This is the second in a series of Play notes about leading well during different times such as this one. “This not that. Here not there. And here’s why…” With daily distractions, project deadlines, and competing priorities, our teams can get unfocused. Add something like a global health challenge and they’ll likely get really scattered. […]
If we want to forever be in charge of fixing the problems, then we should give lectures, orders, and consequences. If we want others to take it on, then we should should call out the deviations from goals and coach people to solve the situations themselves. In your corner, Mike PS: This is easy […]
Poor leaders react. When something unexpected or unwanted happens, they act, rather unproductively, from habit. They speak whatever comes to mind. They exhibit little wisdom. They spin us up. Good leaders respond. When something unexpected or unwanted happens, they pause. They listen. They coach. They are wise. And they refocus us on the big picture. Important […]
We all struggle from time to time for all sorts of reasons. Though most leaders aren’t trained as therapists, we are all very well trained as humans. Privately, matter-of-factly remarking to a team member that they seem to be struggling then listening without trying to fix or solve is a very good start. In […]
Because confronting them is uncomfortable, we will often tolerate people that we judge as incompetent. But this helps no one. Everyone feels bad and distracted. We continue to tolerate their poor performance. They make up unhelpful stories about why we are so distant, curt, aloof, grumpy, unsupportive, etc. And the others on the team wonder why […]
Our job as leaders is to build an environment where others get valuable stuff done together. Our job is made easier when we coach people to become masterful at doing this valuable stuff together. Simple, yes? In your corner, Mike PS: Funny, there’s no mention of having to be the one with the answers, the […]
Never do for another what they can do for themselves. Often we see people dropping the ball and we think, “If you want something done you gotta do it yourself,” or, “It’s just faster if I do it for them.” So, we jump in. We figure things out. We solve the problem. This works for us because the […]
As great leaders, we understand ourselves. We know our strengths, blind spots, and biases. And we consistently grow ourselves. We do all this for three reasons. First, self knowledge and growth are valuable in their own right. Life becomes more and more rich, beautiful, and fulfilling as we learn about and become more of ourselves. Second, […]
When we are concerned whether another person can or will follow through on a task she or he has committed to, we often pick the wrong next questions to ask. We ask, “What happens if they don’t? What’s the risk? What’s the exposure?” And so we tend to jump in, try to control things, or […]
Just for today, let’s use the word ‘strawberry’ to mean a solution, an answer, an idea, or a bit of advice. If the object of our work is to come up with strawberries, we as leaders tend to jump in and give people strawberries. Strange as it may sound, people would rather we didn’t. It […]