Have you noticed how frequently the word ‘coaching’ is used these days? You don’t read an article, attend a leadership workshop, or even speak with managers without ‘coaching’ being generously referenced. It’s used to describe the act of: Helping someone do something Chewing others out Passing along information Delegating a task Recognizing what’s gone well » Read More
How Can I Get Them to Listen? I love this question – it is honest, sincere, and you can probably identify with the frustration behind it. In fact, the question in its original form comes from a mother of three asking about her children, and she qualified her questions: “Oh wait, wrong type of leadership?” » Read More
Sometimes, a description of what something is not helps to also describe what it is. This past week, we had another Lead Change Tulsa breakfast dialogue and the topic was Effectively Leading Diverse Organizations. Over 40 people, many new to Lead Change, joined us for this discussion. Teri Aulph (@TeriAulph) generally enlists the panelists and » Read More
Exceptional listening skills can be the difference between a good team and a great team. Genuine listening builds trust, credibility and respect. When you fully listen instead of trying to compose a reply right away, the result is a relevant and on-target response. What you say when you do respond is proof of how well » Read More
In a workshop one time, I was speaking with participants about communication strategies to resolve conflicts between team members. I shared with them that a genuine sense of curiosity about the other person’s perspective often goes a long way towards resolution, and that this sense of curiosity often reveals itself by the questions we ask » Read More
In life, we sometimes learn more from the leaders and managers that were not effective, because we learn what not to do. The experience we gained will aid in our overall development as leader. So below, I’ve listed 4 practices to avoid as a new leader. Being a bull in a china shop—By this I » Read More
This post is the fourth in a series that began here summarizing the findings of a one-year study of workforce leadership. Through that process, we identified six practices next-generation leaders use to be effective; a new model of leadership we call WEadership, in a nod to its collaborative nature. WEadership and the Crowd The idea » Read More
Facebook is my guilty pleasure. I admit it. I probably spend too much time on Facebook. I probably spend too much time using social media period, but Facebook is my favorite. I love talking to people, cracking jokes, wryly observing the world, learning, laughing, and crying with friends. An old friend commented on my excessive » Read More
Early in my consulting career I started telling people the consulting business is a relationship business. I was right, just a little short sighted. Actually all business is a relationship business. All work is a relationship business. All leadership is a relationship business. And while our focus in this article is on business or professional » Read More
A “Best of” post from Mary Schaefer’s blog, Reimaginework.com, Feb. 24, 2010 My colleague in leadership, Joe Gerstandt, and I sometimes exchange Q&A’s – the latest from Joe being: JOE: We both talk about new ways of leadership in our work…for you, what are some examples of what that actually looks like? MARY: Great question. » Read More
