Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 1, 2012
Talk isn’t always cheap. Words change lives and organizations. However, when it comes to authenticity, talk is nearly meaningless. Authenticity, like trust, feedback, and empowerment are words tossed around in leadership circles likes nuts at a squirrel buffet. Words apart from practice make you feel you know when you don’t. Using the term “authentic” doesn’t make you [.].
Kevin Eikenberry
DECEMBER 31, 2012
It happens at this time of the year, every year. As the New Year arrives, people talk about making resolutions. In fact, the ritual of making promises or resolutions at the start of the New Year goes back as far as the Babylonians, and can be found in nearly every part of the world, in [.].
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Tanveer Nasser
DECEMBER 4, 2012
How can leaders be attentive to those they serve when their time is becoming increasingly fragmented and demands on it growing? How can recognizing the efforts of our employees lead to a sense of purpose and community and with it, a drive towards achieving excellence? These are a few of the topics I discuss with retired CEO and renowned leadership expert Doug Conant in the 10th episode of my leadership podcast show, “Leadership Biz Cafe”.
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 6, 2012
Wisdom is about behavior not intelligence. Wisdom is practical not theoretical; skillful not academic. Wisdom gets things done. Fools sit and talk while the wise move out. I’m not suggestion it’s foolish to explore options and discuss plans. I’m saying wise leaders add more value than foolish. On the other hand, foolish leaders don’t talk [.].
Speaker: Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions
💢 Do you find yourself stuck in never-ending review cycles? Are you wondering if your Subject Matter Expert actually got that last review request? Are you having trouble trying to decipher impractical or conflicting feedback? 💢 If any of these scenarios sounds familiar, you may benefit from a crash course on managing SME relationships!
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 31, 2012
I usually sleep the New Year in and watch the ball drop on the news. New Year’s Eve is an imaginary line in the sand but, I must confess, its power is real. New Year’s inspires us to begin again. Step into the future or settle for the past. Three keys to courageously begin again: [.].
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 15, 2012
There is no making sense of the tragedy at Sandy Hook or other past, present, and future tragedies. Reasons help but they don’t make sense of something. It helps to say the gunman was on drugs or crazy, but only a little. Job, the oldest book in the Christian Bible, confronts human tragedy. At one [.].
OrgDev Digest brings together the best content for management professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 12, 2012
Talking about stress is stressful. It’s one more problem to solve. But, ignoring it never resolves it. Stress builds up. Disproportionate reactions indicate stress build-up. Mary says, “Would you mind handing me that pencil?” Bob responds in anger, “You’re always asking for something. Get it yourself!” “Sheesh!” Over 50% of the workforce feels: Overwhelmed by [.].
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 17, 2012
Sinking inward drags down during tough times. Weak leaders focus on themselves; tough leaders focus on others. Sinking inward indicates weakness. Moving forward with tenderness is tough. Weak leaders act tough during tough times but tough leaders remain focused, calm, and steady. First, remain focused on others: Ask about their world and forget yours.
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 14, 2012
There are two types of people in the world, dreamers and doers. Lazy dreamers are useless. Avoid them. The way to matter is doing what matters. Dreamless doers are anchors. Reject them. The way to matter is pursing dreams. Dreamers: Look down on doers. They’re narrow. Define ideas. Start things. Plan. Dreamers – Oh! Look [.].
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 4, 2012
Innovative leaders wrongly resist patterns. They fear repetition constricts and bores. “Don’t fence me in.” However, rituals set leaders free. Think of rituals as tiny behaviors that yield disproportionate benefits. One of mine is rising early and placing my fingers on the keyboard. It’s 3:44 a.m. as I type this. I wasn’t sure what would come out [.].
Implementing new tools or business processes in your organization? Lemon Learning put together a practical 3 part guide to prevent the pitfalls of change management. Drive a successful change management project from diagnosis through to measurement.
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 26, 2012
All leaders want what they don’t have. Wrong wanting frustrates. Right wanting motivates. Why leaders don’t get what they want? Failure to name it. You never achieve what you don’t name. Fear prevents leaders from saying what they really want. Neglecting the team. Too much time spent focused on reaching goals not enough focused on [.].
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 28, 2012
The past is the future for most. Persistence and endurance assure continuity. But, more of the same won’t birth new futures. Looking back and holding on stagnates, solidifies, and congeals life like cold bacon grease. 99% of the conversations I have about the future are actually about the past. Creating the future is recreating “glory [.].
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 11, 2012
My friends complain, “I waved but you didn’t wave back.” Or, “I spoke but you didn’t hear me.” Ever walk down the hall and not make eye contact with employees? If you’re oblivious, you’re oblivious. Second-rate leaders sink into their own world, ignore environments, get lost in thought, and neglect personal contact. First-rate leaders hold up their heads, rise [.].
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 16, 2012
There’s little hope for know-it-all leaders. Too many leaders flap their tongues while their ears nap and their brains slumber. When was the last time you asked, “Tell me what you think?” Perhaps, by the time you’re done telling what you think, there’s no time for asking what they think. Your open mouth closes the [.].
Speaker: Tim Buteyn
Let's set the scene: you’ve identified a critical performance gap in your organization and need to close that gap. A colleague suggests training, but you suspect there’s something going on that training can’t address. How can you determine if training is the right solution before you commit your budget and resources to a new training program? In this webinar, you will learn how to determine if training is the right solution using the Behavior Engineering Model.
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 13, 2012
Everyone lies every day. “How are you feeling?” “Just fine,” you reply. Actually, you feel terrible but don’t want to talk about it. You lie. Leaders are tempted to lie when __: Under-performers need encouragement. Telling the truth reveals weaknesses or failure. Reputation is at stake, theirs or others. Insecurity wins. Hiding problems feels easier than [.].
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 3, 2012
Great results require toughness. The belief that compassion is soft and toughness gets results explains why so little compassion exists in organizations. I’m an either/or type person, it’s my nature. I wrongly believe combining contrasting qualities weakens both. But, toughness and compassion are perfect bedfellows. Bullies aren’t strong and compassionate leaders aren’t weak.
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 7, 2012
Passion for excellence, demand to meet numbers, slow progress, and fierce competition drive managers to step in and “help.” Never help without asking, it’s meddling. Ask first; ask often. Don’t reserve, “How can I help?” for short-fall situations. It sends a message. They aren’t cutting the mustard. Build supportive cultures by asking, “How can I [.].
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 18, 2012
Small screw-ups are big when others depend on you. Plug a VGA cable into the wrong port and presentations die. Have you ever noticed that “VGA in” sits right beside “VGA out?” Small things are big when others depend on you. The danger of small screw-ups: Frustration from small screw-ups invites overreaction. Leaders do stupid [.].
Speaker: Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions
We’ve all been there. You’ve been given a pile of dry content and asked to create a compelling eLearning course. You’re determined to create something more engaging than the same old course that learners quickly click through, but how do you take this “boring” content and create something relevant and engaging? Many instructional designers will say, “Boring in means boring out.
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 24, 2012
Hate your work environment? Build rather than tear down. Whining reinforces negative environments. Celebrations build and reinforce positive environments. Celebrations create culture. Sadly, short-sighted leaders are stingy with positives and free with negatives. All they talk about is: What went wrong? What needs to be fixed? What fell short? Negative celebrations build negative environments.
Kevin Eikenberry
DECEMBER 3, 2012
Thomas Edison was a great inventor. But Thomas Edison was a greater salesperson. He and his team may have invented the electric light bulb, but without the support and resources (read investment) of others, that idea wouldn’t have moved forward from his team. The idea looks obvious now, but all successful new ideas look good [.].
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 22, 2012
Tell me the last time you didn’t step in to help. I know you love talking about everything you do. What you aren’t doing matters, too. Restraint represents one of leadership’s great challenges. Success includes pulling back. Stepping in frustrates talent. Fixing de-motivates. Solving insults. Unrestrained leaders don’t help, they get in the way.
Kevin Eikenberry
DECEMBER 12, 2012
Today is the last of the “triple days” (i.e. 12/12/12) we will see for about ten years (2/2/22 is next I think). Hard to realize that when one has happened every year for the past number of years… and we are now entering the Christmas season as well. Putting those things together, and borrowing the [.].
Speaker: Chester Santos – Author, International Keynote Speaker, Executive Coach, Corporate Trainer, Memory Expert, U.S. Memory Champion
In October, scientists discovered that 75% of patients who experienced brain fog had a lower quality of life at work than those who did not. At best, brain fog makes you slower and less efficient. At worst, your performance and cognitive functions are impaired, resulting in memory, management, and task completion problems. In this entertaining and interactive presentation, Chester Santos, "The International Man of Memory," will assist you in developing life-changing skills that will greatly enha
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 21, 2012
The reason you feel what you feel is you. Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot, but the Grinch, who lived just north of Whoville – did not. The Grinch hated Christmas – the whole Christmas season. Now, please don’t ask why; no one quite knows the reason. It could be, perhaps, that [.].
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 5, 2012
You’re one decision from screwing up during turbulence. Reacting makes you look like a fool, eventually. Wise leaders respond to turbulence; fools react. Reactions are passionate but uninformed. How many times have decisions outrun information? Ouch! That hurts. Successful leaders respond; failures react. “Make it go away,” reflects self-serving reaction.
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 20, 2012
Most talk; few act. Rooms go silent when someone asks, “What’s next?” Dreaming, thinking, and talking aren’t doing. Leaders do; dreamers talk. Talking: Feels like doing even when nothing’s done. Feeds weak egos and small minds. Slows progress. Creates imagined problems that waste time, drain energy, and distract focus. Nothing happens till you take the first step.
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 29, 2012
Step away. Let the players play. The meeting after the meeting: The meeting went long because we were finalizing things. It’s understandable, but I’m committed to short rather than long. After the meeting, I quickly walked out and engaged another leader for a moment. Everyone else remained in the room. Stepping back in, several huddles [.].
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 10, 2012
Many talk about excellence because it’s the thing to do. Others dance on the high edge of average unwilling to take the leap. Excellence shimmers like a mirage teasing in the distance. Good is acceptable because excellence frustrates. The pursuit of excellence means today’s best is tomorrow’s average. Can you live with that? One simple path: [.].
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 25, 2012
It doesn’t matter, skeptic, doubter, or believer, the Christmas Story contains useful leadership lessons. Connect: Leaders connect. Who can’t connect with a baby? If leadership is all about people then connecting is essential. When I asked Henry Mintzberg for his favorite word of advice, he said one word, “Connect.” Vulnerability: Vulnerability is dangerous but necessary to connect. [.].
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 8, 2012
New bosses are troubling when the old one was great. You loved the old boss. So what? It doesn’t matter. Resist the new to your own peril. Comparing the new with the old is self-defeating. Keep preferences for the old boss to yourself, always. What if you disagree? The way you express your viewpoint matters more than your viewpoint. Disagree [.].
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 19, 2012
Typical business wisdom says, narrow your focus. Successful organizations do a few things very well. Less is more, but not always. 4 perils of narrow: Shuts down rather than turns on. Closes off rather than opens up. Rejects rather than explores. Pulls back rather than reaches out. Narrow establishes limits. Reject the perils of narrow. [.].
Kevin Eikenberry
DECEMBER 10, 2012
I often do the following exercise with groups (you can try it after you read it, but I’m not sure it will translate perfectly in writing). “Close your eyes and clear your mind. I’m going to say a word. I want you to think about the word briefly then open your eyes. The word is [.].
Kevin Eikenberry
DECEMBER 17, 2012
If you have flown very often, you will recognize the following. In the event of a loss of cabin pressure, an oxygen mask will drop down in front of you. To start the flow of oxygen, pull the mask towards you. Place it firmly over your nose and mouth, secure the elastic [.].
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