Collaboration has evolved in its meaning. In older times it had a negative connotation. A collaborator was a spy, someone that was collaborating with the enemy. For some leaders it would seem that collaboration is still a negative word!
Yet, a current working definition of collaboration, shared by several different disciplines is: joining together to make possible that which cannot be accomplished alone. The present business environment demands that kind of collaboration.
Read MoreHope is one of those words that brings a lot of good feelings. When people become hopeless they get depressed, “lose heart,” “give up.” Some even want to die. However, no case of suicide has ever happened because a person had too much hope.
Without hope you don’t take action on anything, much less tackle change. Hope get us up in the morning. As a leader, hope makes you strategize and act upon your dreams and goals.
So hope is good. . . right? Well. . . kind of. . .
Read MoreNice words, ugly words, kind words, curse words, thankful words, sad words, positive words, negative words. . . What kind of words you use, said with what tone of voice, at what time, and how many of them. . . it all matters. Whether the environment of your business is productive and uplifting or negative and miserable depends, in great measure, on the words you use.
Read MoreYou need a mental thick skin to meet the barbs and scratches of life in the spotlight. At the same time, as a leader you need to have the courage to say what you mean and mean what you say. And to do this even when others don’t like it. This idea of leaders needing a rhino's skin is not mine, it belongs to a very famous lady, Eleanor Roosevelt. Keep reading to discover what it means.
Read MoreAbout 55 years ago Dr. O. T. Binkley, professor of Christian ethics at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, offered 6 marks of an emotionally mature person. These traits are so timeless and important that every leader should strive to cultivate them. Do you possess them?
Read MoreAll executives I talk to want to feel they are in the "better boss" category. The trick is to know better compared to what. And better judged by whom. In my ongoing quest to answer those questions I started looking at what different successful organizations considered a "better boss" was like. A report on a study Google undertook to find out what makes a boss most successful gives us a reliable measure to judge if you are a better boss or not.
Read MoreMany think that leaders are supposed to be demanding, critical, and driven, among other things. The problem is that many of the behaviors exhibited by leaders can easily be classified as bullying behaviors. How do you know if you are being a leader. . . or a glorified bully?
Read MoreInnovation is not simple, but there are some proven ways in which you can open spaces where being wrong is not a crime, creativity and opportunity can thrive, and where innovation happens as a result. Today I’m sharing with you seven proven secrets that can help you create such spaces.
Read MoreApplying neuroscience to leadership begins with an understanding of self. It includes an understanding of how the brain works--your brain and other's brains. After all, Leadership involves interaction with brains. Understanding, leveraging, and welcoming the diversity of people's minds is critical to your success as a leader.
Read Moreust how much does technology interferes with your leadership? Today’s smartphones enables you to constantly be in contact with the office and access the Internet or the cloud for needed information on the fly. That's good, right?
"It depends" is the answer.
Constant contact and easy access can often overwhelm the positives and make these devices harmful to the leaders’ businesses life and personal life. Today I'm going to share how constant contact can be harmful and then offer some tips on how to use your smartphone smartly.
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