The debate whether leaders are born or made has been waged for many years. The question centers around how various leadership qualities are acquired. Perhaps a more pressing question for hopeful leaders is, if they don’t inherently have the needed core skills, can they be learned? The answers, … [Read more...] about Are You A Born Leader?
leadership development
The Traps of Consensus-Style Leadership
Most employees favor consensus-run organizations, where a leader uses inclusion and feedback to manage democratically. A consensus-style leader is a refreshing alternative to the tyrant who issues stern orders. But democracy, taken to an extreme, creates numerous frustrations for direct … [Read more...] about The Traps of Consensus-Style Leadership
Raising Your Trust Quotient
Are you raising your trust quotient? A consistent outcome from many large employee surveys tells us that business leaders are among the least trusted professions in today’s culture. Overall, trust in leadership is the main employee concern in the workplace. Trust has long been considered a … [Read more...] about Raising Your Trust Quotient
The Power of Perseverance
The rigors of today’s competitive business climate push even the most seasoned leaders to their limits. No organization is immune to setbacks. Many top business leaders agree that life is a constant string of adversities—the new normal. Some, however, are ill-suited for it and pay a dear … [Read more...] about The Power of Perseverance
Leading By Your Values
As a leader, the only effective way you can direct your life and the lives of others is to truly know what you stand for. Your personal principles, or values, direct your thoughts, priorities, preferences, and actions. The aspects of life that you value shape your character, which determine how you … [Read more...] about Leading By Your Values
Compulsive Leaders Pose Unique Challenges
Most corporate cultures place a high value on accomplishment and productivity, which explains why so many compulsive, driven leaders rise to executive positions. The business landscape is filled with leaders who, while bent on achieving success, present difficulties for the people who work for … [Read more...] about Compulsive Leaders Pose Unique Challenges
Are You a Manager, or a Leader?
Are you a manager, or a leader? Is there a distinction, or are the terms one and the same? Why does it matter? Employees’ impressions of their administrators can spark or sink both parties’ careers. It’s therefore important to recognize the conspicuous and more nuanced differences and similarities … [Read more...] about Are You a Manager, or a Leader?
Leading Beyond Your Authority
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
Overcoming Adversity:
3 Steps Great Leaders Take
As a leader, how effective are you in overcoming adversity?
How a leader responds to adversity reveals how effective that leader is. Reactions to setbacks or crises not only test leadership character, they define it.
Some difficulties are devastating, and unfortunately, they are compounded by … [Read more...] about Overcoming Adversity:
3 Steps Great Leaders Take
The Paradox of Leadership Give and Take
When it comes to leadership give and take, are you a "taker," or a "giver?" Western leaders have been conditioned for generations to believe that the way to advance is to claim as much as possible, to take more than you give. Many leaders make personal gain the objective of business life, and … [Read more...] about The Paradox of Leadership Give and Take