Leaders vs. commanders which do you prefer working with? You hate having someone stand over your shoulder because you find it smothering, even claustrophobic. You want to scream, "Let me do my job and quit micro-managing me!" But… it's your boss, the manager. "Don't they know they get in my way and slow me down?" You're [...]

Unplanned meetings are a waste of time. I've discussed interruptions, procrastination, and prioritization in previous time management posts. Today, I'll talk about poorly planned meeting plans. The proverb, "He who fails to plan, plans to fail," warns us of the significance of planning to our success. Poor, little, or no planning is also a huge [...]

So, you're the new boss. Last week, you were on the team, and now you’re in charge. So, what’s next? If you’re like many promoted managers, you performed well in your previous position, but you’re not prepared to be the manager. When You’re The New Boss   Years ago, I was promoted from sales to [...]

Are you sure you want to be the boss? While considering topics for a leadership blog post, I crowd-sourced a question, "What leadership blog topics would interest you?" The first comment I received was, "Not everyone is happy as a manager." This is true, but why? So, I proposed a second question: "Have you ever [...]

So, do you know why your executive staff needs a coach? If you’re reading this, you might not be part of the executive staff team. However, you realize that the C-staff could use help. The reason I say this is that many, if not most, executive staffers don’t know they need coaching. Some believe they [...]

Is the sandwich method an effective conflict management tool? I recently presented on conflict resolution with a wonderfully engaged group at Leadership Hendricks County. The group offered insights, ideas, and questions about conflict resolution that got me thinking, should I revisit the sandwich method? If you're unfamiliar with the sandwich method, it's the analogy of [...]

So, if your business isn't improving this could be why. It's not long before the start of the big dance. The men's NCAA basketball tourney; the Road to Final Four. The NCAA is headquartered here in Indy, and I've been privileged to attend presentations and meet members of their marketing team. They sought input. They [...]

So, talk is good but is anything getting done? How many meetings, training seminars, and planning sessions have you sat through, inundated with great ideas, only to later realize — little was done? Ideation is important, but what good are ideas without action? A few years ago one of the management teams I facilitated leadership [...]

Why you should use checklists has more than one answer.  Several departments used the restrooms in a production area of a company I worked with, and cleaning the bathrooms was delegated between them. However, the cleaning schedule needed to be more consistent and complete. The answer? A checklist. So, in a leadership development session, the [...]