Tuesday night, Michael Phelps won his 21st Olympic Gold medal (25 medals total) and prevailed over rival swimmer Chad Le Clos of South Africa. While he made history in the pool, what happened behind the scenes created juicy headlines. Like any good rivalry, the history between Phelps and LeClos includes years of sharp words, insults, and both victories and losses. Right before the Olympic showdown, LeClos did his best to get inside Phelps’ head. In the warm up area, Le Clos stood right in front of Phelps while jumping around and shadow boxing. Phelps, whose mental warm up is centered … Read More
To Counter or Not to Counter
“I need to put in my two-week notice.” That short sentence can evoke so many emotions. When an average or struggling employee utters those words, it may feel like a relief. But when a high performer delivers the same message, as a leader, your brain may go into overdrive. What happened? How did I miss the signs that the employee was unhappy? Did I do something wrong? How long has he/she been interviewing? Why didn’t I know? What will we do without him/her? We can all say “it’s business, not personal” but that doesn’t mean a resignation won’t hurt. Receiving … Read More
Can Effective Leadership Be Learned, or is it Innate?
What makes a great leader? Can effective leadership be learned, or is it innate? Our new white paper, From the Front-line to the C-suite, describes five universal leadership attributes that can be practiced and nurtured as leaders advance in an organization.
The HOW Can Matter More than the WHAT
I grew up in a baseball family. My brother played, my father coached, and my mother was the team scorekeeper. My mom loved being the scorekeeper because it kept her away from the stands where all of the parents were second guessing the coach (her husband) and critiquing his communication style. You see, my dad was loud. His directions and feedback were loud and clear not only on our field, but 2-3 fields away. One player’s mom asked my mom how she tolerated my father yelling at the kids all the time. She laughed and said she ignores most of … Read More
Your Superstar Resigned. Now What?
Every team has a Lebron James, Kevin Durant, or Dwayne Wade. That one team member who not only brings in the most results, but also keeps everyone motivated and serves as the face of the team. We consider these A-players corporate royalty and do what we can to reward them for their high level of achievement. But, even when you’ve given your MVP everything they’ve asked for, sometimes they still leave. Whether it’s Lebron James leaving the Miami Heat after 3 consecutive NBA finals appearances and two championships, or Kevin Durant who could do nothing wrong in the eyes of … Read More
Don’t Be the Smartest Person in the Room
There’s a commercial for Experian that caught my attention recently. It begins with, “Everything you’re pretty good at now, you were once…well….pretty bad at.” I had an immediate emotional reaction to that message. That one sentence can transport you back to those early days in your career when you thought you knew everything, but had experienced virtually nothing. You stumbled. You fell. And then you got back up and learned from those embarrassing mistakes we like to call “learning opportunities.” On one hand, you may feel embarrassed thinking back to those cringe-worthy learning experiences, but on the other hand, look … Read More