I'm not sure how many Rush (rock band) fans there are subscribed to my blog, but the line, "if you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice." always speaks to me as a leader and a decision maker. It reminds me that I must make a decision, even if it is not to act. And there are consequences for not acting. Translated here, if you do not respond you still have communicated.
Read MoreIs anything original? Perhaps, but I believe, when it comes to leadership, I'm plagiarizing all day long. For clarity, Merriam-Webster defines plagiarize: to steal and pass off (the words or ideas of another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the source. My wife Leslie, an artist, sees things in galleries, magazines, on the internet, and in nature which inspire her. I spout off sayings specific to leading, operating, and problem solving I learned or heard from another leader. Who's to say they where the originator of that art or leadership saying or practice?
Read MoreI attended an event on a Saturday recently which promoted the trades for high school students. I spent all morning there exploring and voting on student projects. The lunch hour came and went and when I eventually decided to leave I was pretty hungry. In the parking lot outside the venue there were food trucks and a few other vendors cooking and selling food. I love food trucks for the unique and tasty food they produce. There you can get your meal straight from the grill or oven to your hand, cooked by a person or two who pays strict attention to detail, taking pride in the experience. Sign me up!
Read MoreI'm hiring in my small business and I hate the word. Of course, I must use it to define clearly what I'm doing but I think too many organizations and leaders get hiring wrong. I've been doing a lot of speaking about this lately as most organizations struggle to find and retain talent. I'll focus here on the hiring act and leave retention for past and future blogs. Keep reading and get your friends and colleagues to sign up. Go here!
Read MoreMorale down? It happens to the best of organizations. When people are brought together under good leadership in support of an important mission or cause, there is naturally a lot to be motivated about. Consider a sports team at the beginning of the season, fired up to bond and grow and be a contender for the championship. Motivation and energy are high and selflessness prevails as people come together to help each other. As the season matures, the team experiences a loss or two, and personalities and personal quirks rise to the surface, morale begins to decrease. It would be nice to have a meter to gauge morale but unfortunately one does not exist. The fact is, you don't need a formal meter if you are an engaged leader.
Read MoreCommunication is an essential part of leadership and it goes wrong daily if not hourly in organizations. Here is a wonderful editing tool and a great way to communicate clearly as a leader that I've used throughout my years. I learned it from a military planner in the early 2000's. Planners in the military are known to be intelligent, articulate, and able to consume and translate volumes of information. The U.S. Army has a separate course - SAMS, The School of Advance Military Studies for these gifted individuals. Officers who attend and graduate from the course are labeled, "SAMS" officers as a badge of honor. They carry this label throughout their career. I'm not a SAMS guy.
Read MoreEvery modern organization has embedded or at least contracted to it, technicians to help them and their organization function. We are simply stuck without them. You know these people - the ones who connect the wires, create and administer our automated operating programs, install the sound systems, and service and repair the complex equipment in our companies. They do the work we are not experienced, trained, or educated to do. If we are good leaders, we have at least a cursory understanding of what they do - respect at least, so that we may lead them properly.
Read MoreHave you ever had that waiter or waitress who takes your order without writing anything down? I lose confidence when that happens. I think to myself, "How can they memorize all that amidst the chaos of a restaurant?" I wonder if they are showing off. I know I could never do that. I suffer from CRS - can't remember shit. To this day, I still get burned when I do not write something down. I'll forget it and it will rear its ugly head at some point and bite me. Take notes.
Read MoreDoes your networking event suck? Have you been to one which sucks? I've answered yes to both of those. Upfront, I'm a believer and staunch supporter of networking. I've worked hard for sure, but every success I've had in my encore life following military service can be traced back to a network - someone I met at a networking event or on platforms such as LinkedIn who eventually contracted me for my leadership services or connected me with someone who did or who brought value to my life. Networking comes in several flavors. It can be done though platforms like LinkedIn, virtual meetings (more common post pandemic), or, in its most common form, a physical meeting at a physical location. The latter is the one I want to unpack.
Read MoreOxford dictionary defines entrust as assigning responsibility for doing something and to put something in someone's care or protection. I love the latter part of that definition because it captures the essence of leadership - placing the care and protection of an organization, its property, and its people in a leader's hands.
Read MoreNug /nəg/ - a person existing largely behind the scenes possessing zero authority who completes minuscule tasks - tasks a leader wishes not to be bothered with. This is Rob Campbell's definition. I'm at risk of being derogatory here, which is not my nature but stay with me. The term nug was introduced to me in the Army during my time as a staff officer in a large organization. Nugs were those people grinding it out, building slide decks, answering phones, or chasing down information. It was a humorous term we gave ourselves as staff officers because we felt like second class citizens, batched into this overlooked and unappreciated sub-population. We operated under the spirit of, "Go do that, come back when complete. Ok, now do this."
Read MoreA newborn baby does not walk immediately following birth. We should not expect an employee to execute a task they have never done before with speed and confidence. In the Army, we used the Crawl, Walk, Run concept in training to ensure individuals and teams learned effectively. It is useful to a business. Given time, a leader can deliberately lead a person or group through each of these phases coaching, teaching, and mentoring every step of the way. The challenge is most organizations are lean with people yet rich with tasks. Time is precious and scarce. This challenge not withstanding, the Crawl, Walk, Run concept should still be understood and used, even if done in hurried succession.
Read MoreI'm reading, "Leadership," by Henry Kissinger and I just finished the chapter on French President Charles de Gaulle, his leadership and impact on France and the world. Kissinger labels de Gaulle a, "master of circumstance," for the way he seized the moment when it appeared for his own benefit and that of his nation. How true it is that leaders are masters of circumstance or said differently, great leaders master circumstance.
Read MoreThe mark of a good organization is one which can function without its leader. It is a goal every leader should strive for but it does not happen organically. On top of my leadership practice, I own and run a small business. I tested positive for COVID this weekend so it's time for the team to step up. Here was my guidance. "Team, the mark of a good organization is that it can operate successfully without its leader. We will be put to the test this week as I’ve tested positive for COVID, but I’ve no doubt we will rise to the occasion. I’ll send out some guidance before Monday via email to steer you. Rob"
Read More"Sorry I'm late for the virtual meeting, my computer was acting up." Heard this before? Ever said it yourself? It doesn't work. You (or they) should have tested the computer before the meeting. If you tried to sign on earlier, you would have discovered the problem early enough to fix it. These are actually the thoughts which run through the heads of people on the receiving end of these excuses but rarely do they call out the behavior. There certainly are scenarios (multi-car accident, family emergency, etc.) where a person has a legitimate reason for being late, wrong, or unprepared, but those scenarios are the exception, not the norm. So too should excuses be the exception, not the norm. Most excuses hold little weight and, moreover, they marginalize the person (especially a leader) or organization offering them.
Read More"This call may be monitored for quality assurance." Heard that line before? Quality assurance or catching an employee in the act of being rude? What message do we send when we record - audio or video our employees? My youngest son worked for a big company once delivering products in a van. During his tenure, they installed cameras inside the vans to record driver activity. When their leader informed them of this change he said, "you can quit if you don't like it." I was dumbstruck. I know there are leaders who behave that way, but I still couldn't believe it. "What a way to foster loyalty," I thought sarcastically. His story got me thinking about this topic - recording employees.
Read More"I suggest we do..." This is easy to say in a sentence, but it comes with baggage. Suggestions are an essential part of a growing and improving an organization. Leaders and teams need them, but they are useful only if they come from a good place and are delivered properly - there's a right and a wrong way.
Read MoreMost of us rarely, if ever, hear the term mnemonic or mnemonic devices yet we are surrounded by them everyday. They are a fantastic leadership tool. Pronounced /nəˈmänik/, Wikipedia defines defines mnemonic devices, as any learning technique that aids information retention or retrieval (remembering). I never knew it in a formal sense, but I used mnemonics in leadership. I still do. An old boss of mine once said, “if you want something done right once, you have to say it ten times.” I find the more repetitive I am, especially with short statements or words, the greater chance lessons I want learned or guidance I want remembered sinks in. In my small business, we were rushing to close deals and order products and we started to make mistakes. I conducted an After Action Review to examine failures and create lasting solutions. “Leave no doubt,” became the mantra. I wrote it in several places and uttered it often and randomly, like a tic - concept I call 'the broken record.'
Read MoreI'm up for a debate on this topic. I do not see the value of affinity groups in organizations. In fact, I believe them to be harmful or, at the least, counterproductive. Tell me if I'm missing something. Affinity groups have gained greater prominence as one of the byproducts of a present-time focus to achieve diversity equity and inclusion or DEI in companies and communities. I came from one of the most diverse organizations in the country, the U.S. Army. I've seen the power of DEI - I consider myself its champion but in my experiences, achieving DEI was never the result of forming affinity groups.
Read MoreWe plan in vacuums where conditions are perfect. Events start and end on time and there are no environmental, human, or other factors which call for changes. However, when the day arrives, so too does friction. Murphy (see Murphy's Laws of Leadership) casts his vote and throws a monkey wrench into the plan. We had a great saying in the Army, "no plan survives first contact." It reminded us as leaders to be flexible, to be prepared for adjustments, to make on-the-spot changes yet stay on course to follow through with the original commander's intent. We were also taught not to 'fall in love with our plans.' I loved this one as it reminded us to be flexible, ready to course-correct, not completely attached to what we spent time developing.
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