Categories
Leadership Today's Challenge

Today's Challenge: What Do Leaders Do?

How many times are you tempted to answer a question with a question? This is actually a good leadership practice. The more we help others think, the better for everyone involved. I want to answer today’s question, “How many people can I lead?” with a question, “What do you think leaders do?” Your answer to my question may help you answer yours.

Categories
Leadership Organizational Effectiveness

Did Zappos Miss the Mark?

Earlier this year, Zappos CEO, Tony Hsieh told his employees they could either embrace self-management or leave with three months pay. At last count, according Jena McGregor of the Washington Post, 14% of Tony’s team left the building and they are not coming back.

Categories
Change Management Organizational Effectiveness

The 5 Levers of Change (Part 3) Resources

This post may seem like a blinding flash of the obvious – if you want to drive change, you must resource change. There isn’t a leader in the world who would disagree with this statement. However, many leaders fail to act on this fundamental principle. To desire change without resources is a fragile hope.

Categories
Leadership Organizational Effectiveness Strategic Planning

Big Questions Leaders Ask (Part 3)

This is the final installment in this short series on big questions leaders ask. The truth is I could write a hundred posts on questions leaders ask. But, rather than write about the many, I’ve chosen to focus on the big three – Where are we going? Where are we today? And, today’s question: How will we get there?

Categories
Leadership Teams

The Critical Role of Team Leader

In my book, The Secret of Teams, I advocate for a higher form of team – a high performance team. In this approach to leading an organization, the role of the leader is transformed. She or he is still actively involved in the business but is engaged differently. What should a leader do in a high performance team environment? Here’s a look at some of the things you’ll want to consider.