lead

Mar 15 2012

Creating Your Business Vision

Early in my career, I experienced a number of incredibly difficult challenges in a relatively short period of time. I know you’ve been there too.

Although my team was experiencing record-setting achievements, relationships were strained and my influence was dwindling. I couldn’t make sense of it. And I didn’t understand why my colleagues resented my passion for my work, my aggressive goals, and the long hours I put in.

I loved my work and I loved the outcomes. I loved my team and how they were growing. But it never occurred to me that my passion, energy, and achievements would intimidate those around me. After all, I was laser-focused on improving the organization we were all part of.

Their fear morphed into resentment. I began pushing harder, defending the vision and strategy, and reacting to challenges. As you might imagine, none of this improved the situation. In fact, it made matters worse.Read More

Feb 26 2012

4 Benefits of Blogging

I believe that most people want to grow personally and professionally. But you and I both know that it’s easier to read about and talk about growth than it is to actually do it. If it were easy – everyone would be doing it all the time.

Life is far too short to coast – even for a moment. Your life and legacy are immensely important to so many who are ready for you to lead with passion and intentionality.

I want to grow and lead with purpose – which is one of the 3 reasons I started a blog. And I want to inspire you to grow on purpose, to live more effectively, to develop influence, and to lead your tribe. I want you to know that you can grow intentionally and lead today.

So my posts are generally related to one of 4 topics – personal growth, organizational growth, leadership, and coaching. Although I’ve conducted significant academic research and written scholarly articles, I write this blog in a practical and casual style. I’m more comfortable that way – you are too!

Although I began blogging for 3 reasons, I’ve realized that there are several other byproducts of blogging. Here are the four benefits of blogging:

Feb 23 2012

How to deal with a poor leader

I’ve served with some remarkable leaders in several organizations – and I’ve served with some not-so-remarkable leaders. You can read about some of them here. And since I’m passionate about intentional growth, I’m easily frustrated by unproductive poor leadership and the resulting wasted potential within organizations.

To be totally transparent, I’ve made many mistakes in leadership. There were numerous times that my teams endured countless mistakes along my leadership journey. My teams have been more than patient, even gracious, as I have grown to lead more effectively.

So, whether you’ve been a member of one of my teams or you find yourself trapped in this unfortunate situation, here are 4 ways to deal with a poor leader:

Feb 18 2012

4 Things I Learned from Poor Leaders

You’re the one who is always looking for the next opportunity to lead. When someone is needed to step up and take the lead, you volunteer. You get jazzed about growth in challenging circumstances.

Casting impossible vision, developing new initiatives, and implementing innovative strategies feed your passion for achieving the unthinkable. Does that sound like you?

Well, that’s me! And, since I’m passionate about intentional growth, I’m easily frustrated by unproductive leadership and the resulting wasted potential within organizations. If you’re trapped in this unfortunate situation, check out Michael Hyatt’s 5 Ways to Cope with Bad Leaders.

I’ve served with some remarkable leaders in several organizations – and I’ve served with some not-so-remarkable leaders. To be honest, I’ve made many mistakes in leadership. My leaders and my teams have been more than patient, even gracious, as I have grown to lead more effectively.

So, what good can come from serving with a poor leader? Here are four things I’ve learned from poor leaders in my own leadership journey:

Feb 17 2012

My Mess is my Message

Let’s face it – we’ve all ended up in a colossal mess at one time or another. Life is unpredictable and full of difficult circumstances and painful situations.

We don’t create messes on purpose – they just happen, right? OK, maybe there ARE times when painful experiences result from our own poor judgment.

Yep – occasionally the mess is our own fault. And, that’s OK – your mess makes you unique. It allows you to connect on a personal level with others in a way that success does not.

Here are a couple things I’ve learned from chaos…