One reason we humans work well in groups is because we “know” what others in the group think. It maybe we know their views on important topics, or just how they will react in certain circumstances. We might be guessing or know with confidence, but teams simply don’t work without…
126. What needs sorting?
How do workers cope in our fast paced, complex and volatile world? One trick is easy to learn, and practice. Setting priorities. Anyone can do it in any workplace. You need to start in your own work. Don’t wait to be told. Don’t wait until you’re a leader. Practice a…
125. What are you decisive about?
Great leaders are decisive. Not in the way that you might think. Being decisive isn’t just about making fast decisions. It’s about being purposeful. When you’re clear what’s important and what’s not, deciding what to do in the moment is easy. Once you’ve set your mission, you need to make…
124. Is Risk a Problem?
Life is full of risks. Risk is the chance that something will go wrong – from mere inconvenience to catastrophic loss of life and property. Humans have managed risk pretty well over the millennia. We know that, because we’re still here. Leaders have led teams who have worked to get…
123. How do you get Courage?
Great leaders model courage. They have that ability to overcome fear, and step into danger when needed. Real courage is it’s not an abstract thing. It shows in your actions. Or doesn’t. Courageous leaders inspire trust, with or without fanfare. People follow that. Pretending to be brave doesn’t cut it,…
122. Are you an Explorer?
All great leaders are creative. So, in turn, are their teams. Not in the narrow sense of art or music or design, but the broader sense of original thought. A problem with the perception many have of creativity, is that it’s just about arts or entertainment. Nothing can be further…
121. How do you Improve?
Great organizations don’t pretend to be innovative, or delegate it to specialists. Great organizations don’t put their Communications teams in charge of “Continuous Improvement” or create separate departments. In Great Organizations, every team drives improvement, and every team member in those teams has a part to play in improvement. Some…
120. Where is Best?
You’re at work, and you want to be curious and creative. What could possibly go wrong? One thing that often goes wrong is called the Best Practice trap. The plausible yet dangerous assertion that performance will improve if you just find “Best Practice” and copy it. That conformity can replace…
119. Why be curious?
All great leaders are creative. I’m not sure if creativity can be taught, but it certainly can be practiced. Creativity isn’t just about inventing something new and unique, its about combining existing knowledge in new and creative ways. At it’s heart it’s about being curious. You can’t expect to be…
118. Are you pain tolerant?
Change is a popular topic in the leadership industry. Everybody want to be a change maker. Or at least they want to get credit for successful change… If change is so popular, why aren’t more leaders good at it? Many fail at leading change, not because they make mistakes, but…