Insights
The Four Hats
As a leader its dangerous to was assume you need to lead everyone the same way. At first, I thought fairness meant consistency. Treat everyone the same. Give everyone the same amount of my time. Lead every person with the same style. Hold everyone to the same…
The Forgotten Middle
A few months ago, my friend Linda Mahoney asked if I’d be interested in submitting a speaking proposal for the International Builders’ Show. with her. The topic wasn’t sales. It wasn’t strategy. It wasn’t market conditions. It…
The Weeds
There are days when I look up from my computer and think, “How did I spend my entire day and never actually lead?” Instead, I spent the day catching up on emails, approving vacation requests, reviewing compensation changes, submitting expense reports,…
The Mirror Trap
They’re built by hiring people who bring something you don’t. About six years ago, I was sitting in an HR leadership training for a national homebuilder. We spent the day talking about building teams, developing leaders, and making smarter hiring…
Leave it at The Door: Why emotional agility may be one of the most underrated leadership skills.
This past week I had one of those leadership days. In the span of just a few hours, I facilitated a high-energy meeting with our entire team, delivered difficult news, professionally pitched an idea to my boss, interviewed a prospective employee who was excited about…
Before You Decide
I was watching an episode of The Profit a year or so ago. If you’ve never seen it, it’s a show where entrepreneur Marcus Lemonis meets with business owners, evaluates their strategy, and decides whether he wants to invest in helping them grow. Some…
Bring Me Solutions
One of the most valuable leadership lessons I ever learned came from my very first manager, Kathy Tucker, MBA. Kathy was a little intimidating. She had high expectations. She expected excellence. And somehow, she managed to get the best out of every person on the…
The Hard Call
I have a confession. As much as I can be very decisive, direct, and confident, I’m still a recovering people pleaser. Which makes leadership, well, interesting. Because leadership often requires you to deliver news that nobody wants to hear. And despite what…
The Relay Race : How Great Teams Smoothly Pass the Baton
Have you ever noticed how quickly “we” becomes “they” at work? “They didn’t get us what we needed.” “They are holding us up.” “They don’t understand what we’re dealing with.” “They…
Close the Tabs : How to Beat Decision Fatique
We’ve all been there. Sitting in a meeting… a conference… a presentation… or a pitch… quietly thinking: “Please. Just get to the point already.” Somewhere around slide 42, your brain starts planning dinner, organizing your…