How does your organization communicate your direction, your azimuth? How do you set your teammates up for success? How do you set the conditions to encourage initiative? How do your team members respond to the question, “In my company, is it better to ask forgiveness or permission”? Do you create a “bias for action” in … Read more
Planning and strategy is always vital. As the old saying goes, ‘If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.’ You and your team don’t want to find yourselves on the ‘bus to Abilene’, as introduced by Jerry Harvey in his 1988 article, The Abilene Paradox: The Management of Agreement. … Read more
In one of the most storied battles of ancient history, some 300 Spartans fought to the death to hold a rocky mountain pass in northern Greece for 3 days against over 10,000 Persian attackers in 480 B.C. Their King, Leonidas, perished with them, and the amazing thing about this display of courage is that the … Read more
In this 13-minute video, Randy MacLean and U.S. Army Major General Robert Mixon talk about how the Army uses a continuous personnel development model to prepare people for the next level job they’ll move into. This vital process is too seldom utilized in private businesses, where people unprepared for the bigger jobs flounder, hampering the … Read more
Have you ever worked for a boss who was a not a good listener? Did he or she have all the answers and for whatever reasons, didn’t solicit your ideas and feedback? Did you feel disrespected? In this toxic environment, were you empowered and encouraged to exercise initiative? Did you feel compelled to do whatever … Read more
A great book to appreciate the definition of a Level Five leader is Jim Collins’ “Good to Great”. According to Jim Collins, a Level Five leader “builds enduring greatness through a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will”. Chapter 2 of “Good to Great” describes in plain language the traits and characteristics of a … Read more
