We manage processes, numbers, and resources, but people are meant to be led. Great leaders recognize our humanity, our free will, and our uniqueness. The true form of leading is accomplished through influence. The purpose of influencing others is what separates the role of a leader from other roles. Why is this an important distinction? Here are two reasons: It’s How Big Change Happens In most contexts, a leader will be responsible for handling a certain number of tasks directly, and the leader then influences the rest of what must be accomplished through other individuals. A leader marshals t ..read more

The ancient Greeks enjoined us to “Know thyself,” and with good reason. A critical aspect of self-awareness is the understanding of how our behaviors, traits, and communication affect the people in our lives, which has a direct bearing on the quality of our relationships, both personal and professional. And the key to self-awareness is emotional intelligence because emotional intelligence allows us to identify and manage our own emotions. This understanding of our own emotional states, moods, and motivations in turn allows us to better empathize with others, which is a critical leadership qual ..read more

While metrics and mantras are important tools in a team’s effort to meet objectives, research repeatedly shows that the most effective and endearing leaders are encouragers first and foremost. Encouragement is a specific type of praise focused on behavior regardless of the outcome. It sees the person and the decisions made that are laudable and imports hope into any situation based on that which is praiseworthy or positive. For example, you see a team member put effort into acquiring a new skill set that served the team well in the acquisition of a new account and say to her, “That skill took ..read more

When people ask what I do for a living and I say, “I’m an instructional designer,” they inevitably look at me puzzled. So I explain, “I design training programs for companies. Have you ever done an eLearning course?” And, because instinct is hard to suppress, their eyes roll all the way to the back of their heads. The self-aware people say, “Our company could probably really use you because ours are so boring!”  Although I can tell they don’t actually believe anything could make eLearning less boring, at least I know that’s not true. And after reading this post, so will you. Current E-Le ..read more

Today, I was asked to sit in on an employee relations situation with a team leader and her employee. When arrived, the angst was high, many emotions and concerns were thrown out at once that I cannot even hear clearly. (thinking to myself, how am I going to be able to help, yikes!) So they took turns to talk and hear the other one with respect (they vowed me with this). My job was to listen, not to "listen to understand" or "listen to solve" BUT LISTEN WITH PRESENCE, trusting the Spirit will show me the next step. We distilled it down to this very quickly: we needed the employee to stay becaus ..read more

Guest Post by Brittany Kirk, Gibson Insurance This year has been wrought with challenges…that’s quite an understatement, isn’t it? But, ever the optimist, I’ve recently found myself thinking about how each challenge has presented an incredible opportunity for growth. I’ve found myself repeating the mantra: with great challenge comes great opportunity. Shelter-in-place required businesses to rethink their business models. Layoffs and furloughs required employees to rethink their careers. E-Learning required families to rethink their normal interactions and schedules. Remote work has required us ..read more

I was new on a team one time and found myself partnering with a truly talented individual. Over time, she and I shared our thoughts on how the team had some inefficiencies. Soon after, I got curious and asked why she was not speaking up about the ineffectiveness. It turned out that she did not feel as though she could; she was never once asked for ideas and input, and additionally, her manager appeared to be very attached to the current process. Over time, this created a feeling for her that no one was interested in her opinion. Maybe you’ve felt that way before too? Perhaps you may have cause ..read more

Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to learn from the Cultural Intelligence Center by attending their Cultural Competency Training. The most profound experience for me was an activity where we had to start by describing a significant challenge our world face today and then consider what would happen if we left that challenge as is (not do anything about it). Lastly, we had to consider what would happen if that challenge overcame the world. Once we'd done that, we built a "superhero," equipping that superhero with special powers to overcome that challenge. Be a Superhero. Be a Leade ..read more

Liz Wiseman, the author of the insightful book Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter, says that there are two types of leaders. The first type drains intelligence, energy, and capability from the people around them. They always need to be the smartest person in the room. Then there is the second type of leader: the multiplier. Multipliers lead by using their intelligence to amplify the capabilities of the people around them. When these leaders walk into a room, light bulbs go off over people’s heads, ideas flow, and problems get solved. Multiplier vs. Diminisher When we beco ..read more