As professionals get moved into management roles, there’s a natural confusion about what to do and how to do it. Moving from being an individual contributor on a team to running the team is a big leap for most of us. This is especially true in industries where people don’t train for management positions....
Our headlines are filled with questions. Did he? Did she? Who did what and when? Why? All of these questions consume our attention and build tensions between opposing factions. For what real good? (Ha, another question!) Questions can be used for good or bad. Well-intended questions can add clarity. A properly structured question uttered in...
Travel around the sun a few times and you learn things. If I’ve learned anything traveling my journey around the sun (I’ve done it 65 times), I see people all around who trip on the fine lines. What do I mean? I am talking about those oh so subtle differences between things that are...
It is time to dedicate some blog space to a segment of my audience that gets little direct attention. I am talking about the females who serve in leadership roles. I always write with an open mind about the topics I share, and I seldom differentiate between male or female. I still believe “leadership...
What a quote! “If serving is beneath you, leadership is beyond you.” If you ever struggle with being willing to serve a greater good and another human being, you should reconsider any desire you have to become a manager or a leader. Being in a position of authority has a great responsibility. If you are already...
Ever watch a cat or dog chase their tail? To be sure, it is quite humorous. The real question is when was the last time someone watched you chasing your tail? As I reflect on various chapters of my life I know I was chasing my tail. I also hear friends and colleagues share...
There is an old Beach Boys song with this lyric. “The surf is up before the tsunami.” It makes me think of a phenomenon I have seen time and again in business. After almost 20 years in commercial banking, I saw a lot of highs and lows with my business customers. Companies on...
There’s a decision to be made. You weigh the options and ask for more information. Then it’s time to choose. But wait. Is the thing you have to decide a requirement or a desirement? Decision making can get clouded by issues or priorities that are more a desire than a requirement. To oversimplify the...
In the fast-paced world of business, it’s easy to lose sight of your most valuable principles. Even the best of leaders get overwhelmed with progress happening at what seems like the speed of light. As I visit with leaders at all levels, I find a need to return to a couple of very basic...
When I hear executives or entrepreneurs say they feel isolated, like standing on an island, I often ask how did you get there? Sometimes you may be the one who dug the moat providing the divide between you and everyone else. A Story I know a very successful executive who runs a thriving subsidiary...