When I started working many years ago, I showed initiative, solved problems and got things done. I was rewarded for it, so I continued to work a lot of hours and do those same things throughout my career. When I started to lead a team, I should have realized that my job had changed and I needed to do things differently. This happens to a lot of new leaders, but even to…
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For the rest of the week, I am going to dive a little deeper into the leadership traits that were covered in the post that I did yesterday. If you missed it, you can read it here. Initially, there were two leadership traits that were very challenging for me to learn. This could be because they seemed to be in direct conflict with leading to me. What I didn’t realize then was that instead of “leading others”, I was actually…
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Today’s article was written by Mona Reiser, a guest contributor and one of my former managers. (You can see more about her at the end of the article.) She is one of the smartest leaders that I know and I am so honored that she is sharing one of her stories on my blog. I was a part of the organization that is discussed in her article. I took many lessons from such a great management team and applied them…
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Have you been in a situation at work that you are unsure of what to do? I am sure that this has happened to you in your career at some point along the way. It is a vulnerable place to be as a leader feeling like you should have all the answers. Although you are in the leadership role for what you know and what you can get done, it is just not possible for you to know everything. I…
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I posted a big milestone last night that I had reached with my blog. I haven’t always been really good at celebrating my own wins. I downplayed them in the past as just being part of my job. I have learned that it is a good thing to take a moment and celebrate the wins…no matter how big they are. It helps to provide the perspective of what you have accomplished along the journey of your career. However, when it…
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As a leader, spending time thinking is one of the most important things you can do. You are responsible for where the organization is going, how the team is working together to get their goals accomplished and developing them to their full potential. That doesn’t even count all of the other administrative things that must get done and the constant alignment up and down the organization that is required. If you look at that list it is easy to get…
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I volunteered at our local food bank this past weekend. A friend of mine and I coordinate the event for kids at our school and church to get service hours. It always puts things into perspective when I hear about how many people don’t know where their next meal is coming from in our county. What I like about the program is that it teaches kids and adults how the food bank works, where they get their food, how volunteers…
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It is the final game of the World Series tonight. The Chicago Cubs led for most of game 7 and then the Cleveland Indians tie it up 6-6 in the 8th inning, which forced them to go into extra innings. This could have caused the Cubs to wonder if they had it in them to come back from this adversity. Their usual closing pitcher is worn out due to all the pitches he has thrown over the last three days. Then…
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When I first started out as a leader, I was much more directive than I should have been. I didn’t know another way to lead a team yet. Now many teams and many years later, I have learned that there is a much better way to lead. This style of leadership sets the vision for the organization, empowers the team and helps the team learn the skills they need to be successful. Being a leader who leverages coaching skills helps…
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I recently sent out a survey to do some research on challenges that leaders have so I could build some coaching programs. Some of the responses included some questions about coaching and how it works. I thought it might be helpful to answer those questions here in this post. What is coaching? The International Coaching Federation who is the governing body of certification for coaches defines coaching as “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them…
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