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In more than twenty years of coaching senior leaders, I’m clear on the answer to the question, “What is the #1 mistake leaders make?” Most Leaders Think They’re Giving Their Team Members Enough Feedback  But that’s not so. A friend who’d recently moved into a GM role hadn’t had feedback from her boss. She wasRead more

I’m speaking to female leaders, in particular, here… You don’t need to settle for anything less than being totally inspiring and sought-after. Being an OK leader isn’t good-enough. You don’t need to be anything less than your ideal. Your first step in moving towards being the leader you want to be is to figure outRead more

Brenè Brown has got me thinking, again… You’ll agree that truly impressive leaders think and behave differently to run-of-the-mill leaders. This is especially so when they give developmental feedback. After all, developmental feedback, when delivered effectively, has a positive impact on a team member’s performance—which has a positive impact on the team’s results—which frequently hasRead more

Almost every day I hear a leader describe their unhappiness about a team member’s performance or behaviour. But when I ask the leader how candid they’ve been with their team member about it, the leader so often says, “Well, I haven’t actually had a chance to talk with them about it yet.” That’s When MyRead more

There’s so much talk about the importance of being “authentic”—the value of telling the truth about your thoughts and feelings. Why is authenticity such a big deal? Reflect on leaders you’ve been exposed to—who was great, who was not as great? I’ll bet the great leaders you’ve known were authentic and the not-as-great weren’t asRead more

“The belief that one’s own view of reality is the only reality is the most dangerous of all delusions.” —Paul Watzlawick (Austrian-American psychologist and philosopher) Way Too Many Leaders Are Sitting Behind The Eight-Ball… …because they haven’t gotten authentic, granular feedback about their leadership practices and behaviours from their boss, peers and team members. Their self-perception is thus atRead more

With great regularity, team members tell me they’re not receiving enough feedback from their leaders—which means the team member’s not getting the support they need to do a great job. Most people are somewhat in the dark when it comes to knowing enough about where they’re right on track and where they could be more on track. AndRead more

“The belief that one’s own view of reality is the only reality is the most dangerous of all delusions.” —Paul Watzlawick (Austrian-American psychologist and philosopher) Way Too Many Leaders Are Sitting Behind The Eight-Ball… …because they haven’t gotten authentic, granular feedback about their leadership practices and behaviours from their boss, peers and team members. Their self-perception is thus atRead more

Highly zealous team member are: —Highly productive team members. They focus on achieving brilliant outcomes, faster. Their personal commitment positively impacts the way they approach problems. —The hub of high performing teams. They support and encourage one-another. They share their talents with their peers, for the greater good of the team. The team is knownRead more

I’m going to cut to the chase in this bulletin. Please forgive me if I offend you. And please know that I am well-intended and here to help… There are lots of disturbing things about poor performance. And the most disturbing aspect by far is how common it is for leaders to tolerate poor performance!Read more

I couldn’t count the number of times people in organisations have said that their leaders just aren’t getting candid feedback. And many leaders have disclosed to me that they personally haven’t been completely candid in giving their boss feedback.   What’s This Got To Do With The Disease That Most Leaders Have?  “CEO’s Disease” isRead more

An “I’m OK, You’re OK” attitude is an intrinsic part of effective leadership. This proposition usually triggers a lot of discussion . What troubles some leaders is their perception of their lack of capacity to view another person as OK when the other person’s behaviour was clearly not OK—well, in the mind of the observerRead more

A shift has occurred—a shift that’s giving already successful senior leaders a huge edge… From a study of 11,000 senior leaders across six continents we learned that 95% of leaders who consistently involve their stakeholders measurably improved their effectiveness. Stop and think about that—95% measurably improved their effectiveness! That’s a huge deal if you’re anRead more

  “The belief that one’s own view of reality is the only reality is the most dangerous of all delusions.” Paul Watzlawick (Austrian-American psychologist and philosopher)   Way too many leaders are hindered because they haven’t received useful, succinct, granular feedback about their leadership behaviours from their boss, their peers and/or their team members. AndRead 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

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

Most leaders I coach are “shining stars” who are already very good at what they do… And just as even the most stunning, concours-standard show cars require polishing and buffing to excel, so do these shining stars need to do some work if they’re to fully realise their potential as leaders.   All Leaders BenefitRead more

“Now that there are more jobs available, I’ve started to look out for new career options.” “This year will probably be the time for me to move jobs. I’m looking for more responsibility… to make a greater contribution.”   We’re hearing these sorts of comments more frequently now aren’t we, either over a coffee withRead more

With great regularity, team members tell me they’re not receiving enough feedback from their leaders—which, in itself, means that the team member’s not getting the support or encouragement they need to do a great job. Most people are working somewhat in the dark when it comes to knowing enough about where they’re right on trackRead more

The most critical mistake leaders make is that they don’t give their team members nearly enough feedback! Hmmm, I’m wondering…if this is the most critical mistake leaders make, is it a trap that you fall in to? During 360-degree feedback interviews, when I ask “Where could your leader be better aligned with an exemplary leader?”Read more