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 […]

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.

Ok, so we’ve talked about why you should recruit mentors as you develop your own ability to get your job done better/faster/stronger. That’s pretty safe stuff.
But here’s something you don’t hear nearly as often: you should be a mentor, starting now.
Start at the beginning
Most of us think as mentoring as an activity that benefits the […]

Here’s something that virtually no one will ever tell you. I don’t think anyone ever told me this, either, but I’ve found time and again that when I make real progress I’m following this rule: don’t do everything on your list. My rule of thumb is that 85% of all the things I have to […]

Since we just finished a piece related to everyone’s number one fear, I wanted to point you to an excellent resource I found could be helpful to you as you develop your own speaking skills.
I got an email from TJ Walker over at The Speaking Channel with a pointer to his new show, “Bully Pulpits: […]