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Expert Articles to Elevate Your Leadership Journey
Quit while you’re Ahead!? (said no one ever)
My mother informed me this week that she was no longer teaching a class at her church that she has taught for 50 years. 50 years! She was not giving up but moving on to new things. She was excited. Her replacement, the 35-year father of two, was excited and the class was excited. Most of us are not told to quit and leaders aren’t naturally programmed that way. Although the small voice in our brain may say “Quit while you’re ahead” at the Las Vegas blackjack table – most of us ignore it! No success coach is saying “You should probably quit.” Motivational speakers are not chanting the mantra “Quit! Quit!, Quit!” But great leaders know when to step back. Stepping back Knowing when to move on and forward is a trait of successful leaders. Quit does not mean give up and do nothing. It means redirect your energies.
A Crises in Leadership (the lack of depth)
Many people believe character, competence and connection are things on a “to do” list and immediately say “I don’t have time to hear from everyone on the team”, “I don’t have time to read everything that comes across my computer screen” or “dig into every issue”.
Starting your New Year with some Leadership Introspection
Great leaders practice self-awareness and self-reflection! This week pause for 15 minutes and think about these questions (from Michael Watson author of “The First 90 Days”). Write down your answers (goals written often look different than those that are only verbal). Challenges and Opportunities: • In what areas is your business (or team or department) most likely to face stiff challenges in the coming year? What can be done now to prepare for them? • What are the most promising unexploited opportunities? What would need to happen to realize their potential? Barriers and Resources • What are the most formidable barriers to making needed changes in your business or department? Are they technical? Cultural? Political? • Are there areas of excellence or other high-quality resources that you can leverage? • What new capabilities need to be developed or acquired? Culture • Which elements of the culture should be preserved in
Confession and Venting as a Leader
“An honest confession is good for the soul, but bad for the reputation.” – Thomas Dewar “As a leader, be careful who you ‘vent’ to…” Like many of us, early in my career I learned a very important lesson. Recently out of graduate school and 24 years old, my first job was with Andersen Consulting on K Street in Washington, DC (at the time the largest consulting firm in the world). I had been assigned to a long-time client on a one-year project and was temporarily doing reconciliations for a government new chart of accounts. Although my degree was in economics and I had a newly-minted MBA, I was not an accountant and needless to say “reconciliation of accounts” was not my forte or interest. After spending 14 straight days working 10 to 12 hours trying to reconcile charts of accounts, the folders (yes it was all paper-based then) were
Restoring Productivity after Layoffs
How today’s managers and leaders make the best of bad news… Restoring Productivity and Morale after Layoffs Is there a “right” way to downsize? A major company decided to shut down an entire branch without coaching its managers in delivering the news. The CEO requested a meeting of all employees, but did not show up. Instead he sent the branch manager a FedEx box with termination packets and no instructions whatsoever. The manager opened the box and proclaimed “This is my last day with the company and I’m so selfish, I’m taking you all with me.” [1] This story had been told widely in the marketplace as a way not to communicate layoffs. It was quoted in an article in aHarvardBusinessSchool publication with the footnote that the CEO’s reputation and trust were so damaged that it was difficult for his company to recover after the downsizing. Is there a “right”
Getting to the Next Level in Your Career
By Dr. Michael Comer with Bennett Wright There is a reverse funnel as you progress through the ranks of most organizations. As one moves into increasingly senior level positions, the competition for the positions becomes greater. Your existing talents may have landed you a management position, but likely won’t boost you to the VP level. To quote the title of Marshall Goldsmith’s bestseller, “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.”2 In our 40 plus years of coaching and developing leaders, we at the Hayes Group, have noticed some distinct trends that get people promoted to VP levels. We assume by the time you are a senior manager or director you have learned to build and develop your team and have successfully learned how to work with your immediate manager. However, these skills are often not enough to make the jump from the management level. So, here are our five
