My nine year old daughter and I spent a lot of time swimming over vacation. One day we went into the deep end of the pool. She said that she wanted to try to touch the bottom with her hand. She is a pretty good swimmer but is still learning about how much breath she …
Are you a people developer? Try this quick test. Take out a piece of paper and divide it into two columns. Label the left column “People I’d go to” and the right column “People who I would definitely avoid”. Now, consider the following scenario: Your boss has just assigned you a critical project. This project …
I just bought a Garmin Nuvi 350 GPS. Actually, it’s a GPS Navigator. This is an important difference. A GPS collects data (from satellites), compiles it, summarizes it, and produces a fact – your current location. It leaves it to you to figure out what to do with that information. A navigator combines those facts …
Alignment is another big business buzzword these days. Departments need to align their goals with the organization’s goals. Individuals need to align their personal goals with departmental goals (and therefore organizational goals). With all of this alignment, I wonder whether organizations are seeing a difference. The answer depends on whether you look at alignment as …
Goals, outcomes, KPIs and initiatives are all important parts of leading an organization. Good leaders use all of hem to set vision, communicate, and track progress. Some leaders use the three interchangeably. The key to their effectiveness is using each one in the right way.Goals/outcomesGoals and outcomes are statements about positive changes to the business …
Asking questions as a leadership tool is becoming a hot topic. The power of using questions is not new. It is the basis of the Socratic method of teaching. It became popularized with Peter Senge’s, The Fifth Discipline, as a cornerstone to building a learning organization. A leader’s value is not simply asking any question; …
While once reserved for scientists and researchers, the term “statistical significance” has become part of the business lexicon. Unfortunately, among casual users of statistics, its meaning seems to be getting confused. Statistical significance doesn’t tell you if a change matters or not. It only tells you if the change is real. I recently reviewed customer …
Read more “It might be significant but that doesn’t mean it matters”
District 303 in St. Charles Illinois needs to hire a communication specialist. This is according to results of a communication audit reported in the May 29 Daily Herald Newspaper.I’m not surprised. Communication issues seem to come up in nearly every organization or leadership assessment I perform. I can’t think of an organization where I’ve worked …
Read more “Communication isn’t the issue. . .understanding people’s needs is”
Leadership isn’t always about having all of the answers. Sometimes it’s about knowing the right questions. The following questions will help you work with your people to manage and improve their careers, and ultimately, their contribution to your organization. What is your career goal? What does “success” mean to you? (e.g., money, recognition, balance, position/title) …
In an earlier post, “Who is advocating for the right thing.” I argued the importance of stopping and thinking. One example I used was the Iraq War: “There seems to be general agreement that more planning prior to the Iraq war might have provided better results. How different do you think those discussions looked compared …
Read more “Drop and give me twenty (reasons why this might not work)”