Decades have passed since I first became a leader. Over the years, many things have changed. From years before fax machines and pagers, to present-day computers and smart phones, technology is advancing quickly, and our world is being transformed. Technology isn’t the only thing changing; but no matter the changes, they demand flexibility. Countless examples
My friend Dr. Keith Lepak, a board certified emergency room physician, explained how in the medical field the most urgent and stressful events doctors and nurses must respond to are the hospital emergency codes, such as “Code Blue,” which generally indicates respiratory or cardiac arrest. Keith said, “There’s an old saying: ‘during a code check
We are all leaders in some area of our lives, and every leader everywhere deals with conflict. A critical component of responsive and effective leadership is to actively prevent and resolve conflict. One key way you as a leader can prevent conflict should be obvious: do your part to not cause it! First, recognize the significance
Every day we are faced with new challenges, questions, problems, and needs. And attached to nearly every one of those issues are people who are waiting on a response. Each of us—and particularly those in leadership roles—must daily prioritize, delegate, and problem solve,, all while balancing the expectations and desires of the people whom those
Whether it’s due to physical distractions caused by people, technology, or environment, or due to a mind full of priorities and concerns, many people—and leaders in particular—struggle with being fully present and focused on individual conversations and tasks.
It is an extremely simple concept, but also an extremely important strategy for achieving greater success: Treat everyone with respect. This is particularly essential for effective and inspirational leadership. Great leaders strive to be approachable by anyone, regardless of status or title. One key aspect of that is demonstrating respect toward everyone. A great first
While nice in theory, official “open door” policies are often ineffective in practice—for a host of reasons. In an article for Inc. magazine, entrepreneur Logan Chierotti said of the open door policy, “In the eyes of your employees, it’s one of those throwaway buzzwords that management uses all the time, but never means.” While I’m
Your attitude—how you approach every situation—is always a choice. To achieve greater success, choose an attitude of teachability. Our attitudes and expectations have an incredible impact on our actual experiences. If you start out with a sour attitude about something, or go in expecting something to be boring or irrelevant, nine times out of ten
