I’ve worked in some great teams. The thing that set them apart was how smart they were. Or better yet – how smart they became. You see great teams aren’t born smart, they grow smart. They overcome the fears that hold back ordinary teams. Their leaders aren’t afraid of making…
Week 3. Where are your boundaries?
David* was one of the most skilled tradesmen I’ve ever known. A lovely person deeply respected and involved in his local community. Also a perfectionist. One day at work I started to talk about maintenance costs and he stopped me. “Not my job to worry about cost” he said, “that’s…
Week 2. What do you Believe?
I know a senior leader who believes that people are motivated by just 3 things – Fear, Greed and Sex. I don’t know if he holds any religious views but his beliefs about motivation shape his behaviour as strongly as any spiritual ones could. Maybe more so. Something in his…
113. Are you on the path to Wisdom?
Great leaders are blessed with Wisdom – that magical combination of knowledge and experience that not only enables them to make the right decisions but also gives others the confidence that they should follow. Wisdom is not a blessing, it’s earned. It maybe mysterious but it’s not magic. Wise leaders…
107. Do you choose Learning?
Learning is easy. It can be slow. It’s also easy to stop if you choose to. In a complex world you win when you control outcomes rather than they control you As a smart leader you control outcomes by giving your team control, not by controlling the team. You do…
106. Where are your boundaries?
Learning is easy. Once you set your mind on something. It’s impossible if you don’t. We talked last week about being open to new or different ideas. Now you’re at work, learning your job. Soon you discover that some things aren’t open to you. Maybe many things. What do you…
105. What do you Believe?
Belief is an integral part of being human, to accept some ideas as true. What we believe makes us what we are. There are upsides and downsides to belief however. The downsides have nothing to do with the spiritual or religious or political or social beliefs that you have. They…
99. Are you pretending?
“ I trust you to do your job..” was a catchphrase in a business I was once in, intended to turn empowerment from a noun to a verb. Of course not every leader in that business trusted their own teams enough to actually empower them, but everyone in their teams…
5. The Most Important Decision…
You’re driving down a crowded road at high speed. It’s dark, it’s wet, you don’t know the area and you’re looking for a hotel to stay for the night. Up ahead there’s a busy T-intersection and you have to make a choice: turn left or turn right. Straight ahead is…