplish what we accomplish. Why? Because we live in a world that is governed by a set of rules, that we are mostly unaware of, whi

In the current scenario, recruitment has become very difficult due to lockdowns imposed by the govt authorities almost everywhere. As the central govt decided a 21-day lockdown initially all over India many sectors have impacted at a huge cost, recruitment and hiring firms are facing a tough crisis in order to generate leads, the conversion rate has gone down severely. The hiring outlook for the primary half the upcoming financial year 2021 is dismal, considering that each on

When you think about performance reviews, what do you think?rnChances are, your first thoughts aren't positive, and the day of your performance review isn't a day you circle with positive anticipation.rnThe fact is that . . .rnMost performance reviews . . . aren't very effective.rnMost performance reviews . . . are stressful.rnMost performance reviews . . . don’t help the performer very much and they don’t help them succeed in the future.rnThere are many things that can b

My hope is that this headline makes you wonder.rnPerhaps you are guessing what the skill is.rnPerhaps you are thinking I am pretty presumptuous to suggest I know the most important skill you need, after all, I don’t know you, your experience or what you do for a living.rnThis skill is so ubiquitous that it doesn’t matter what you do, where you live, how old you are or what your present skills are. Unless you live on a desert island, or in a cave all alone with no internet

I`m guessing this has happened to you. Someone - could be a spouse, co-worker, friend, anyone - tells you of his/her new plan or goal. He`s going to lose 30 pounds. She`s going to learn to play the piano. The chronically late employee says she`ll always be on time. The person who dominates meetings resolves to change. When you hear these statements, you may be happy for them; but, I would be in nearly every situation you at least momentarily wonder if it`s a real goal or just

Effective employee performance management is really all about clear expectations. Many of you use SMAART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Agreed Upon, Realistic, and Time-Oriented) goals to help employees focus on the most important things at work. But can you have too much of a good thing? The answer is yes! and I've seen it. Recently I worked with an organization that uses goals to define the entire scope of each employee's job. As a result, each employee is assigned 25

It can happen to all of us. We have a library of books. We attend meetings and seminars. We read blogs and listen to those we know. We have experience as a leader and being led. We have all of this knowledge available to us about leadership. nAll of this "stuff" can get in our way.nnSometimes it really is best to get back to basics.nnIf you ask great athletes about the details and particulars of their sport, they can give you tons of technical details, any yet they still prac

"Too often we under estimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." --Leo Buscaglia It is not unheard of to hear tales of unpleasant comments and attitudes in the ...

It’s not considerable to simply increase your skills in your chosen field. Even if you’ve a lot of experience and skills you might still not be capable to develop to your full brilliance because pressure gets you down. As a future successful leader, you need to be able to reach various issues and provide leadership to your staff no matter how much stress you’ve to deal regularly. Most people don’t know the essential fact that there’re many circumstances that affect

Engagement is a very trendy word, and while it is so powerful, because of its (over)use, people are making it harder to understand and think about than is necessary. In fact, it is writers, speakers and consultants (yep, people like me) who are adding to the confusion by injecting complexity where it isn’t needed. So let’s get past all of that right now. Let’s get to the heart of the matter. Let’s talk about what people really want in their lives. Because when they ha

There are a number of kinds of web hosting available for websites on the internet. Depending on what kind of business or website that you have will decide the type of web hosting that you'll require. Web hosting selections come as follows: Free Web host: There are many different web sites that offer free web pages or sites for individuals. They generally supply a web page or two with an ability to put up photographs. A few are free or close to free. They are additionally extr

I have had the pleasure of meeting many entrepreneurs and leaders. We are definitely a lively and colorful bunch! I have started to see a lot of common traits shared among them. I found a common trait for each letter of the alphabet, well ok, maybe I stretched the “x”. Enjoy! A is ...

This has been said time and again that leaders are born that way. But this is a false statement and contradicts the actual meaning of leadership. A leader is a person who the masses look upto to lead them through the tough roads and a leader may or may not be born into leadership. Great leaders are often made through the turmoil of time. However, being a leader is no piece of cake and is tougher than it sounds. The worst aspect of being a leader is that, no one ever teaches y

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.rnSome people love it (especially in the fall when they gain an hour of sleep), some hate it (especially right now), and almost no one questions it or thinks much about it. After all, it's what we do every spring.rnIn case you don’t

What makes a great leader? What do they do that is so different? What traits do they have that helps them excel at this high level? There are specific traits that great leaders have in common. These traits can be learned and developed. Think of two leaders whom you admire and respect. Go through each one of these points listed below and notice how they do each one. As a leader, you must understand the traits that will help you achieve a high level of leadership. Here are te

We all meet new people, in all phases of our lives. In some of those situations we may not be consciously thinking about the importance of making a good first impression; however, conscious or not, we are always making an impression. Sometimes - be it the person we are meeting, the situation we are in or just that we are more consciously aware - we want to more than just make an impression, we want to make a great one. The good news is there are things you can do to make grea

Lately I've been thinking about the leadership characteristic of integrity. Several years ago, I worked for a leader who lived out that quality. In fact, if you looked up the word "integrity" in the dictionary, I think you'll see his face posted next to the word. It was great working with a person I could trust – knowing I could believe what he said and that his motives were true. I recently traveled to China with four businessmen to participate in an ethics and management

Edmonton is the capital of Alberta and has elevated a lot of different aspects. It has made perfect new theatres and introduced new museums. As these buildings are already representing different kinds of arts, they need to be made perfect and artistic too to fulfill their true purpose in society.

Here is a piece of good news - there are hundreds of books, websites and other resources that teach systems for setting goals. And the better news is that most, if not all of them, will work (if you do the work needed to make them work). The bad news - one piece of the goal setting puzzle many of these systems don`t tackle, or do so inadequately, is the issue of goal size. Too often this important component is relegated to one simple comment like "make them realistic" or "bel

Building a Solid Foundation for the Future ISSUE: In today’s economic reality, the rules have clearly changed and this is the biggest challenge for firms in the coming years. In these difficult economic times, approaches new to business are required to succeed and prosper. Now more than ever what it is going to take is to build a solid foundation for your firm. ABSTRACT Essential to any successful organization is a powerful mission for it and an inspiring vision for its’

The US Thanksgiving holiday comes and goes so quickly, so let's just assume we've done a good job of expressing thanks for the biggies: our families, friends, and close colleagues; the men and women serving and protecting our communities and countries; our farmers and factory workers providing us with safe food and products; and those who ensure we get safely back and forth from work, school, and home each day. Whew! With a list that comprehensive, who did we miss? What did w

"What did you learn today?" It`s a question that sounds familiar to most of us. You were likely asked it when you were a kid. And, if you are a parent, you`ve probably asked it of your kids too. But when was the last time you asked it of yourself? "What did I learn today?" If you want to be more effective and more productive with lower stress and higher satisfaction, you ought to be asking yourself this question (at least) every day. This question is at the heart of your pers

EVERYONE is a leader in his or her own gifted field in life. By nature you are a leader. You are designed to lead by your creator. You were born to lead, not necessarily people, but in your field. When you discover and pursue your vision for your life, then you become a leader in that vocation. According to Myles Munroe, a renowned international speaker, “Every person is a leader in his or her own vision, because he is the only one who can imagine, nurture, and fulfill it.â

The 9-box model is a widely used for performance and potential matrix that is an helpful tool for succession planning and development. Although the tool has been available to the public for a long time, there are only few who understand the intricacies of the mechanism and how valuable it can be when planning for the future and developing a leadership team. When assessing employee performance, managers pay attention to two things. First, their performance and second, how well

While I`ve never worn any sort of corrective lenses, at my age, I am becoming increasingly more aware of my vision. Things that were once perfectly clear are now sometimes hazy. I once took my vision for granted; now it is becoming harder to do so. (Before you all give me the name of your optometrist, know that a new eye exam is already on my list.) In a literal sense if you don`t see something you can`t react to it - if I am driving and don`t see the deer in the road clearly

A primary goal of our new Painless Performance Conversations workshop is to build confidence in leaders so that they can successfully conduct the tough, yet important, conversations with employees. Here are five tips for boosting your confidence as a performance manager: 1. If not you, then who? Remind yourself that when it comes to helping an employee enhance or modify their performance, there's no one else who has that direct responsibility. If you are expecting something

The Way We Were This month, my parents will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. On their 40th, my sister and I created a memory book for them. We had sent letters to a large list of friends and family and asked them to send us pictures, stories, old letters and recollections of time ...

Leadership is a complex skill that is difficult to pin down. Much of the research on the subject has focused on obvious traits such as command, decision making, risk-taking, etc. While these definitions capture much of what is widely recognized as leadership in business and politics, it limits leadership to one or two of the six distinct human Perceptual Styles. On the surface, it’s true, some of these psychological styles look more like natural-born leaders than others—b

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 process is helpful. Let me be clear that I am not trying to downplay the intentOnboarding needs to be more than just an HR process. Leaders must have a role if they want to develop great

Do you get tongue tied, intimidated, lost for words or feel anxious when speaking?rnWould you like to develop stronger client and peer relationships? rnWould you like to improve your leadership qualities? Delivering information to anyone including managers, business partners, clients, teams etc., is an essential part of today's business world however for many people the thought of standing up in front of a group of people speaking fills them with fear, anxiety and dread……

Change today goes beyond the new technology to the evolution of the global workforce. Creating change management competencies allows the organization to react to, and successfully embrace continual change. Change management competency requires that it penetrates every aspect of the ...

According to 2006 survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, communication skills are listed as the most important quality sought in job candidates. Here's a list of the most desirable traits (on a 1-5 scale, 1=not at all important, 5=extremely important): ·Communication skills (4.7) ·Honesty/integrity (4.7) ·Teamwork skills (4.6) ·Strong work ethic (4.5) ·Analytical skills (4.4) ·Flexibility/adaptability (4.4) ·Interpersonal skills (4.4) ·Motivati

You can run, but you can’t hide. Actually, it is not (quite) true. There are leaders everywhere that are trying their best to hide every day, like ostriches burying their heads in the sand, when their team isn’t achieving what they could. Leaders who want to blame others, the economy or the market for their team’s lack of success. Or “leaders” that have a title, and shouldn’t have it – because they aren’t leading anyway. These leaders are trying to avoid learn

As a leader, your duties and responsibilities cannot be conclusively spelt out in the contract of employment because you will be required to undertake an array of activities which fall within your mandate. You will have to look for pragmatic and acceptable solutions to the various problems which will be brought to you everyday. Leadership helps individuals assess their mind power depending on how they successfully accommodate and deal with the various human interests and need

We've been doing a lot of work with clients lately on fine-tuning their marketing efforts. A crucial step in this process is getting crystal-clear on just who they want as customers. Now I know this sounds like a somewhat strange activity. But you'd be amazed at the number of businesses who ...

Work and fun.rnMaybe you haven’t ever thought about those two words in the same sentence. There are certainly people who don’t equate those two ideas together, or while they wish it could be true to have fun at work, they’ve never really experienced it.rnMy premise is that work can be fun, at least some of the time and it should be that way.rnThis isn’t some new-age, fluffy, feel-good concept. There are real business reasons why this is true, including:rn• When peop

2008 has started out strong for me. I completed my first half marathon (13.1 miles!!!), secured some exciting new contracts, and have planned a great vacation for later this year. I'm psyched. And, I can't stop thinking things like: Where am I going this year? What do I want to accomplish? What are my goals? What do I need to do to reach them? While this constant self-analysis causes me a certain sense of irritation and I'd like to relax a bit, it is also energizing. It prov

There are several resources and tools on hand to guide and coach job seekers through the steps or process of a career transition. Most people benefit by learning what to avoid. At the same time, these tools and resources are equally very useful and suggest what you should do. If you found yourself in this group, here is a compiled list of things that may “turn off” a certain employer. Be sure to steer clear of the following. 1.) Do not send a resume without a cover letter

A client was interviewing a woman at IBM and was reminded of the person she once aspired to become. The executive was capable, strong, confident and articulate. Meeting her was like opening a bottle of champagne. Her passion and enthusiasm were contagious. My client thought to herself, "What happened to me? The person I'd hope to become... where did she go?" She realized that she had become much quieter than when she first started her job. She was less likely to share her o

If you have seen the movie or stage musical The Sound of Music, you likely remember Maria leaving the Abbey to become a Governess. As she winds her way through town and toward the von Trapp mansion she sings of her uneasiness - and her lack of confidence in her ability to succeed in this role. In the course of the song she convinces herself that she can be successful and her confidence builds. In fact, the final lines of the song, show her growing conviction... I have confide

Twelve days ago I started a series of posts I called The 12 (Leadership) Days of Christmas. In it I said that for each of the next 12 days, in keeping with the song, I would offer you a leadership task, designed to be a gift to both you and your team if you completed it and acted on it. The full details, and quick links to the other 11 tasks/gifts can be found here. I said you would be able to complete each task itself in 12 minutes or less, which has absolutely been true. Wh

Oftentimes people look at others who appear to have gained stature or success and explain their results as “luck.” While leaders are rarely as popular or visible as rock or movie stars, more than once I've heard people talk about a leaders as being lucky. They started at the right company . . . went to the right school . . . met the right people . . . the list goes on. Here’s my perspective: luck is loser language. Explaining things others achieve as luck is a way to ju

For experienced professionals, who have 5 years or more of working experience, condensing your accomplishments and merits into one single document can be a formidable task. Most professionals at this stage are ready to make a lateral move, getting more serious about their career, looking for new prospects in the same field, or even a career change! All of these actions require you to prepare yourself mentally, as well as professionally. The first step lots of professionals av

A participant from a workshop I led several years ago posed a question to me last week. While she shared more details, this is the crux of her question: "Currently low morale is my major issue. With all of the changes there were reductions to staff and responsibility changes . . . I appreciate any tips you can give me on building morale and improving customer service skills." This isn`t the first time I have been asked this question (and it won`t be the last), so I gained her

Gratitude is a positive emotion and studies have shown it creates a more positive attitude, reduces stress and provides many other benefits. But, c`mon, we don`t really need studies to tell us this, do we? You know how it feels when you are grateful. This article won`t restate the obvious (more than I already have). Instead, it explores the fundamentals of how leaders can transform genuine gratitude into a positive force for change and success for those you lead and in your o

BEING THE OYSTER: An Alternative to the Blame GamennIt's easy to label someone a "troublemaker" or a "problem." For one thing, it gets us off the hook. We're not to blame; the other guy is. For another, it fuels the idea that the power to change our lives lies outside of us. If the circumstances in which we live were different, then we would be different; presumably, happier. So we blame others for our own unhappiness and try, with subtle and not-so subtle means, to change th

Businesses require to staff their operations, the process involves bringing new talent and manpower and into business and making their organization productive. Matching accurately the needs of an organizational job position with the abilities and skills of a particular person is considered as effective Human Resources Management. The foundation on which forms the organizational set up is productive staff in any organization and it is known as Human Capital . Human Resource Ma