My times of most significant growth at work always came when I was serving something bigger. Turning around a very dispirited team, the most obvious thing for me was to put myself in their service. And to do it in action, not just in words. It wasn’t some grand sacrifice – it was simply what […]
Leadership
The unimportance of nearly everything
It can be sadder than it is aspirational. I see many families, including mine at times, and especially those with kids, stressing over everything. And joy disappears as everything else becomes the priority. Many companies do the same. Everything’s important. Everything’s a priority. I recall sitting in board meetings where we’d discuss our 11 priorities. […]
Being too nice to terminate someone’s employment creates bigger problems
I remember the first time I had to deal with a team member who wasn’t meeting the needs of his role. We’d gone through the support, the training, trying to find another role. But ultimately none of that worked. So I took the next step. Which was to sit on it for a few months. […]
Is your team telling you what they think or what they think you want to hear?
I had a tough decision to make, and I sought the advice of a senior member of my team. He told me what he thought. As he was more knowledgeable in that space than I was (or ever will be TBH), I went with his advice. It didn’t work out. As we reviewed what happened, […]
Great leaders aren’t overly vulnerable or authentic
“Good leaders don’t hide their emotions. Be vulnerable. Be authentic.” Simplistic tosh that continues to do the rounds in the industry that is training the next generation of leaders, and undermining their ability to lead effectively. The challenge is that there is a lot of nuance to this that is lost beneath the headlines, and […]