Leadership

Next time you put something in the microwave to cook, thank Percy Spencer. Spencer was an engineer working at Raytheon trying to develop a better way to detect enemy aircraft during World War II. In working with radio frequencies, he noticed that the device he was building had melted a…

Robin Williams once joked before a British audience about one world leader: ‘Some are born great. Some achieve greatness. Some get it as a graduation gift.’  That sarcastic joke encapsulates one of the intangible aspects of the essence of leadership. Some leaders are born, and others do the best they…

Stress in the workplace may be unavoidable.  Deadlines, sales quotas, budgets, fear over job security, and performance worries can all lead to anxiety at times even in great companies.  As a leader, it’s crucial that you recognise the signs of stress and take action to prevent it from becoming a…

Great leaders understand that feedback isn’t about just telling people they do a great job, or letting them know when they make mistakes.  It’s about providing a consistent coaching environment to help teams improve performance.  Creating a culture of continuous growth and learning is motivational. A culture of feedback tied…

U.S. President, Lyndon Johnson famously said, “The only real power available to the leader is the power of persuasion.” He wasn’t wrong. Success as a leader hinges on learning to persuade people at work to buy into your plans and take actions you want them to take. Therefore, your leadership…

Some stress at work is to be expected. Plus, people do bring their personal stresses to work with them. But, a prolonged high level of job-induced stress is a problem that leaders need to address. Such stress is harmful to employees’ health and to business performance. This is why the…

When it comes to your workforce, employee engagement is crucial to productivity.  It’s also important to retain quality team members. A study of employees discovered that three-quarters of employees report they aren’t looking for a new job, but they would be open if the right opportunity arose.  Another study showed…

Managing your time well is the smoothest path to reaching your professional and personal goals. The numbers of people who fail to achieve their long-term professional and personal goals are incalculable. A personal problem with planning and managing responsibilities is typically at least a large contributor to those outcomes.  By…

Constant decision-making is the nature of leadership. Decisions that leaders must make tend to carry much more weight than making typical everyday choices. Success or failure for many people often hangs in the balance when a leader is weighing an important decision. In so many cases, the outcome will positively…

If you want to improve your leadership skills, do what some people call a “gut check.” The guts of leadership are the alchemic mix of natural talent, a drive to succeed, and a sincere empathy towards those who need to be led and inspired.  Talent: We can’t really define it,…