“What do you want for dinner?” “I don’t know. What do you want?” “I don’t know. Whatever you want.” In households across America, this is a daily conversation. Most days, what I want more than dinner itself is just to not have to make a decision about what to have for dinner. By the end of the day, we’ve been presented with thousands of decision points that literally push us to the point of exhaustion. Research shows that as the day progresses we make worse and worse decisions, or we hit a wall and venture into complete decision avoidance. In … Read More
Managing the Crazy Ones
Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who … Read More
Making Friends and Influencing Others: Leading without Authority
New leaders are often surprised and frustrated when they learn that holding a leadership title does not necessarily mean they have any authority. This is an especially painful realization for experienced leaders accustomed to a traditional hierarchical organization that transforms into a matrix organization. To these leaders, it feels as if they’ve been dropped in a foreign country where the language they’ve used their whole lives is suddenly unrecognizable to others. Traditional command-and-control style tactics don’t work when you have more peers than subordinates. In a matrix organization, where there is much less formal authority, leaders must excel at unique … Read More
Beware of Leadership GPS
Last week, a woman in Ontario made national news after she trusted her GPS so mindlessly that she followed the directions right into a lake. The image of her red sedan submerged in a murky lake dominated headlines and prompted readers to ridicule the young driver for her inability to think for herself and her over-reliance on technology. Stories as wild as this actually happen all the time. Just last year, drivers made headlines by following GPS instructions into ponds, down staircases, onto railroad tracks, into the ocean, and nearly off a cliff. It’s easy to blame the technology in … Read More
Say it With a Smile
In an ideal world, goals would be easily attainable, merit increases would be automatic, resources would be plentiful and layoffs would be non-existent. Leadership would be easy in an ideal world. Everyone would understand the vision, take ownership, feel engaged, and be intrinsically motivated to ensure the company’s success. But our world is less than ideal, and leadership isn’t easy. Some days when you want to reward your staff for their hard work, you actually have to announce another round of layoffs. And some days when your team asks you to share the company’s strategy, you aren’t even clear on … Read More
It’s Not Enough to Think Like an Owner
“That’s not my job.” Is there any phrase more destructive in the workplace? If that phrase is the worst, then “That decision is above my pay grade” has to come in second place. Both phrases are heard frequently, and both do nothing more than alienate teammates, punish customers, and disrespect the company as a whole. CEOs want their leaders to think like an owner because it creates a unique mindset. Whether it’s a small business or a Fortune 100, when you think like an owner, you take ownership of your job, your attitude, your employees, and your customer. When you’re … Read More