Leaders wear many hats, and some are more comfortable than others. But in a world where talk of mental health has become more commonplace, a new hat is emerging. Leaders are now being asked to gauge and help their team members with their mental health. Now most of us who lead aren’t doctors, nor do

Nearly all best-selling business or self-help books have a model included. In fact, it is often the model that is the basis for the book’s success. Any self-respecting (and successful) consultant uses models in their work, too. Yet, as valuable as these models, styles, and formulas can be, none are perfect. They can even get

There are many highly successful companies that tout their customer focus. It is easy to see that they truly put customers at the top of their priority list. You can also find an equally long list of highly successful companies that prioritize employees first. So, which is it – customers first or employees first? Let’s

In 2011, the movie Horrible Bosses was released. Opening at #2 at the box office, it grossed over $209 million dollars. The premise? Three friends decide their bosses are so bad, they plot to murder them. It does so well that in 2014, a sequel is released. In retrospect, this success isn’t surprising. Most everyone

There are hundreds of things you could do as a leader that could create better results. But there is one thing that, when done with the right intention and consistency, will get you better results, improve nearly every metric you can imagine, and ultimately make your job easier. That one thing? Create more interactions with

Ask most leaders about empowerment and they will either say – I wish my people were more empowered, or they will glow as they discuss the level of empowerment amongst their team members. Why are some happy and some, not-so-much? It has much to do with the habits of the leaders themselves. If we want

Meetings happen more often than ever and cause as much consternation and complaining as ever, if not more. Yet despite all that hand-wringing and general disdain, we may be missing the biggest problem with them. Have you thought about the connection between meetings and team culture? As I’ve said many times (and we wrote about in

This may seem like a strange question: Do you love your organization? Strange perhaps because you never thought about it. Or perhaps strange because you aren’t sure you would use the world love in that way. But this question can have a lot to do with your ultimate success – as a leader, as an

We all operate within the boundaries of our perspective. It informs what we believe to be true, what is possible, and where to look for solutions to our challenges. The problem is that there are limitations to your perspective. Information and advice outside of our view is discounted or disbelieved, to the determinant of our

Get people talking about challenges in their organizations and within minutes, the word “policy” will come up. We all have stories of a policy that seemed counter-intuitive or blocked us from doing what seemed to be the best course of action. And we have all been on the receiving end of “That’s against the policy”