Insights: Leadership
Strength during Stress
Most executives have some periods of intense, unrelenting stress. This can happen for example during a time the team is rapidly growing in numbers; during a mission-critical project where the stakes are very high; or during a time of crisis such as a major HR or legal issue. At such times it’s a good idea […]
Mindfulness and Leadership
I am sometimes asked by leaders what they can do to become less reactive, and to remember to practice the things they are working towards improving. For example, an executive at a pharmaceutical company recently complained that she felt like she knew what to do but that in the heat of the moment, when interacting […]
The Power of Matching
In his book To Sell Is Human, Dan Pink writes about the importance of attunement as part of selling, whether the selling is formal (actual sales) or less formal (influence and persuasion). One approach to attunement is matching. By subtly matching body language, tone of voice and choice of words, you can create greater attunement and more […]
The #1 Leadership Communication Mistake
I have come to the conclusion that there is one pretty universal communication mistake that is the most damaging and causes the most mischief for leaders. Are you ready? The mistake is: not preparing well. Yes, I know this is not very sexy, but it is incredibly ubiquitous. People just don’t think about preparing in advance for […]
Oasis Leadership
Another leadership metaphor occurred to me recently: some leaders are like an oasis, and others are more like a thunderstorm. Some leaders are a quiet resource. They are not showy, they don’t seek the limelight, they don’t draw lots of attention to themselves. They aren’t a loud voice in the room, and they aren’t “impressive” […]
Starting a Leadership Fire
It occurred to me recently as I was working with a client that developing your people is a lot like starting a fire. There’s an art in starting a fire. You have to know something about the materials that you’re working with. And often, a fire starts small. When fire first starts, it’s often very […]
Get Your Reading Done 2-3 Times Faster
A few weeks ago I wrote about using the audio version of The Economist and other audio resources to keep up with the latest news and information. I’ve learned a few new things since then on the same topic: (1) Audible.com has a great Android app that allows you to increase the narrator speed up […]
Why Leaders Should Care About Chronic Pain
I was astonished recently to learn that in the United States, 100 million people suffer from chronic pain, which is defined as pain that lasts more than three months. That’s about a third of the total US population. What this means is that if you were to poll your friends and colleagues, you’d find that […]
Colin Powell Leadership Tips
I recently watched a video clip of Colin Powell speaking on leadership: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T21HBWxBd-U. He’s still got it. Here is his recipe for good leadership: (1) Have a purpose. He likes the word purpose instead of mission, or another term, because I think for him it conveys more a sense of an inspiring future. To be […]