Leadership Love from LinkedIn
I ā¯¤ļø¸ to write, and these days, I mostly write on LinkedIn. I've included copies of my daily posts here for your convenience. Please enjoy these inspirations from all around the world of leadership and everything else that enters my brain.
Sometimes we promote an employee for all the wrong reasons.
Other times, we get it just right.
To pull apart the difference, I consulted a pair of talent optimization experts.
Shawna Reed, Principal Partner at EmFluent, cites a common promotion pitfall.
“Tenure alone should never be a...
One of the biggest mistakes a newly promoted leader can make is to act as if nothing has changed.
“Congrats again on the promotion, Bob. How’s the presentation for your first executive offsite coming along? Can I answer any questions?”
“Yeah, about that. You see,...
My teacher had a firm grip on my ear as she led me down the hall to the principal’s office.
Dead first-grader walking.
My crime was fueled by my not knowing what a certain word meant.
I had interrupted our classroom lunch break when I stood and proclaimed:
“I’m the king,...
Your leadership journey won’t always be smooth sailing.
One of your followers will let you down.
One of your peers will question your motives.
After a period of progress, you’ll have a setback.
Don’t let these frustrations discourage you from your call to lead.
Ask yourself:
...When I looked at the calendar yesterday, I had to do a double take.
How is it nearly March already?
I reflected on my team’s progress against our quarterly targets and my own New Year’s resolutions.
I evaluated whether each outcome was behind, at, or above my original expectations.
...There’s a great irony in authentic people leadership:
You have to learn to become comfortable working with others who are experiencing pain.
Worse yet, you may be the cause of that pain.
Not through any malicious intent or carelessness on your part (ideally) but rather because you’re...
No pain, no change.
In his book “Ruthless Consistency”, Michael Canic recommends that leaders clearly articulate the “strategic why” behind any organizational change effort.
He refers to this as the “Case for Change”, placing equal emphasis on:
1. Achieving a...
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”
—Arthur Ashe
I really love this quote from the former pro tennis champ.
Each day presents us with an opportunity to begin.
We can be resourceful, and we can take committed action toward our objectives.
I had the chance...
In my experience, the riskiest distractions come from the most well-intentioned sources.
“It would help our customers if we…”
“We could reduce how much time that takes if we…”
“Conversions would increase if we…”
These suggestions may be...
Leaders face a similar dilemma to software developers: it’s easy to produce busywork but it’s hard to produce meaningful results that drive efficiently toward a broader vision.
This is why software methodologists developed the “Definition of Done”—a shared...
The founding fathers of Microsoft and Apple were stylistic opposites but they had a shared view on this critical success factor:
“Only through focus can you do world-class things, no matter how capable you are.” —Bill Gates
“Focus does not mean saying yes, it means...
Thwack! After two days of practice, the sound of my arrow striking the bullseye was crisp and rewarding.
Step aside Katniss—there’s a new kid in town.
I turned toward my kids who would undoubtedly wish to bask in the glow of their beloved father’s achievement.
But they had...
