Truly Improve Work Processes

I’ll bet that you’ve seen this happen. An executive made a good-news announcement:  “We are changing our work processes.  The new system will make us more effective at reaching our productivity goals.  The training rollout for the new system begins in two weeks.” The move was the result of a decision made by one or…

Re: My Expectations of You

It was the new executive’s first week on the job.  He had been hired from the outside.  Surprisingly, he had no experience working in that company’s field.  More surprisingly, he had no experience in an administrative position of any type.   Employees assumed that he was only hired because he was a friend of the CEO.…

From All Directions

Have you ever been rated from all directions? Some organizations assess a leader’s effectiveness by asking other employees to rate him or her on leadership behaviors.  The list of raters might include a supervisor, peers, and even subordinates.  The idea is that the leader will benefit by learning how he or she is perceived by…

What You CAN’T Change . . . and What You CAN

We all know that a person’s physical attributes affect the consideration that they receive from others.  Psychological research has long demonstrated that people tend to draw certain conclusions about a person based upon physical attributes.  The traits about which we draw those conclusions include honesty, intelligence, and compassion—each of which is a trait essential to…

Bedeviled

For a team leader, it is absolutely essential to see the big picture—to have a vision for the team and to identify the projects through which the team moves toward achieving that vision.  However, many a leader makes the mistake of assuming that this big-picture view means that he or she should not bother oneself…

Here Today, but Gone Tomorrow?

What happens when a leader steps into an executive/administrative/managerial position that has been characterized by a high turnover rate? Those serving under him or her assume that the new leader will only be there for a short time before moving on to a higher-pay, higher-status position.  That perception makes it very difficult for the leader…

Tell Me Yes

A military man told me about an interaction that changed his career.  An enlisted man, he was given authority over other enlisted personnel. One day, he and a man under his authority were called to a superior’s office.  The officer spoke his thoughts regarding the recent behavior of the low-man, stated the actions that he…

When a Leader Lies

What happens when a leader tells a lie?  More specifically, what happens when team members learn that the leader lied to them?  I am not referring to incidents in which it seems that the leader misspoke based upon misinformation, but to incidents in which it seems that the leader deliberately chose to make an untrue…

Team Members Standing-By

The bystander effect is a phenomenon that we discuss in the latter part of the APL seminar:  A bystander observer is less likely to help someone in need when that observer perceives that there are numerous other people who are also aware of the need.  The burden to take action is spread across a number…

Command-and-Control . . . and Compassion?

Military organizations are known for using a command-and-control approach to leadership:  Orders are communicated dryly and are carried out without a question being asked in reply—and certainly without a discussion being held. In one of my consultations, a soldier was discussing with me the difficulties he faces with his commanding officer.  As I expected, the…