Some leaders have a sixth sense of what lies ahead for their organizations and markets. The leaders who do this well tend to be branded as visionary, or in some cases, “out there.” Many leaders, however, need to develop their strategic skills, and could benefit from a framework to help broaden their perspective beyond the day-to-day. If you have a difficult time carving out time, much less … [Read more...]
Bring Your “A” Game to Drive Change
Highly matrixed organizations are complex in and of themselves, often fraught with ambiguous reporting relationships, inconsistent agendas, and slow, ill-defined decision-making processes. Leading cross-functional initiatives through a highly matrixed organization can be confounding -- on a good day. Leaders who have learned to navigate the complexities are a special … [Read more...]
Clearing Space to Focus on What Matters Most
The end of one year and the beginning of the next gives most of us cause for pause. “Out with the old, in with the new!” sounds so festive when the bells are chiming at midnight. Yet, it’s difficult to embrace new habits and approaches when the old ones have served us reasonably well. That is, until they don’t. If, for instance, you find that driving meaningful change for yourself, your teams … [Read more...]
Catalyst for Change
The magnitude and frequency of change over the past year has been daunting, testing even the most competent leaders. While many were able to right the ship (especially in those organizations amenable to eCommerce and Zoom), few leaders would qualify the last year as one in which their teams and organizations thrived. As organizations have shifted their attention to a post-pandemic life, there … [Read more...]
Relationships Rule
Of the four Emotional Intelligence (EI) competencies, retaining, growing and managing relationships is one of the more challenging to master. For one, it requires an investment of time and energy, sometimes with no immediate “pay-off.” It invites vulnerability, which, let’s face it, is not always comfortable. It also depends on the other three EI skills (Self-Awareness, … [Read more...]
Hats Off to Dogged and Disruptive Change
Hats off to those of you who laugh at the face of danger and yawn at the status quo (you know who you are!). For most leaders, however, the constant drumbeat of change is draining and uncomfortable. A leader’s tendency to resist or embrace change varies dramatically and is driven largely by her perception of the risks and benefits. It sounds straightforward, yet rarely is. Once … [Read more...]