The Lenses We Wear
The first time I became painfully aware of the lenses through which I see the world was during an anti-racism training the organization I worked for at the time held for staff and other key leaders. I was twenty-seven years old. Most of my memories of the training...
Making Decisions at the Wrong Time
Fellow Leaders, I’ve always loved the original version of Dr. Seuss's How The Grinch Stole Christmas. For 53 years the Grinch had put up with packages, boxes, bows, trees, singing, jing-tinglers, and roast beast from all those happy Whos down in Whoville. After 53...
Innovating Innovation, Part 3
This is the third in my mini-series on creating new value, also known as innovation. The first post took a deep dive into the concept of value—what it is and how it should be core to the existence of every organization—especially for-profit organizations. The second...
Innovating Innovation, Part 2
Last week I shared my contention that innovation is nothing more, and nothing less, that finding new ways to bring real value to others. (Value being defined as some perceived benefit divided by some perceived cost). I promised in that posting to share the two...
Innovating Innovation, Part 1
You may know that we've been redesigning some modules of LEAD 365 this year (along with changing its name to LEAD 24/7). Some of you went through a version of the program before we even started exploring innovation. Over the past two years some of you participated in...
A Case for Using Your Vacation Time
In late 2009, I took a twelve-week maternity leave. I was quite sure that it would be a working leave. I was in the middle of so many projects, leading many of them, and I was the expert on our organization's database. The organization I worked for at the time was...
Three-Bucket Leaders
If we were playing Jeopardy, the clue I’m about to give deserves to be the Daily Double: The three “buckets” we are committed to filling in the year of LEAD 365. If you were the first to your buzzer, you would give the following answer (in the form of a question, of...
Leadership Toolbox: Leaning into Healthy Conflict
Alternative Title: How a Lowly Brake Operator Changed Corporate Policy in One Conversation My father spent the last 10 years or so of his career working at a metal-press company in the Kalamazoo area. He was responsible for training new employees how to use the...
Leadership Toolbox: Feedback and the 5-to-1 Ratio
In the last post in this series we explored how to apply the leadership tool of listening. This week, we're focusing on feedback and the results you can get when you use this tool wisely. Once again, this post isn't about HOW to give feedback (for that, go here and...
Leadership Toolbox: Listening
Listening—so simple to understand, so hard to do. I'm talking about real listening—listening to understand—not being silent until it's your turn to talk. This post is not about HOW to listen. (For that, go here or here). Today we're going to focus on what you can...