I visited the symphony a while back. Sitting in the audience, waiting for the conductor to arrive, I was struck by a metaphor relating individual people on a professional team to individual instruments in an orchestra – each tuned to their own frequency, playing their own sound. What happens when the leader arrives? My comment is…
Blocking, Tackling, and the Long-Game Courage of Great Leaders
Transcript: I’m going to talk today about one of the key reasons I see that many managers never become the excellent leader that they could become, but rather remain trapped in a cycle of short-term, manager focus, thereby sub-optimizing their long-term potential. Listen here: Transcript continued: Ironically, the way this happens is by too…
Quick Thought: Beneath the Woody Exterior
Where I live in Northern Michigan, winter hangs around for a very long time. By March, we start to feel increasingly ready for spring’s arrival. And yet, more often than not, there’s still snow everywhere. On the surface, not a single sign of springtime. But things are not always what they seem. Inside the maple…
1 New President = 3 Lessons for All Leaders
The United States presidency has been in the news now for what, 2 years? After the election, and before that the primary, and now we've finished the inauguration...I thought it would be interesting to look at the presidency right now through a different lens than is typical. I'd like to look at it through a management coaching lens.
Embrace Your Natural Leadership Strengths, on Skip Prichard’s Leadership Insights Blog
“If you want to be a successful leader, don’t focus too much time and attention on weaknesses,” begins Skip Prichard’s introduction to our interview. “Whether as an individual or as a team, it’s more productive to leverage strengths.” A great synopsis. And not surprising, considering his very insightful questions. Skip runs a wonderful leadership blog, and I…
Catch Them Doing It Right: 3 Tips for Effective Encouragement
Famed psychiatrist Carl Jung has been credited with saying that criticism has “the power to do good when there is something that must be destroyed, dissolved or reduced, but is capable only of harm when there is something to be built.” Unfortunately, too many of us violate this truth of the human psyche. In fact,…
