Blog
Plaques and platitudes can lead to paralysis
Walk down Mahogany Row in most corporate offices and you’ll be able to read a lot about what the organization stands for. You’ll likely see plaques that outline core values, posters that tout a commitment to the customer. Some examples: Guiding Principles • Mission •...
Carnival of HR: The Emerging Trends Edition
As mid-year approaches, it’s the ideal time to step back and reflect on some of the most profound Human Resources trends, patterns, and challenges... and, more importantly, identify what organizations could/should do to respond to them. Some of the best thinkers in...
Great Work = Great Career Development
While most organizations expect great work, we don’t necessarily take the time to identify what actually contributes to it. In his book, Great Work, David Sturt has done that for us. Drawing on the research of O.C. Tanner and a Forbes Insight Study of over 1,000...
Brand Boring
A prospective client asked to talk with me recently. (To protect her identity, we’ll call her Lara.) Lara’s executives wanted to clarify and begin driving a leadership brand throughout the organization. What unfolded during our conversation was a plan whereby their...
How Well-Populated is Your Pipeline?
Last year, the Aberdeen Group conducted a research study exploring the business impact of building learning capability. Using three key performance criteria to distinguish best-in-class companies, it was found that: 83% of employees in these companies received...
10 Ways Running Can Make You a Better Leader
Leadership is life. As a result, we can find lessons all around us that inform our ability to inspire, motivate, guide and deliver results through others. In the past, I’ve shared the connections I experience between leadership and my favorite avocation, paddle...
The New Game of Management
Today’s managers and supervisors are under tremendous, and often competing, pressures. They’re challenged to balance short-term results with long-term focus. They must keep costs down but drive ever-increasing levels of contribution and value. They must follow...
The Latest Leadership Craze: Caboose Coaching
What could be more helpful to a leader than having nearly 24/7 real-time access to an experienced coach who literally follows him or her around throughout the day? That’s what many organizations are providing in an effort to enhance leadership effectiveness and...
Stop Driving Employees Nuts
This article originally appeared at SmartBlog on Leadership in November 2012. After dedicating a large portion of my professional life to helping leaders develop new skills to improve workplace performance, I’ve come to a startling (and perhaps career-limiting)...