Team Building and Leadership Expertise is a challenge to define and understand. Everyone seems to be a thought leader, and all the noise and ideas are equal and valuable. I am guilty of pushing lots of noise into the organization, team, and leadership development field. While I try to ensure that what I share is … Continued
Working on and with teams is something you do every day, from ordering supplies, scheduling meetings to sharing updates and progress. Understanding work teams and how they differ is integral to your job. There are some foundational truths about teams: Teams work better when the team members know they have a voice and can express … Continued
When partnering for progress with an organization, I try to follow some processes so I can understand where they are, where I am, and what next step is useful: Organization Development Frame frame the boundaries understand the environment determine what is working determine what is not working respect each person as an expert in their … Continued
One problem with team-building assessments is that most data gathering and evaluation questions are passive. It seems as if team building happens to people, as opposed to people being active players in their work lives. Working with a Managing Partner in a law firm, he shared his frustration like this, “We work hard to make … Continued
The pablum of executive coaching literature consistently points to setting goals. The goals of the coach and executive must be measurable, specific, and quantitative. Cherry-picking something Peter Drucker Never Said! “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” It is interesting to read Drucker’s thoughts on this, “Your first role . . . is … Continued
Meeting with a client, I shared that we will take an uncommon strategic planning approach. They seemed relaxed and concerned at the same time. The uncommon strategic planning idea is to build the system to identify weak signals for progress and regress that re-focuses the strategy. You cannot plan for strategy. You can plan how you … Continued
“Don’t ever criticize a manager for not being a leader if no one has ever told them their role. Rather criticize the inept organization that appointed them.” – John Adair Does leadership development need boundaries, or does it just happen organically within the organization? This question made me flounder for a bit due to my … Continued
image When we sell ourselves as business or executive consultants, remember that our advice will impact people’s lives and livelihoods. A knowable deception is acceptable when selling me a more expensive shirt, shampoo, or a consumer product that only affects my life. I know that drinking a particular kind of beer or spirit will not … Continued
Goal Setting and achieving goals is impossible in an environment where the goal changes, moves as you make progress, you have little to no control over other people, who are required, to achieve the goal external forces (government regulations, laws) that change their focus are an intricate partner in controlling the goals or in completing … Continued
Supporting an organization through an interesting experiment. The company has a ~28% turnover rate, which is not too bad, and they want to reduce that to about 20% in 2-years. We decided to hold a series of ‘Stay Interviews’ to create a continuum of stories about employee satisfaction and dissatisfaction with people who have remained … Continued