Leadership Coaching
Leaning Into Healthy Conflict, Part One
LEAD 24/7 alums, do you recall the number one thing we wish leaders in West Michigan would do better? Yes, it’s being willing and able to lean into potential disagreements, or what we call leaning into healthy conflict. Today’s post is the first of two on the subject. This one is to remind you why…
Read MoreTrust and Verify
Many of us were introduced to the five fingers (or five elements) of trust on the LEAD 24/7 retreat. We talked a lot about trust during that time together. What we discovered is that trust encompasses many critical pieces. I can trust (or not trust) your talent, your commitment, your character, your alignment, and last but…
Read MoreInnovating 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 elements that I think are important if you want to…
Read MoreA 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 small enough that we…
Read MoreThree-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 course): What is…
Read MoreLeadership 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 here). It’s about the results you…
Read MoreLeadership 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 accomplish with the incredibly powerful tool of listening. Last week…
Read MoreLeadership Toolbox: Understanding Living Systems
All leaders, regardless of industry, position, education, or experience, have at least one thing in common: They all work with humans. In fact, leaders are humans themselves! And as frustrating as it can be, humans often behave in ways that don’t make sense. Understanding living systems and the impact anxiety has on a system is…
Read MoreAll the Tools You Need
A man was inside his house during terrible rainstorm. The streets began to flood. Terrified, he prayed to God to rescue him. As he was praying, there was a knock at the door. It was his neighbor, offering him a ride to safety. The man was too afraid to move. He decided to wait for…
Read MoreThe Error of Our Ways: Why Do So Many Leaders Try To Cover Up Their Mistakes?
(This post was first published on the blog on January 25, 2016.) One of the classic ways leaders lose credibility and create big problems is by trying to cover up their errors. Whether it is a failure of competence (not a huge deal if it’s rare) or a failure of character (a much bigger deal,…
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