Professional Development

Communication: One reality and three healthy habits

Communication: One reality and three healthy habits

Communication is a critical leadership skill. Here is one reality to frame the conversation and three habits that will become skills if leaders commit to them. People-centered leaders make communication a priority and focus on it daily. Listen . . . Lead. Repeat often!

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The Team Member Fact Sheet: 3 Barriers to Using It

The Team Member Fact Sheet: 3 Barriers to Using It

So you are setting up your yearly leadership retreat or quarterly EOS® planning meeting and you want an activity for leaders to get to know each other. There is resistance to any ‘squishy’ or ‘kum ba yah’ activities. Here are the 3 most common forms of resistance I see when the Team Member Fact Sheet is mentioned – and how to move through them.

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Why learning TOGETHER is best – the data!

Why learning TOGETHER is best – the data!

Would you invest millions in equipment and NOT send technicians/engineers to training to learn how to setup and optimize it? No – – and yet we spend billions each year on leadership training and do just that. Here is data on why that is a bad idea and how to get better ROI for leadership training.

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3 Reasons Career Discussions Don’t Happen; 2.5 Steps to Start

3 Reasons Career Discussions Don’t Happen; 2.5 Steps to Start

Do you have a plan for your best people on where they will be in a year? Two years? What is keeping you from asking your people about the future? Here are the 3 reasons leaders don’t ask and 2.5 steps to start this conversation. Included are links to all the resources you need to equip your people to Own It! (including a free whitepaper and links to my 4 favorite posts on this topic).

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Will you be my mentor? 4 Steps to make this effective.

Will you be my mentor? 4 Steps to make this effective.

Leaders committed to growing their company or being successful in their next big role need to have mentors. This includes anyone using the Entrepreneurial Operating System or experiencing a promotion to an executive-level role in an organization. Here are 4 steps for establishing an effective mentoring experience. As a bonus, I also provide a link to a single page document that provides all the details you need to be successful and building a great mentoring experience.

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The ONE question leaders should answer hourly

The ONE question leaders should answer hourly

I’ll soon be publishing a list of 5 books I recommend for leadership book clubs. A new addition is my favorite book I’ve read this year: Triggers by Marshall Goldsmith. Here is why every leader and EOS/Entrepreneurial Operating System® leader (or any people-centered leader) should read it.

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3 Tips for Getting Your People to Own Their Development

3 Tips for Getting Your People to Own Their Development

Seth Godin says “it is your job to figure out the path” and while most people will say they want to learn and develop, it is important that people demonstrate that ownership as part of the process. Not everybody is ready for it, and as a leader you need to spend your time with people that are ready. Here are three tips for testing individual ownership for growth and development.

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Johari Window and Leadership Development – 4 Ways to Increase Self Awareness

Every time I share the JoHari Window with a group of leaders I am amazed at the impact it has on their view of the conversations they have with their team. The Johari Window is a simple and powerful tool for leaders to see the impact they can have on the everyday conversations with their people that are the foundation of strong and trusting relationships. Here are some tips for using this tool to become a more people-centered leader.

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3 Questions to Shift Perspective on Performance Gaps

3 Questions to Shift Perspective on Performance Gaps

Too often we see performance gaps as things that are to be hidden or apologized for. Our narrative around these events contain adjectives like poor or disappointing, which only makes us want to escape them more. It does not take a Psychology major to spot someone who is not comfortable in their work – we just have to listen to the story they are telling. Then you find a person or place where gaps are accepted and more energy is put into talking about them . . .

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