You have a dream for the future. Only by sharing that dream can you turn that dream into reality through a shared vision. Walt Disney had a huge dream of building a park where families could have a great time together in a clean environment. Disney struggled with financing as bankers didn’t look at his dreams as collateral. He turned to…
Within leadership seminars, conferences, and workshops there’s a lot of talk about “staying human” as a leader. When someone says to ‘stay human’, what exactly does that mean? In a nutshell, to ‘stay human’ is to stay true to ourselves. We are not mindless robots. Before taking action, think about what others ask us to do. Should we follow directions…
One of my favorite things about being a leader is guiding younger generations entering the workforce. Encouraging and supporting them as they learn the ropes. The youngest group in the workforce today are the Millennials. At ages 18-34, they are currently the largest workforce at 75 million, outnumbering even the Baby Boomer generation. The young men and women who make up…
Empathy is an essential characteristic of successful leadership. It helps you understand why someone has a specific action or reaction to a situation. Though empathy sounds similar to sympathy, they are not the same. When a leader shows sympathy, they are expressing feelings of sorrow for someone else’s misfortune. When a leader expresses empathy, they are demonstrating the ability to…
A leader in today’s world needs freedom to make decisions based on the situation. More importantly, leaders must trust their employees to create their own solutions and complete their tasks successfully. Previously, we discussed how different types of rewards encourage employees to work without direct leadership. Intrinsic rewards such as choice, responsibility, skill recognition, challenge, and celebrations encourage employees to engage with their…
Early in my management career, I was involved in a merger of two large companies. The officers of the new company stood at the front of the room that sat over 1000 employees of our Northeast Regional Office. As these men excitedly spoke of the next phase that would merge two well-known companies, there was clapping and cheering. The very…
Today’s leaders know their employees want more than to plod along in a 9 to 5 job. Some employees want to see tangible results from their efforts and expect recognition of work well done. Others want more responsibility and advancement opportunities. Knowing what your employees expect from you is important for the success of your business. You can’t walk into…
You look across a table strewn with magazines, papers, bills, and receipts. After quickly shifting paper from the left side to the right side, you give up and rewrite the customer’s invoice, hoping you are leaving nothing out. As you open the door you recognize a potential client who was meeting you today for an estimate for work you will…