Undoubtedly, entrepreneurs are traditionally seen as singular in their role---the founder, the lone-ranger, the decider of all, the solitary leader. That’s a tough place to inhabit and it sounds very lonely! As they say, “It’s tough at the top!” However, in this day and age, there is no excuse to exist in isolation, even if you’re running a one-person entity or small … [Read more...]
Handling Conflict on Your Team
It is inevitable that discord among team members will arise from time to time, and stepping in to tackle and resolve conflict ranks pretty low on most managers’ list of enjoyable activities. But unhandled friction erodes morale and productivity, and can turn even top performers into stressed out B-team players. When disharmony is affecting your group, you may be tempted to … [Read more...]
Leadership Redemption
So, you screwed up. Royally. You might have let down a team member, missed a major deadline, dropped an important meeting, or lost a critical sale. You feel helpless, hopeless and confused. You just don’t know what to do, though your mind is giving you a lot of conflicting guidance. The panicked side of you wants to overreact. It’s telling you to express your emotions and … [Read more...]
Establishing a Leadership Brand Within Your Organization
The term, leadership brand, was first used by David Ulrich and Norm Smallwood in 2007. Not only were these university professors describing---in their book with the same name---a way to assess the competencies that individual leaders must possess, but also to address the importance of leadership within the organization. In other words a company needs both individual leaders to … [Read more...]
Is Your Leadership Style Riddled with Blind Spots?
As a business leader, do you know if your leadership style has blind spots? At work, to accomplish what needs to get done in a timely manner and to hit established deadlines, employees and leaders create policies and procedures that can be consistently followed. The ways we do things become habits, and we become comfortable following the day-to-day routines, thinking that such … [Read more...]
The Woman-side of Leadership
In business, women often bring a different set of leadership traits to the table than their male counterparts. These are considered more feminine traits such as collaboration, empathy, patience, and humility. Not all women leaders possess these traits and some women actually possess more masculine traits such as aggressiveness and competitiveness. But in a current work … [Read more...]
Why Compassionate Objectivity is Important
Have you noticed leaders who have mastered the art of compassionate objectivity? Do they stand out in your mind? What is it about their style of leadership that proves so very effective? When dealing with people, employees or customers, they seem to have the ability to understand things from another person’s perspective while they also have the ability to stay detached … [Read more...]
How to Be a Great Mentor – 7 Key Steps that Work
Being a valuable and dedicated mentor isn’t only about sharing your knowledge and experience with the next generation of professionals in your industry. It’s also about recognizing more about yourself. It’s about performing a duty that can’t be priced. It’s about being part of a rich, fulfilling, and mutually beneficial relationship. It’s about being prolific. 1. Arrange … [Read more...]
The Strength of Approachability in Business
In the business environment today, women often fight for leadership opportunities. It’s been a man’s world, and according to recent statistics, it still is. So, for many women, climbing the corporate ladder and claiming an office in the C-Suite requires tenacity, fortitude, and thick skin. Women find that showing strength through resilience and the ability to make tough … [Read more...]
Diversity: The Key Ingredient to Building a High Performance Team
Sponsored by Visa Business: A high performance team is defined as one that operates with a common purpose, common goals, mutual respect, trust, and commitment. A high performance team goes beyond participation to collaboration where team members work together interactively to achieve common goals by capitalizing on each member’s unique skills, knowledge, and abilities to … [Read more...]