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Leaders are responsible for challenging their direct reports to personally grow and providing resources for their development. Leaders are not responsible for teaching, just the inspiration. On-going personal development can be of the mind (intellectual), body (physical), heart (relationships), or spirit (values).  Too often development is just focused on the intellectual (mind). There is nothing … Read more Personal Development Is More Than Intellectual  

    Recently, we’ve seen an uptick in coaching leaders on how to lead their remote team.  Leaders are often suspicious about the productivity of remote workers.  Remote workers who previously enjoyed working for a particular leader are suddenly frustrated as they find that same leader using a micro-managing manner not previously experienced. The fact … Read more How To Hold Remote Workers Accountable

360-degree feedback is an ideal way to gather what direct reports need from a leader but only if the tool and the process used are well constructed.  Surveys using Likert scales (i.e. “on a scale of 1-5,”) may be easy to find but may not yield the clarity and accuracy of results.  Poorly defined questionnaires … Read more Use A Solid 360 Assessment Before Beginning Personal Development  

Almost every company has some sort of annual goals. But, according to the Staples Small Business Survey, more than 80% of small business owners admit they don’t give enough attention to achieving them. Leaders should place more attention on aligning these targets throughout the organization. According to business thought leader James Fischer, companies that regularly … Read more Align Goals Throughout The Organization

When we think of bad bosses, images from the comic strip Dilbert and the television shows The Office and Mad Men come to mind.  We imagine bad bosses as those screaming, paper throwing, sexist leaders Hollywood likes to portray.  Since most leaders don’t demonstrate these behaviors, they don’t consider themselves bad bosses. However, research suggests that the offensive actions associated with … Read more It’s What Bad Bosses Don’t Do, That Make Them Bad

Especially during times of remote work or work from home, job accountabilities are crucial to have and review regularly. Job accountabilities are the three to five major job function groupings every job should have.  Within each of the accountabilities, there are the job function details, expected percentage of time spent, and success factors.  For added clarity … Read more Prioritize Accountabilities, Especially During Uncertain Times

One sign of a controlling leader is they become ineffective when they or their cohorts are not around to use external controls.  It’s not uncommon to hear a leader say, “I can’t go on a two week vacation, the place will fall apart if I’m gone that long.” Going away for two weeks is a perfect … Read more Empower Direct Report First Through Preparation, Then Trust

If a leader’s direct reports are doing the same job, with the same responsibilities, two years from now, the leader has done a poor job.  A leaders job is to grow their direct reports and prepare them for added responsibilities or to be moved on. Often leaders fail to groom their direct reports because they don’t … Read more Formulate A Plan For When Direct Reports Move On

A single page job accountability document succinctly identifies job expectations and identifies success factors. Leaders and their direct reports should be reviewing and updating this document at least quarterly. A well-crafted job accountability report can be used for other purposes as well. When recruiting, send each candidate a copy of the job accountabilities. It’s surprising … Read more How To Maximize An accountability Matrix

In a recent interview two candidates were asked to describe a time they made a mistake; here are their responses: Candidate #1 – “I thoroughly prepare and plan for situations.  I then meticulously and consciously execute the plans to eliminate mistakes; I rarely fail.  Measure twice, cut once is always my mantra.” Candidate #2: – “Though I never … Read more Embrace Mistakes For Enduring Success