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 …
No matter your position, and no matter how much experience and expertise you now possess, the fact is at some point you were a beginner. At some point you had to be taught. That’s true for all of us! But the more experienced and successful we become, the more difficult it is to remain teachable. …
Last week we discussed the importance of being authentic and avoiding the trap of accidental inauthenticity caused by mimicking others instead of developing and leveraging your own unique strengths. Of course, in order to act and speak authentically, you must first develop a clear picture of who you are and what your strengths are. So …
In striving to achieve greater success or to become a better leader, employee, parent, spouse, etc., we often leverage a number of resources. We might read books and articles, seek trusted advice from mentors, or attempt to imitate highly successful people whom we admire. These are all great strategies, but in our pursuit of greater …
It’s a simple concept, but following through on promises made—big or little—is a challenge for a lot of people, including me! I may be able to point to my white hair and use my age as an excuse for forgotten commitments, but no matter the reason, not following through on something you said you’d do …
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between an excuse and an explanation? The line between the two can be blurred and nearly indistinguishable. Because the real difference comes down to motive: An excuse is a defensive reaction made in an attempt to deny some or all responsibility. An explanation is information intended to …
Every single person on the planet has strengths and weaknesses. It may seem logical that if you want to improve yourself, your leadership, etc., you ought to identify your weaknesses and then commit to focusing on improving in those specific areas. However, I disagree. As I wrote in Be An Inspirational Leader: “The general …
I didn’t coin the phrase, but I’ve repeated it many times: leadership is influence. If you agree with that concept—and that everyone has influence on others and therefore we are all leaders—then you probably realize how very important effective, inspirational leadership is. Leadership touches every facet of your life, and leadership done with excellence changes …
In my last article we looked at some common misconceptions about what it means to be an inspirational leader. This week we’re diving into some truths of inspirational leadership. As I wrote in my book, “leadership is not limited by titles or hierarchy,” and “true inspirational leadership is more a matter of character than achievement.” So What …
What does it mean to be an inspirational leader? In our day and age, there are a lot of different interpretations of the term inspirational, and just as many false assumptions about what it takes to be an inspirational leader. Are inspirational leaders those whose compassion and generosity impact thousands? Are they legendary political giants …
“None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself like an afterthought. Eat the delicious food. Walk in the sunshine. Jump in the ocean. Say the truth that you’re carrying in your heart like hidden treasure. Be silly. Be kind. Be weird. There’s no time for anything else.” – Commonly …
Building off of last week’s article on surrounding yourself with those who are different from you, this week I want to discuss sharpening your focus. I am an avid learner and am constantly developing new skills; I am fully aware of my potential and ability to learn, and the possibilities often seem limitless. But I know …
Over the course of the last few years I have realized just how important it is to vary your team. Often we find ourselves seeking out duplicates of us; however, when we surround ourselves with people just like us, we lose so many opportunities and miss out on learning new things. As speaker and author …
In his book Seven Choices for Success and Significance – How to Live Life from the Inside Out, author Nido R. Qubein focuses on measuring your time in energy, offering many practical solutions for making the most out of the energy you have. Here are 5 of his excellent energy-management tips for the workplace: Regulate …
We often work through the week eagerly anticipating the weekend, but then instead of using the weekend to relax, we carry work home with us. We check emails, spend hours planning, answer calls, and so much more. I recently came across an article titled, “How Successful People Spend Their Weekends,” by Travis Bradberry. The …