“No, There’s Not an App for That.”
I checked the Apple website recently and noted that there are now over 775,000 apps for the iPhone. That’s an impressive number.1 Here’s another impressive number, but one that’s much smaller: “#1”. As in, most important. As in numero uno, or in primo. Although it’s about as small as you can get, being #1 is … Continue reading
Are YOU an Inspiring Leader?
I just returned from a visit to the Pacific Northwest. Our destination was Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands. I have a sister there who lives on a lovely boat and we had a “sister’s retreat” with a third sister and niece joining us. This was a very beautiful and inspiring time and place. … Continue reading
A New and Clever Way to Make an Emotional Connection: Don’t Pick Up Your Smartphone
One of the things we know from the studies we’ve done on inspiring leaders is that they are able to develop strong emotional connections with those they lead. We see them do that in a variety of ways. One of the most important is to show concern and consideration; it’s an effective way to let … Continue reading
10 Ways to Pull, Rather than Push, for Results
There are two very different ways to achieve results. The most common approach used by leaders to achieve results is characterized by the competency “Drive for Results.” Leaders who drive for results might be describes as follows: Does everything possible to achieve a goal or objective. Is able to achieve goals and objective on time … Continue reading
Inspiration vs. Empty Cheerleading: The One Word That Makes All the Difference
We’ve all been in situations where we’re facing a difficult task or tight deadline and a well-intentioned manager or colleague says something like the following: “You can do this.” “I’m sure you’ll be great.” “I’m confident you can do the job.” “You’ll get through this.” “Don’t worry, I know you’ll do just fine.” When we … Continue reading
Tell, Ask, Listen: 3 Steps Toward Becoming a Great Communicator
When we conduct employee opinion surveys, the most common theme we observe in our written comments for organizational improvement focus on “Communication.” One of my favorite comments was, “I don’t know if I am in line to be demoted to janitor or promoted to CEO. I need feedback!” Communication is also a very common theme … Continue reading
38 Ways Leaders Harness the Power of Emotion
An excerpt from this month’s featured whitepaper, 38 Ways Leaders Harness the Power of Emotion by Jack Zenger. Through the use of a statistical technique called “discriminate analysis” we were able to discover several different categories of ways leaders make an emotional impact on their colleagues. We have organized our suggested ways for a leader … Continue reading
Excitement about Math is Driven by Birthdays?: The Power of an Emotional Connection
About 10 years ago Homer Simpson famously asked, “The Internet? Is that thing still around?” Fortunately, it’s survived. Using some of its amazing search capability I was recently able to track down and reconnect with one of my West Point classmates. As one of my first roommates during our plebe (freshman) year, we studied and … Continue reading
4 Steps to Better Your Boss-Employee Relationship
Recently I was chatting with a colleague about strangers, acquaintances, and friends. For me, it’s incredibly easy to talk about pretty much anything with either a complete stranger or a really great friend. It’s talking with acquaintances where the conversation gets awkward or superficial. When two acquaintances meet, by chance, in the company breakroom, a … Continue reading
Got a Bad Boss? Get Ready for a Decrease in Profitability
I bet every single person who reads this blog post can tell me a story about a terrible boss they once had. We’ve all got the stories. From the angry, distrustful boss to the timid and laissez-faire boss, everyone has had a supervisor that makes their worklife a living nightmare. I’d like to tell you … Continue reading
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