Blog
This is What’s Keeping You From Building a High-Performing Team
It's invisible, silent -- you'll never know it's there. But it most likely occurs on your team and will keep it from doing its best work. It is the fear of speaking up about ideas, concerns, questions, and mistakes. Twenty years of research at Harvard by Amy Edmondson...
Speak Up to Disagree with Someone More Senior
Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted to state your disagreement or take a stand with someone who's in a high position than yours, like your boss, board chair, or someone else in leadership? It's tough because you want to respect the person and/or the...
How Uncertainty and Conflict Lead to Innovation and Creativity
Did you know that teams rated as the “best” make more mistakes (not fewer) than others? How come? Because the better teams that make more mistakes DISCUSS them. When they do this, they can work together to reduce them. In short, these "better" teams operate in an...
Stop Distractions By Going Back to Your Purpose
With all the distractions in today’s world, it’s easy for your focus to blur and boundaries around your time to erode. Devices, apps, and social media comprise the main technological distractions, with open offices and co-workers creating distractions as well. All...
Forge a Common Purpose to Unite Factions
Pursuing real change in any system is a challenge. One of the main reasons for the challenge of change is the reality of factions within any group. Because each faction has its different perspectives and different and multiple purposes around any issue or challenge,...
What Story Do Others Tell About You?
Exerting more positive influence with others can take a lot of listening, especially with individuals and groups who appear to be at odds with you. You know your good intentions and probably see yourself in the best possible light. However, the story you tell yourself...
Is Your Influence Recognized and Rewarded in Your Company Culture?
Which leadership behaviors are reinforced in your company? In particular, does your company culture recognize and reward behaviors you would describe as more "masculine" or those you would describe as more "feminine"? And maybe it's a balanced blend of both. Male and...
How to Know If You Are an Appeaser
An Appeaser is the opposite of the Micromanager I wrote about previously in How to Know If Your Are a Micromanager. True micromanagers get a bad rap and deservedly so. However, if you're an Appeaser, your leadership style is just as ineffective and can cause low team...
Better Workplace Boundaries: Saying “No” Strategically
You might be feeling overworked or overwhelmed because there doesn’t seem to be enough time for you to do what you want and must do. So many people want you to weigh in or work on something. So many tasks need to be accomplished now! You might feel torn in so many...
How to Know If You Are a Micromanager
When you lead other people, there is no shortage of learning opportunities. After all, humans are varied and complicated, and circumstances change constantly. Factor in into the mix your own strengths, vulnerabilities, and triggers, and things get really interesting....