Can we agree that most people are terrible at asking questions? I understand why. Promotions come because we’re quick to solve problems and arrive at answers, not for our skill at staying curious. However, what got us where we are isn’t what will get us to where we want to go next. As a leader, […]
Asking Better Questions And Why It Matters Read More »
Leaders, let’s talk. Being the first to speak or the person to speak the most does not make you an effective leader. It just makes you an extravert. In fact, there’s a name for this phenomenon, and it’s call the babble hypothesis. People who talk more–regardless of what they say or their intelligence–are more likely
Extraverted Leaders Are Winning Read More »
Are you really going to finish that book you started reading? I know it sounded interesting when you started, and I know you want to learn more. After a week of reading though, you’re only 5% through. How do people speed through books in a day or two? It’s nuts. At this rate, you’ll never
Learning for Growth: Ditching Books on Your Personal Journey Read More »
How many of us set an exceptionally high bar for ourselves, and even when we reach it, we feel like it’s not enough? We’ve climbed the corporate ladder and are now leading others, but the rungs we haven’t yet reached are the ones that really have our attention. We focus on relationships. Still, we work
Leading with Doubt: A Tool for the Insecure Overachiever Read More »
A few weeks ago, I wrote about how the Marine Corps decentralizes decision making via the Rule of Three. I talked a lot about how information moves down the chain of command to those in the trenches, and a few readers reminded me that I glossed over the flow of information from the trenches to
General Mattis on the Flow of Information Read More »
Let me tell you a secret about a simple mechanism that the U.S. Marine Corps employs to decentralize decision making. The brilliance of it is in its simplicity, and I do believe it’s mostly a secret. Only once in all my years have I run across anyone who has described what I’m about to describe
How the Marine Corps Decentralizes Decision Making Read More »
Transactional leadership makes me cringe. Transactional leaders focus on title and hierarchy. They search for and crave prestige and authority. It all feels so political, and it’s a real problem for me. You manage things. You lead people. Grace Hopper Maybe it’s quotes like this that began my rub. Or maybe it’s my preference for
Why Transactional Leadership Sucks Read More »
People often talk about the value of a bias toward action. I know I did, but I believe I was mistaken. Why? No one thinks they lack a bias toward action. After all, busyness and productivity are hard to tell apart. For example, I remember a younger me who didn’t have GPS. When I was
No One Thinks They Lack a Bias Toward Action Read More »
I can’t tell you how many times I heard LinkedIn’s former CEO Jeff Weiner echo these words. Trust is consistency over time. There’s no shortcut for either. It’s great advice whether we’re an aspiring or experienced leader. And I think it’s just as appropriate for coaches. Why? We don’t have this pesky thing called authority,
Trust Is Consistency Over Time Read More »
I was getting breakfast with a colleague last week, and we were talking about leadership. Specifically we talked about polish. I told her that I preferred unpolished leaders; she disagreed. For me, it’s examples like General Mattis that come to mind as an excellent and unpolished leader. I had the honor of serving under him
We Need More Unpolished Leaders Read More »
