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I actually thought the leader I was coaching was exaggerating when he said “I’d be happy to forgo an amount of my salary for a pat on the back”. But then, a couple of days later, another leader disclosed that he still feels thrilled when he remembers a time, many years ago, when his bossRead more

Roger Enrico, the Vice President of Pepsi Co, said, “The soft stuff is always harder than the hard stuff.” Nevertheless exemplary leaders put a hefty focus on how they behave as a leader—the soft-stuff. Apart from any humanistic motivation, they know that the quality of their relationships and the levels of trust they generate withRead more

A few weeks ago a team member disclosed, “My boss lays low and tries to stay under the radar. He doesn’t care much about what we achieve.” Whether or not that statement is true of his boss or not doesn’t really matter. After all, perception is reality. And it was certainly this team member’s realityRead more

When you bring out the best in your team members you put yourself in a robust position to surpass your own goals and reach your own critical milestones. And the way that you treat your team members has a humongous impact on the way that they behave. Often it’s the primary determinant. So that youRead more

You’ve heard the saying “People join an organisation—and leave their boss”? The major reason (not the second or third reason but THE major reason) people leave their jobs is because of dissatisfaction with their immediate leader/manager. My boss was the motivator for me to resign at least once in my career. Let’s make sure thatRead more

Recently a leader (we’ll call him John) revealed that he’d just had a one-on-one meeting with his boss. But this one-on-one was different to all those previous one-on-ones… This time he felt truly heard. Previously not only had John struggled to get time in his boss’ calendar, he perceived that he’d been talked at, talkedRead more

It truly is a humungous compliment when someone thinks this about you . Imagine if most or all of your team members regularly had the “I like me more when I’m around you” thought about you… The positive impacts of creating the sort of relationship that generates this thinking are huge: First there are theRead 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

Last week two different leaders described to me how they’re concerned about losing one or more of their most experienced and very, very valuable team members… One leader runs an organisation that has a full-order-book for months to come. The second runs an organisation that’s currently struggling to lift sales and cash flow. Regardless ofRead more

Over the years I’ve encountered some incredibly effective leaders. What’s the secret characteristic that these incredible leaders display—the quality that not-as-effective leaders aren’t paying enough attention to? Interestingly, directly before putting “pen to paper” to write this bulletin I scanned the day’s Sydney Morning Herald. What did I find? An article illustrating this passport toRead more

Vitality, high-energy, enthusiasm—Have you noticed that exemplary leaders who deliver exemplary results have those characteristics? Just like you can’t light a fire with a wet match, you can’t fire up your team members if you don’t have vitality. Think about the leaders you work with—those who’re tired, stressed and drained of energy are unlikely toRead more

In a lift recently, I overheard a leader respond to the “How are you?” question by saying “Oh, not bad. I’m concerned about how we’re travelling. My team seems to be really sluggish.” The leader was then asked “Sluggish? How come?” He said, “My team’s just not motivated. They complain about one another. And they’reRead more

When you don’t quickly deal with a team member’s poor performance it doesn’t just impact that one team member. It has damaging repercussions that you can’t isolate or quarantine. It’s going to cost you on many fronts, such as… The poor-performer’s peers will be disgruntled when they notice what your poor performer is getting awayRead more

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

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

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