When I talk to senior leaders in organizations of all sizes, the leadership competency that continues to come up is that companies need leaders to think strategically. What does that look like? What is a strategic business partner? Let's first look at what it's not. A...
It is not often that I get the opportunity to bring some personal thoughts into my blogs. However, I believe the timing is appropriate and applicable to our leadership endeavors. I grew up in a steel mill neighborhood where it was normal to wake up each morning, clean...
Several years ago, I led an organization of over 200 employees. Our work was challenging, and employees worked tirelessly to accomplish complex tasks daily. I wanted to show the team that I appreciated their efforts toward excellence and tried to set a good example of...
Without people, leadership cannot exist. Each person you communicate with, collaborate with, delegate tasks to, and ask for help from has a unique personality and experiences that influence their relationships and approach to work. If you discount the uniqueness of...
Leadership drives organizations toward success. How you identify, hire, and invest in the development of your leaders has a direct correlation to the success of your business. The effects of the Great Resignation have resulted in talent shortages for businesses. These...
I have a friend whose mantra is “managing expectations.” His point is that just about every disagreement can come back to the fact that the opposing parties had a different expectation when they went in. Let’s translate that to our team. When there are differing...
One of my favorite lines is, “The plural of anecdote is not evidence.” It means that the story you might hear from your friend or the person-on-the-street interview might not be a good representation of what is actually happening. However, those data points are great...
Greater Transparency Increases Employee Happiness Perhaps the most critical quality next-generation talent desires in a strong leader is transparency. High-potential employees do not just want to be told what to do at the office. This group wants to know why they are...
The Great Resignation: Why Millions of Workers Are Quitting, CNBC, October 2021 Why Are So Many Americans Quitting Their Jobs, NPR, October 2021 How Companies Can Improve Employee Retention Right Now, Harvard Business Review, October 2021 Why Are Workers Really...
When asked to give a reason why he’s been so successful, University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban stated, “One of the things I always struggle with is we live in such an outcome-oriented world. People want to focus on outcomes, and I think outcomes are a...