I haven’t done anything here in quite a while, which is all as planned. But the site is lingering on the edge of my consciousness, and I had decided to close it down completely.
When I mentioned this to several friends and readers they prevailed upon me to keep the site up. But I don’t want […]

I’ve been posting here at onlytraitofaleader.com for over a year now, and I’ve very much enjoyed the process and the relationships I’ve built with you guys in that time.
My main goal - to get the primary content of the book posted on the web for free - has been accomplished. And along the way I’ve […]

As you go through the process of building your teams, which is really a process of creating strong leaders (a good overview of my key posts on this topic is here), you’re going to be asking a lot of your folks.
You’re going to be asking them to change. You’re going to be asking them to […]

An appointment is a contract. It says “I recognize we need to do X together, and I know that X is important to you (or me or both of us, whatever). I promise to be ready to work with you on this at 9 o’clock.”
That’s right, it’s a promise. And we break this promise pretty […]

The fine folks over at InfoWorld, where I also maintain a blog on leadership and career issues called Leading from the Trenches, are getting a newsletter fired up.
On Monday they’ll start publishing InfoWorld Careers, a weekly newsletter that pulls together their best career-related articles and weblog posts.
A cripsy new issue will be coming out […]

So, you think you want to be in charge. Be the bossman. Everyone comes to you to ask for permission to start new projects, buy new laptops, whatever. It comes through you. You are The Man. Or The Woman. Whichever.
Congratulations, you aren’t qualified to have the job.
If you are leading—not managing, herding, or driving—your team […]

I read an article over at CNNMoney.com this week, “In defense of bosses from hell.” It’s an interesting piece that got me thinking.
Most books about leadership read like the Scout manual: CEOs and top managers should be authentic, considerate, sensitive, and modest, as well as creative, smart, and strategically brilliant. All true—but not very useful […]

Elizabeth over at Career and Kids points out the similarities between managing and being a parent.
My fave? Number 4:
4. Oral Communication—efficient and effective so there are no misunderstandings
Work: “Again, I want to make sure everyone understands that…”
Home: “How many times do I have to tell you…?”

Jay at Dumb Little Man has a post on leaving work at work that I really resonated with.
Before I had kids I wasn’t very good at this, which mostly worked out family-wise because my wife was in med school so it was mostly just me.
But it did not work out creativity-wise. As Ive already talked […]

There’s a new blog carnival out there on Leadership that’s worth keeping an eye on.
In addition to a post from me, there are posts in the inaugural carnival on professional ethics, commitment driving success, personal strategic planning, and many others.
You can find the first Carnival of Leadership at Project Management Source.