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
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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
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
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
I can hear you saying “Why on earth would I want to do that?” Before answering this question, let me quickly do a bit of important framing… Most leaders are quite nervous about “airing their emotions”. About 75% of the leaders I’ve coached have indicated that they’re apprehensive about disclosing how they feel. So, ifRead more
The bulletin of December 02, 2009 discussed how most leaders don’t balk too much when I encourage them to put their thoughts on the table—and how they often struggle when it comes to tabling their feelings. Remember, there are serious and significant consequences when you don’t “cough up” about how you feel about a burningRead more
When working with leaders to help them become even more influential, I notice that our discussions frequently turn to how important it is, especially when they are experiencing those stronger thoughts and emotions, for them to be candid about what it is they’re thinking and how they’re feeling. Most leaders don’t balk too much whenRead more
Think about it—a fair amount of the stress you take on board is because you’re putting off confronting those “difficult” conversations, isn’t it? Your last bulletin discussed an essential key to making difficult conversations a lot easier and less stressful—by pointing your finger inwards—never out towards them, only in towards you (click here to viewRead more
These steps will help you consistently model exemplary leadership. Your last bulletin encouraged you to be conscious of what’s been tugging at your anxiety-strings and to start reining-in your imagination. It promised you a straightforward, researched, three-step method for zapping your uneasiness and creating calmness. And here it is… Step 1: Manage Your PhysiologyRead more
You notice that you’re not at your best when you’re anxious, don’t you? Whether it’s sports, relationships or business, anxiety is clearly detrimental to peak performance. Sure, a little stress is a good motivator, but does yours sometimes grow into impeding anxiety? The facts are that when you’re very calm, relaxed and centered (aka “inRead more
Even when times are great, there’s no good reason to tolerate anything that’s less than fabulous. And when times are tougher and profits are harder to make, it’s critical that everything is functioning at its peak. When it seems difficult to find a lot that’s favourable in the economic news it’s natural to become dispiritedRead more
