It may seem as though the summer has just begun, but in a few short weeks, the summer section at Target will be replaced with crayons, backpacks, and #2 pencils as kids prepare to head back to school. My own daughter will be heading to Kindergarten this fall, which means we’re pouring over Kindergarten Readiness checklists and school supply shopping lists to make sure she’s ready for her first day. As I looked over the remaining skills she needs to acquire before school starts, I started envisioning what a Leadership Readiness list would look like. Much like school supply shopping … Read More
Are You Finding Time to Lead?
Last week I attended a local networking group for leaders from various industries. At each meeting, they invite a speaker to kick off the meeting by sharing their thoughts on a specific aspect of leadership. There was nothing particularly earth-shattering or edgy about the presentation. It was mostly about how leaders must spend time cultivating relationships, developing trust, and maintaining a healthy workplace culture to drive higher performance and engagement from team members. It was all pretty basic and universally accepted, but the speaker did have some unique ideas about specific things a leader can do to create connections, so … Read More
Time to Ditch the Employee Engagement Survey?
As we near the mid-way point for the year, many organizations are conducting employee engagement surveys to address satisfaction, productivity, and retention issues. Ironically, the employee engagement survey experience is typically less than engaging. Employees receive an email from Human Resources asking them to answer 10-15 minutes worth of questions that inquire about everything from workload to leadership’s vision. And in the end, most employees feel like the survey was a waste of time. It’s not that the employees lack opinions, they just lack trust that their responses will drive change.
Critical Feedback for the Frontline
Frontline leaders are crucial to an organization’s success. Frontline leaders are the closest leadership level to the customers and are responsible for day-to-day operations. In addition, they must ensure their team is engaged and exhibit positive, impactful workplace behaviors that realize the organization’s vision. They are vitally important to successfully meeting business objectives. Yet, this is also one of the most undertrained positions on the leadership team. Approximately 60% of frontline leaders say they’ve never received training for their role. This is staggering given the weight of responsibility being placed on them.
Introverts Can Be Great Leaders
“Can I pick your brain for a second? What would stop me from using the Myers-Briggs assessment to choose my leaders?” The question sent chills down my spine. I’ve been asked that same question hundreds of times in my career, and it always has the same effect on me. As I talked through the differences between personality type and personality traits, I thought of all the introverted leaders in the workplace today. I thought of Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page, and Elon Musk. And then I thought of introverted leaders outside the tech industry. Stephen Spielberg, JK Rowling, and … Read More
What Leaders and Draft Picks Have in Common
If you watched the NFL Draft last week, you may have noticed an interesting statistic. Of the 32 players selected in the first round, 29 of them were multi-sport athletes. In fact, eight of the top 10 selections played more than 1 sport. The statistic alone is attention-grabbing. But what does it mean and can we find any talent management lessons from this phenomenon? Certainly it’s possible these individuals are so athletic and internally driven by competition that they would be elite whether they were handed a football, golf club or curling stone. Much like High Potentials in the workplace, … Read More