Fight, flight, or freeze. Those responses to fear are hardwired into your amygdala. Freeze is the most common for leaders, and it can be a silent killer for your business. A simple framework to understand the fear and overcome it will help you seize opportunities in the 2021-renewal while others are standing still. You’ve seen […]
Accountability is challenging, as you know. You want to hold people accountable for meeting performance and behavioral standards but don’t want to come across as a jerk. Here are five action steps to help you do that. 1. Clarify your expectations. I found that the fault was usually mine whenever one of my subordinates did not […]
Managing your time was the #1 response to our top challenges survey. It was #1 for solopreneurs and microbusiness leaders and #3 for small businesses of 11-50 people. These results are not surprising. You probably don’t have a full-time employee to manage your calendar. You have to run AND grow your business at the same […]
Outrage is bad for your emotional well-being. It’s like snacking on anger all day long. It’s bad for your business, too, because it sucks your time and depletes your energy. Sadly, playing on outrage [if it’s outrageous, it’s contagious] is a television and social media business model. You are the victim. I’m a firm believer in […]
That debate was … troubling. Trump v Biden is a match-up between a Pioneer and Reconciler. We saw both archetypes on display Tuesday night. Many of you have asked me about the U.S. presidential election using our PROM leader archetypes: Pioneer, Reconciler, Operator, and Maverick. (Get your PROM servant leader archetype here) My business articles are never partisan, […]
As you know, a simple, effective decision-making process enables you to solve problems, avoid expensive mistakes, and seize opportunities that grow your business. Here are the four most critical steps in the process. Think FD3: Frame, Define, Develop, Determine. 1. Frame your decision statement with an action verb, object, and so that. Clarity on what you are deciding and […]
“I want my subordinates to make decisions,” Jim told me, “but they keep asking for permission.” Why is that so bad, I asked him, you know they won’t make a wrong decision. “The problem is that the decisions keep piling up on my plate. It’s like the salad bar at Olive Garden. Before you know […]
The United States Army says that leadership is “the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation to accomplish the mission and improving the organization.” A cringe-worthy business leadership definition is “the capacity of a company’s management to set and achieve challenging goals, take fast and decisive action when needed, outperform the competition, and inspire others to perform […]
Historian and WWII veteran Paul Fussell has the best definition I’ve seen: “Chickenshit refers to behavior that makes military life worse than it need be: petty harassment of the weak by the strong; open scrimmage for power and authority and prestige; sadism thinly disguised as necessary discipline; a constant ‘paying off of old scores’; and insistence on […]
Do you want a healthy, winning culture where people do what’s right even when no one is watching? Focus on morale. A lot of companies focus instead on mood – keeping people happy, all the time, at work. You see this with games, parties, happiness stickers, motivational posters, and the like. Like everyone, I enjoy […]
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