Business is an active, demanding endeavor. Only those who consistently apply themselves succeed. Organizations that thrive require leaders who actively dream, plan, engage, solve, pursue and network. It’s a lot of work, and there is no finish line. But no one can keep up the pace indefinitely. Every leader experiences profound peaks and valleys, seasons…
Given the financial and societal impact of global business, there’s an urgent need to understand leadership personality. If we fail to appreciate how leaders’ personalities influence strategic decisions, we risk selecting leaders who are incapable of setting an organization’s direction. Think about it. We are in the midst of great social, economic, scientific and political…
Our inner monologue runs nonstop, whether we pay attention to it or not. It is a valuable source of self-awareness and a key to knowing our blind spots. Some call it self-talk, mind chatter, or inner voice. It often tends to be negative and judgmental. Even though our inner monologue filters, interprets, and gives meaning…
Few of us wake up in the morning with the intention of being a hero. Instead, we hope to get by without any major stumbling blocks and aim to do what is expected of us. It’s only when confronted with obstacles that threaten to derail our routines and plans that we don the armor and…
I’ve been exploring what it’s like to work for a leader with a big ego. Author Ryan Holiday, in his book, Ego Is the Enemy (Penguin, 2016) makes the case for several guiding principles leaders can use in overcoming their self-importance attitudes. Every leader who’s caught in the egotist condition will need help trusting and…
Egotism in leadership can be countered. But it takes a deliberate effort on the part of leaders to refocus and see things from a wider view. Trained coaches are an excellent resource to guide leaders to a helpful perspective. In some cases, a leader can only make progress on becoming less egotistical through working with…
Emotional intelligence taps into a fundamental part of human behavior that is distinct from your intellect. There is no connection between IQ and emotional intelligence. Intelligence is your ability to learn, retrieve, and apply knowledge. Emotional intelligence is a flexible set of skills that can be acquired and improved with practice. While some people are…
There’s no escaping our emotions. Whether we like it or not, we’re emotional creatures. Our instinctive reaction to any event is always emotional. We have no control over this part of our brains. We can, however, recognize and control the thoughts that follow an emotion, how we react, and what we say and do. Your…
“More than anyone else, the boss creates the conditions that directly determine people’s ability to work well.” – Daniel Goleman, Primal Leadership Have you ever wondered why many brilliant, well-educated people aren’t promoted, while those with fewer obvious skills quickly climb the professional ladder? You can chalk it up to emotional intelligence (EI). When the…
Leaders commonly rely on two types of conversations: telling and selling. When telling, leaders try to clearly specify exactly what employees need to do (Level I). When selling, a leader tries to persuade them with reasons for doing it (Level II). Unfortunately, some unsure leaders resort to yelling or repeating themselves, and then wonder why…