I hear companies talk a lot about innovation. They often think those who innovate are mysterious or are magically gifted with a creative spark that simply doesn’t exist for the rest of humanity. In my experience, being an innovator comes down to 2 primary keys, and neither of them is magic....
We often think of success in life as this grand, complicated plan that needs to be created. That isn’t the case, though. The truth about success is that it comes down to some very simple things.
The first thing is direction. I see so many people that are going through life trying this thing...
Performance reviews have undergone significant evolution in American companies over the past few decades. Initially, performance evaluations were focused primarily on individual job performance, with little emphasis on employee development or goal setting. Even within that evaluative focus, the...
Over the past couple of decades, I have encouraged leaders to share the stories behind their entrepreneurial journeys. Some have been reluctant, stating it made them sound self-absorbed. Others have been excited, hoping to inspire stronger engagement from their people. Those who have embraced the...
I have always been fascinated with how we evolve and become the versions of ourselves that we present to the world. One of the great thinkers I have studied for this is Erik Erikson. Erikson was a psychoanalyst and developmental psychologist who is best known for his theory of the eight stages of...
I remember that Monday very clearly. I was sitting in a room filled with Gen Xers who had all started working for the same organization. An older gentleman, likely at the start of the Baby Boomer generation, stood in front of us and said, “You people scare me. You scare me because you are...
Employee engagement refers to the extent to which employees feel invested in their work and committed to their organization. Research has shown that engaged employees are more likely to be productive, stay with the company longer, and have positive attitudes toward their work. Some factors that...
A mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company, organization, or individual. It provides a clear, concise, and inspiring direction for an entity and serves as a guide for decision-making and action. A well-crafted mission statement can be a powerful tool for aligning and inspiring...
Being a great leader requires a combination of skills, experience, and personal qualities. While some people are naturally more inclined to leadership, anyone can learn how to become a great leader with the right attitude and approach. Here are some tips on how to develop your leadership skills:
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We have to start with the premise that the main role of a leader is to create more leaders, not to gather followers. I have wondered what a difference this would make with organizations if they shifted their mindset away from trying to “make” people do what they are supposed to. The...
I sat down with a new business owner a few years back to help him overcome some struggles and succeed. I had never worked with this guy before but had helped hundreds of other business owners, so I imagined we could make something happen. We will call him, John (not his actual name).
“Hey...
3 Key changes are coming in 2023 for leaders. I was working with several of my clients in this last quarter and really digging in to analyze what is and isn’t working for them. One particular client, we’ll call them Awesome Company A, or ACA for short, had tremendous success pre-Covid...
