Is Technical Debt Strangling Your Department and Your Career?
“It just feels like most of the time, we are trying to crawl up a muddy hill while people push boulders from the top at us.” A developer speaking about tech debt Pat, a director of a team of software developers, cried out with dismay. “What do you mean that technical debt is strangling […]
Create a Frame for People to be Heroes
“PASSION IS ENERGY. FEEL THE POWER THAT COMES FROM FOCUSING ON WHAT EXCITES YOU.” OPRAH WINFREY Recently, I witnessed two different ways to handle the same challenge. I attended two meetings. The goal of each meeting was to choose a way forward that would affect many people for a long time. In each meeting, there […]
Spring Clean Your Leadership Tool Kit
“OUTER ORDER CONTRIBUTES TO INNER CALM.“ GRETCHEN RUEN We are almost two weeks into Spring in the northern hemisphere. For many, this is the traditional time for household spring cleaning. It is also a good idea to periodically clean up your leadership toolkit. Here are four fun ideas for your leadership spring cleaning. 1. Power […]
Make The Audience Part of a Grand Story
“THIS IS THE POWER OF GATHERING: IT INSPIRES US, DELIGHTFULLY, TO BE MORE HOPEFUL, MORE JOYFUL, MORE THOUGHTFUL: IN A WORD, MORE ALIVE.” ALICE WATERS I have observed many all-hands meetings. The mediocre sessions address a distracted audience. The worst ones have an audience who leave with less energy than they entered with. The best […]
Leadership Value is Measured in the Improvements of Those You Lead
“IF YOUR ACTIONS INSPIRE OTHERS TO DREAM MORE, LEARN MORE, DO MORE, AND BECOME MORE, YOU ARE A LEADER.“— JOHN QUINCY ADAMS I have recently been engaged in a discussion around an important question. “How do I know that my leadership is valuable? What are my measures of success?” During this discussion, I received a note […]
One Critical Thing is the Start of Customer Loyalty
“TRUST IS THE GLUE OF LIFE. IT’S THE FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLE THAT HOLDS ALL RELATIONSHIPS.” — STEPHEN COVEY Takeout nights had usually been a delight for us, but one night became quite stressful. After carefully placing the order for the six of us, I drove to town and picked up the food. Once I arrived […]
How Do You Know If the Team Has Taken Ownership?
THEY KNOW MORE, CARE MORE, DO MORE THAN YOU “THE SUCCESS OF A VISION IS DETERMINED BY ITS OWNERSHIP BY BOTH THE LEADER AND THE PEOPLE.“ — JOHN C. MAXWELL “How do I know if the team has taken ownership of the challenge they have been given?” When I have been asked this question, I know […]