A train wreck it is. Like many veterans and Americans, I watch the unraveling of Afghanistan with horror, disappointment, anger, and several other emotions from a man and his family who poured their heart and soul into a country, a mission, and the soldiers and families with whom we served. I’ve turned to the pen to help me process this and to do what I believe to be my civic duty; share insight from our failures so that we may never repeat them. There is more for me to do, I’m certain, but I’ll start here.
Read MoreWatched any press conferences lately? I can barely tolerate them. Between failure to admit fault, passing the buck, and trying to spin a positive narrative, we are seeing what wrong looks like. here I am, drifting dangerously close to politics and you can probably sense my anger. Let's return to leadership shall we? We can leverage some leadership lessons from what we are seeing.
Read MoreMany of us have experienced poor leadership in our days but what is truly toxic? As a man who likes to define things I found this in Wikipedia. "The leadership style of toxic leaders is both personally self-destructive and ultimately corporately harmful - as they subvert and destroy organizational structures."
A bad boss may just be weak in certain areas like communicating, delegating, or having the courage to stand up for what is right or for one of their people. They may lack experience as many leaders do. They may also be working under very demanding leadership which influences how they lead. The difference between a toxic leader and a bad boss boils down to intent. What is driving a leader to behave the way they are? Is there malice or forethought behind bad behavior? Is there a trend of bad behavior? Is it destructive or just a nuisance? It is important to know.
Read MoreThis is a question many leaders struggle with. My answer is, "more than you think." On the surface it may look like people are at their maximum capacity but you’ll find unused energy when you dig deeper. In a previous blog titled, “you are busy, your people are not.” I highlight a leader’s inability to distribute the workload. It centers around failure to delegate. Leaders fail to delegate for a few reasons.
Read MoreFinishing off a string of blogs this week which relate to the current catastrophe in Afghanistan, this one addresses strategy, something we were missing. Most every organization exists for some long-term goal. Even in an infinite game, described very well by Simon Sinek, an organization is trying to get somewhere. Without a guiding beacon like a vision it will be a rudderless ship at sea. A vision is a visual depiction of an organization in a future state achieving its purpose to the best of its ability. It is supported by strategy.
Read MoreRecall my last blog, "Start with starting with the ending in mind." It applies to this subject. What would there be to gain by talking negatively about a previous leader or leadership team? What positive outcome might come from that? What would a new leader hope to accomplish by placing blame on previous leadership for a problem which occurred under his or her watch? The answer is nothing. It is completely unnecessary and inappropriate for several reasons. Look no further than political leadership if you want concrete examples of this. I'll leave it at that.
Read More"Tell me how this ends." This famous line was uttered by then Major General (2-Star) David Petraeus as an Army division commander in Iraq in 2003. A student of military history, specifically Vietnam, he knew all too well that wars are relatively easy to start but near impossible to end. The question remained unanswered for years. As we bear witness to the unraveling in Afghanistan I thought it appropriate to blog about this important operational and leadership approach. I've spent the previous week thinking and writing about this war and our failures and I'll share my thoughts on another medium.
Read MoreMy wife and I were out to dinner one evening with some good friends enjoying a few beers and a nice dinner. My friend Mike asked if I knew how to Italian arm wrestle. "No," I said. I had not heard of it. He placed his elbow on the table, made a fist and told me to pull it downward using my hand. The challenge, as in a regular arm wrestle, seemed to be a test of strength. Could he hold his arm up against my force? He couldn't. I won. It felt pretty good actually. My ego was fed. I was the victor!
Read MoreAn ambassador is a person who acts as a representative or promoter of a specified activity or organization. Ambassadors in foreign countries are representatives of the President who are stewards of the United States and its interests. Ambassadors speak for and champion the needs of their nation, activity or organization. You have ambassadors in your own company.
Read MoreMost of us have our weeks planned. Save for ad hoc events and interactions which frequently happen in a business traveling the speed of light, we will follow a flow or schedule which works for us, our organizations and our people. But does it build trust? The answer is, not by itself. Leaders must weave in trust-building activities daily or this essential element of leadership may fade.
Read MoreTwo leaders who are not compatible and clash in your company can damage the workplace climate. Senor leaders may tolerate it (though they shouldn't) if they see that both are performing at their technical roles, however, the effects of this toxic relationship will have a greater negative effect on the rank and file. I've heard the lines "but they are very talented," or "I just cannot fire them at this moment." As someone who has led organizations with limited resources, especially people, and knowing the turbulence caused by replacing a leader, especially in today's post pandemic era, I'll give some credence to these statements. Personally my loyalty lies with the greater organization and its individual people, not individual leaders but let's work within the lines mentioned above. There are at least 5 effective approaches to address this challenge. I'll tease you with 3.
Read More"Is this a loaded question sir?" I would ask this jokingly of a leader of mine. It meant that I wanted to know if an ass-chewing would follow my answer. It was funny in those situations but I was on the receiving end of some serious loaded questions in my career and I found each one of them inappropriate and unprofessional.
Read MoreLeaders operate off of information. We take in (or should) as much information as possible to make the best decisions we can. This is important, especially at higher levels of leadership where decisions and policies have greater impact on people and resources. A leader should avoid taking action based on a single data point, rumor, or isolated fact.
Read MoreDaniel Coyle, the author of The Culture Code defines culture as, "a set of living relationships working toward a shared goal. It's not something you are. It's something you do." He focuses on three skills required to form and promote culture. Skill 1 - Build Safety. Skill 2 - Share Vulnerability. Skill 3 - Establish Purpose. The book is enlightening and required reading for all leaders in my professional opinion.
Read MoreThis blog is born of a conversation I had with friend, author and speaker Robert Pardi. Rob lost his wife Desiree to breast cancer and he tells this story of "love, joy, and achievement against all odds" in his book Chasing Life. I asked Rob about how or if he remained stoic throughout his wife's illness. He stated, "you have to drop your shield."
Read MoreHave you heard this saying before? I've witnessed several leaders, to their own detriment, fail to understand this. Leaders or potential leaders are bestowed positions of authority and rank based on skill, intelligence, character, and a passion to lead. But what got a leader to a certain position won't necessarily get them to the next.
Read MorePodcast host Dave Stachowiak begins everyone of his Coaching for Leaderspodcasts with this statement, "Leaders aren't born. They're made." One of the most important duties of a leader is to make more leaders. This was instilled in me at an early age and I still live by it. Our companies, indeed our nation and our world need more leaders. Whether the person you are grooming for leadership leads in your company or goes on to serve people in other capacities you must make this most important investment. Give away your gifts. Show up to the party with several boxes adorned with decorative ribbons bearing labels, "To: A future leader, From: A current leader."
Read MoreChanging environments and the demands of the organization and the mission cause us to adapt our leadership approaches as we influence and inspire organizations and individuals. I had to adjust my narrative and be more present during periods or seasons when organizational morale and confidence was low. My people needed different individual leadership approaches to be at their best. I was forced to adapt my leadership and I needed to communicate that to my people.
Read MoreWhen you think of a jam session you likely envision a group of musicians together playing their instruments, talking and making impromptu music. Musicians love it because they get to bring their talent to the collective in the creation of something amazing. Most of the best songs in the world were born of jam sessions.
Read MoreGiving instructions, directives, or telling people what needs to be done is one of the great challenges of leadership. All leaders, even seasoned military leaders struggle with it. Our tendency is to describe, in full, what needs to take place or how exactly to do what it is we want done. A leader may describe step by step how to complete a task or even micromanage its execution. This happens for several reasons.
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