Lights, Camera, Action …. You’re On! “If all the world’s a stage … please stick to your own script!” – Joe Contrera With all of the chaos unfolding over the world, I am struck by the level of judgment being projected by others onto the world’s stage. When I speak of projection, I am speaking…
The singular most significant Quantum Leap a leader, especially a new leader, must make is the leap from being an individual contributor to a leader, not a manager or a glorified individual contributor … but a leader! The problem is that most leaders never make it. They never make the Quantum Leap to being a…
The most successful leaders understand that creating a culture of engagement, the Accountability, Ownership, & Impact of the work must be held at the employee level. Most leaders fail to understand this concept and unconsciously create employees who simply disengage from doing their best work or bringing their best selves to work. Watch leadership expert…
Defining Leadership … I’m an Excellent Driver Defining leadership is about as easy as trying to describe the experience of tasting chocolate to someone who has never experienced sweets. Why? Because everyone has a vastly different opinion about how to define leadership. I once heard a so-called expert on everything define driving in traffic and not…
Leadership, Influence & Communication: The Power of Story Your ability to lead others is directly tied to your ability to influence them. One of the tools you can use to more powerfully influence others is the use of story in your interactions. Stories can magnify a point or grab an audiences attention during a presentation.…
A colleague and I were having a conversation about the overall effectiveness of leadership development programs. Both of us have been coaching and developing leaders for more than twenty years and so comparing notes was both enlightening and educational. While discussing some of the challenges, we came to the conclusion that there are certain factors…
Why Leadership Development Fails or When Ads Subtract Yesterday, I sat down at my computer to catch up on the latest news, I opened up my web browser and clicked on an article. In less than a nanosecond my screen was filled so many ads that I could not decipher article from the ads. So…
Voltaire was a Pretty Smart Guy – (Part I of a 4 Part Series) François-Marie Arouet, better known as Voltaire, was a prolific writer, historian, and philosopher. He was a staunch believer in freedom of religion and freedom of speech, so I find it ironic that the words he spoke some 300 years ago can set…
When Corporate Headquarters and the Field Are Not Connected Over the years I have had the opportunity to work for organizations who have multiple locations all over the world and a centrally located corporate headquarters located 1000’s of miles away from where the actual work is being done. I experienced this situation early on in…
The Single Biggest Cause of All Leadership Failures … Nearly 46 years ago, Kellogg’s released the first television commercial for Eggo® brand frozen waffles. The commercial shows an Eggo® waffle popping out of a toaster which is immediately grabbed by a father and son simultaneously while they both repeat the phrase “Let go of my Eggo!”…