Blog

Here’s why you don’t need to have good relationships with each of your team members Some leaders use an autocratic approach as their first option, regardless of the situation. This really is an old-fashioned view… You’re good with them working half-heartedly. You’re not concerned about decreasing productivity. You’re not bothered about cultivating them to goRead more

Periodically I encounter a leader who thinks that constantly being the expert, relentlessly being the knowledgeable authority, is an all-important leadership behaviour. Some leaders use an autocratic approach as their first option, regardless of the situation. This really is an old-fashioned view… Of course, in the Middle Ages, autocratic leadership was the norm. In thoseRead more

If I were asked, “What’s the most common thing leaders don’t get right?” delegation would certainly be near the top of the list. I know, I know, delegation might not be the most exciting topic in the world, but heck, it’s so critical that you get it right… Leaders, even seasoned leaders, commonly don’t delegateRead more

Just last week, in a 360-feedback interview, a team member described his leader as being inconsiderate and unreasonable. The team member went on to say that when his leader was overworked, overwhelmed and overstressed, the leader had a short fuse. Further investigations with other team members told a similar story: They felt devalued and disrespectedRead more

“How to influence someone” is a topic that’s repeatedly put on the table by leaders I coach. By the way, this is a revamp of an edition of a Leadership Bulletin I published a couple of years ago. Because many readers told me they found it so useful, I decided to give you the opportunityRead more

You really want to make this change, right? Maybe you’ve tried before, and it hasn’t stuck. Now you’re ready to step up to the plate again but need some new technique, a new approach in your leadership toolkit. You’re in the right place. I’m about to describe a dependable, NASA researched process for shifting aRead more

Things truly flow for some leaders. They’re organised and in control. Their energy levels are always impressive. Their relationships are first-rate. They seem to always feel really good. And here’s the clincher: As a consequence they’re able to genuinely focus on their targeted outcomes and set the scene for real leadership success. Contrasting these “in-the-flow”Read more

Seriously, you wouldn’t believe how many people in organisations, senior, mid-level and junior, comment that they hardly ever, or even never, get any form of acknowledgement from their boss. Well, to be brutally honest, it’s not so much that they comment about it but more that they grumble about it. This is a crucial topic!Read more

Follow Your Natural Tendency At Your Peril It’s not that tender is more effective than tough, or that tough is more effective than tender… It’s that some leaders automatically take a tough stance—you know, those firm leaders whose decisions are based on a detached logic, who take a no-compromise position, whose judgment disregards sentiment orRead more

THE number one thing at the top of most leaders’ minds these days is that they don’t have sufficient time to get done what they need to do. The sense of overwhelm they experience because of the sheer number of critical-to-get-done things on their plate is—OK, it’s overwhelming! 90% plus of the leaders I speakRead more

Every leader, just about, is well intended—at least that’s my experience. Yet every so often I encounter a leader who has a tragic attitude towards their team members’ development. Even if you’re a leader who doesn’t share this attitude, there’s something in this simple and straightforward bulletin for you… What is this tragic attitude? It’sRead more

One thing’s for sure, your reactions certainly stop you from being seen as a balanced and trusted leader! Matt’s reactions to taxing leadership situations were – well to be frank, they were unrestrained. And these backlashes cost him… Because of his lack of emotional stability Matt’s team members didn’t trust him, his peers didn’t respectRead more

Some leaders excel and some don’t. We notice, don’t we? And the determinant’s not usually their stunning technical skills, extreme drive or tireless advocacy for their cause, is it? So what does the research tell us about the difference between leaders who excel and those who don’t? And what do your personal observations tell us?Read more

To be frank, most leaders spend way too much time drilling down, involving themselves in the details of their team members’ responsibilities—rather than creating an environment that has team members accepting full accountability for meeting their objectives. How much drilling down, micro managing are you doing—rather than spending your time focusing on the master plan,Read more

Whilst driving to my next meeting, I heard this gem on a talkback show—“influencing is listening”… Of course, the truth of that statement is a no-brainer. But how often do you get so tied up, so enthusiastic, about your own perspective that you forget to listen? We all do to some degree. And unless youRead more

  A number of people, including many leaders, are frustrated with their boss. Doug, a leader I coach, is typical of those who experienced this dissatisfaction. Doug is exceptionally intelligent, good at his job, well liked and, overall, has pretty high emotional intelligence. But when he spoke about his boss, his eyes rolled, his faceRead more

Please don’t complain about your team members unless you’ve been openly sharing your opinions with them! As is so often the case, the theme of this bulletin is drawn from behaviours I’ve been noticing in my work with leaders. Regardless of whether the leader is well seasoned or much newer, this practice is rampant… WillRead more

That’s what Max said he wanted as we were establishing his goals for his Leader Coaching program—minimum input, maximum output. Especially these days when we’re attempting to “get more juice from the lemon”, minimum input, maximum output sounds like a pragmatic goal to me. We don’t want to work more hours than we have to—andRead more

The Finger Pointing Syndrome—It’s A Bad Look For Leaders! Many of my perceptions and observations about how leaders behave are formed as a result of the 360-degree feedback discussions I have with the team members of leaders I coach. After all, it’s in these safe, intimate and candid interactions that team members’ perceptions are genuinelyRead more

Over the years I’ve encountered a few teams who have teamwork happening in an admirable way. And lately I’ve come across a number of quite senior teams who, usually unbeknown to them, are having a far-reaching negative impact on their business because they haven’t acknowledged the need for them to be doing more “teaming”. What’sRead more