In today’s complex and dotted-line organizational culture, your job frequently requires buy-in from people outside your direct authority. Influencing people who report to someone else can prove daunting—and an even greater challenge if you confuse the principles of leadership and authority. (They’re … [Read more...] about Leading Beyond Your Authority
Search Results for: thinking
Defeating Skepticism
Can we really defeat skepticism? Should we? Skepticism in leadership takes on several forms; some are advantageous, and some are detrimental. In its truest sense, skepticism is a logical and rational challenge of ideas to get to the reality or truth about a specific issue. Leaders with such a … [Read more...] about Defeating Skepticism
Leadership Challenges: Fear of Failure
Of all the challenges leaders face, none is more pervasive yet hidden than fear of failure. “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” – Robert F. Kennedy Leadership is a tough job that requires courage. Doubts, insecurities and fears make organizational challenges more … [Read more...] about Leadership Challenges: Fear of Failure
The Inner Game of Leadership
The most challenging part of growing brilliant leaders who will thrive in 21st century business is coaching for the inner game of leadership. Effective leaders master the C-suite competencies: setting strategic direction; communicating an inspiring mission; understanding financial data; planning … [Read more...] about The Inner Game of Leadership
Self-Managing Organizations: The Next Wave?
Some forward-looking companies are now using self-managing principles to organize work with stellar results for both people and profits. Up to this point in history, we’ve organized work based on four very different worldviews: impulsive, conformist, achievement and pluralistic. This … [Read more...] about Self-Managing Organizations: The Next Wave?
Creative Insights Boost Performance
Leaders may inadvertently suppress their people’s creative insights. While bragging about their innovative, out-of-the-box thinking, these bosses may fail to notice that company systems discourage creativity. This ingrained, often invisible problem has an adverse side effect: It can diminish … [Read more...] about Creative Insights Boost Performance
The Creative Power of Questions
Asking creative questions can change everything. A big, beautiful question can generate ideas, inspire action, influence engagement and participation, as well as solve problems and spark creative genius. Provocative questions can answer most conundrums of life and work. Einstein allegedly said … [Read more...] about The Creative Power of Questions
Future of Work: 5 Skills for the Robotic Age
The challenges of 21st-century work—rapid innovation, unrelenting change and unprecedented uncertainty—have created a stress pandemic. The future of work – your work – may involve robots, even as a manager or leader. Depending on your disposition, you may view the future as ripe for a spectacular … [Read more...] about Future of Work: 5 Skills for the Robotic Age
The Under-Management Epidemic
Are you part of the under management epidemic, or are you a truly engaged manager? A recent survey reports 9 out of 10 managers are providing insufficient oversight—a problem that consultant Bruce Tulgan calls the “under-management epidemic.” Ten years ago, research from Rainmaker Thinking, Inc., … [Read more...] about The Under-Management Epidemic
Leading with Trust: Principles and Practice
Despite the importance of building relationship trust, few leaders give it the focus it deserves. Misunderstood as a nebulous “feeling,” trust is earned through consistent, positive behaviors practiced over time, making it an indispensable leadership skill. Roughly half of all managers don’t … [Read more...] about Leading with Trust: Principles and Practice