Author: Steve
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Four causes of low expectations
I was talking the other day with someone who works in a place where teams consistently fail to deliver on their commitments, and leadership doesn’t seem to care. Someone else recently shared with me that they had been assigned to a project, but they were told that they shouldn’t worry about completing it because nobody…
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Lead by numbers, but not those numbers
When we think about a leadership scorecard, it’s easy to fixate on the numbers that our employer is tracking to evaluate a promotion, bonus, or other direct compensation. I’d like to encourage you today to expand your personal scorecard with numbers that reflect your leadership in four different directions: 🔵 Leading in – self leadership.…
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Work friction and home friction
“Wherever you go, there you are.” It sounds silly because it’s so obvious, but there is something profound hidden in that statement. Many times, I’ll be in a conversation with someone, talking about work-specific challenges. As they gain new self-awareness, they’ll recognize a pattern in their behavior – something that creates friction with their colleagues…
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You are smart enough for what’s important
“I could never do that.” “I’m not that smart.” “Oh, that’s beyond my pay grade.” “I’m just not good with new technology.” One way coaches like me help our clients is by encouraging them to reconsider some of their long-held beliefs. We ask them to evaluate whether those beliefs are, in fact, true. One challenge…
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Not-So-Reasonable Requests
Favors… They can be one of the most delicate leadership issues to master. On one hand, skillful granting and asking of favors can position you as a collaborative leader who is ready to drive progress. On the other hand, there are many ways to fumble favors. One of those ways is by asking a favor…
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Your culture reflects your values.
Business leaders have been in the spotlight recently for taking some steps different people would consider bold, foolish, outlandish, and even unthinkable. Workplace cultures feel completely upended. But culture is simply a reflection of an organization’s values. Not necessarily the stated ones that show up on the website, but the actual values of those who…
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Adjust your leadership as team members grow
Growing into a manager-of-managers role is often just as difficult as moving from individual contributor to manager. But you can get a head start to set yourself up for success early. How? As soon as you start to gain some comfort in your own management responsibilities, look for opportunities to delegate leadership work to members…
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What do your pronouns reveal?
Let me start by saying this is not about gender pronouns. This is about leadership, independent of ideology. The host of a popular financial radio talk show recently fielded a question about how newly married couples should balance the ownership of their respective resources when their existing savings, investments, and income are not balanced. While…
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Don’t fight for your limitations
Executive coaches and leadership coaches like me can sometimes do more harm than good. Today I want to share one way that we can do that, so you can know how to thrive even if your coach makes a mistake like this. Part of what makes a helpful coach is their unwavering belief that you…
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Document Measurable Impact
In a recent group discussion with engineering managers, my response to a question seemed to trigger a number of insights from those who attended. The question was around what steps one might take to prepare for success if they planned to leave their current employer and seek a new position. After several other people shared…
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The Tyranny of Accidental, Artificial Urgency
The more I talk to mid-level managers, the more I see one particular barrier to their success and the success of their teams. This barrier has an impact both internally and externally, and both up and down the reporting structure. Frequently, I’m helping my clients to discover how they are both impacted by and contributing…
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Lose team members for the right reasons.
Many years ago, a software engineer on my team let me know that they had recently earned a cybersecurity certification, after studying on their own time and investing their own money. They explained that they’d really like to have a different job – one that would put them in a role advising other teams about…