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I’ve had the opportunity to work with so many leaders in different kinds of situations, and it’s surprising how many get stuck on the “big picture” terms of Purpose, Mission, Vision, Goals, Values, Principles, Strategies, Priorities, and so on.
You might even be surprised where I end up with today’s message.
In my own language, I tend toward what feels like the natural English definition of the terms:
Read the rest of this entry »We try to make our businesses fairly resilient. Investments will fluctuate, customers will come and go, disasters will happen.
The smaller you are, the more you’ll feel it. That’s just the way it is.
But I don’t see leaders spending as much attention on critical roles that depend too much on a single person. Especially themselves.
Read the rest of this entry »As the boss, you may think that leadership is all about making the plan, communicating the plan, and measuring progress.
That’s kinda true, but it’s not the whole story. Not even the most important part.
The plans create a structure and organization. Great! But rarely do they create the focus and energy for getting results. That comes from where you spend your attention.
Read the rest of this entry »I’d love to participate, but I’m too busy right now.
It seems like busy-ness is the universally acceptable excuse for anything. We’re all busy, busy is good, and it’s the way we’ve defined life.
As a result, I’m finding it fascinating to be in a place of having more time to be intentional. I took a break from marketing my coaching business this year, and as a result I created a bunch of time to focus on my other priorities.
It’s a bit disorienting, honestly.
Read the rest of this entry »That quote is attributed to Peter Drucker, the amazing leader who helped redefine business in Japan and then around the world.
It’s good to remind ourselves that plans and strategies are fine – even necessary. But the real foundation of getting anything done is the culture of the organization.
This brings to mind a year in an organization I worked for about twenty years ago. The company was getting into serious financial trouble, and it was noted that growth in the number of employees was getting out of hand while the economy was headed the wrong direction.
Read the rest of this entry »Even if your workers are working for a paycheck, it’s wise to learn from those who are leading volunteers.
I’ve learned a whole lot from volunteer-driven organizations, and am currently involved with several myself. In that environment, if people aren’t getting their needs met, they can simply walk away. This is one of the natural things about leading these kinds of groups.
When you’re giving someone their pay every week or two, it’s easy to fall into the trap that their loyalty will continue as long as the pay and benefits are good.
Not true.
Read the rest of this entry »As the leader, it’s your job to address mistakes and imperfections.
That can be SO tough, because of course you want to maintain certain standards and push towards a more ideal future.
And, let’s be honest, there can be a bit of ego involved. Especially if this is the organization that you started.
Read the rest of this entry »As the boss, you think your role is to tell everyone else what to do. And it kinda is, in a way.
The trap is to think that it makes you more important than the other people. It doesn’t. Sure, your decisions might be complex and challenging. But you’re probably not the one who is actually, directly, delivering value for the customer.
And if you look at the big picture, ALL work is worthy of respect and honor. Even the planning you do.
Read the rest of this entry »Yeah, I’ll confess: I’m an engineer.
So it’s fascinating to me that I’m much deeper now into the “people side” of business. I love that people are SO much more challenging to work with!
A never ending cascade of depth and complication. But my engineering side does come out, because I tend to see everything as a process which can be designed and improved.
If only people were that simple.
Read the rest of this entry »Sometimes it’s your job to communicate the bad news. It might be one of the toughest things you have to do.
There are plenty of resources which give great advice for doing this in personal circumstances, like when you have to say that a loved one has died. But I’m surprised that there isn’t as much help for doing this in the work context.
Over the years I’ve had to both receive and give bad news on the job, sometimes on the same day. I thought I’d share some principles which have helped me.
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The Values-Based Business 