Steve
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“Why don’t they recognize my value?”
We all want to feel valued and appreciated for our contributions at work. But what happens when you’re not? What can you do? Sometimes those above you may be too busy or too biased to recognize the value you bring. Sometimes your peers may be too focused on posturing to consider or even to hear…
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Quality Time or Quantity Time?
Of all the false dichotomies and logical fallacies that I’ve faced over my career, this is one that seems to keep coming up. Which is more important in building relationships? Is it the quantity of time that I spend with a person, or is it the quality of the time we have together? I just…
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When Personal Tragedy Hits a Leader
None of us is immune to personal tragedy. At some point on our journey, any one of us may face a serious health diagnosis, the death of a loved one, the severing of a close relationship, a natural disaster, an ethical injustice, or personal legal or financial issues that put everything you value at risk.…
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Current Reality or Desired Future
In his book Good to Great, Jim Collins introduced us to what he called the Stockdale paradox, named after Admiral Jim Stockdale, a Vietnam prisoner of war who survived more than twenty instances of torture over an eight year imprisonment. Put simply, the paradox that helped him survive was his ability to never lose faith…
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“I want to lead, but not like my boss.”
Some lessons are just no fun to learn. Having a bad boss is one of those lessons. Through no fault of your own, you’re overlooked, neglected, belittled, or maybe even set up for failure. Depending on your situation, escape may be the right option. If your physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual health is in danger,…
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Most decisions aren’t right vs. wrong
As a leader, you’ll often face choices where there is no clear right or wrong answer, no obvious best or worst option. We call these dilemmas. And not all dilemmas are the same. The best kind of dilemma is when you have multiple good options, and you want to choose the one that’s the most…
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Silly Symbols Save Sanity
Nearly twenty years ago, I found myself suddenly and unexpectedly working from home, with no room in the house suitable to turn into an office. After yet another acquisition and the downsizing that followed, very few people were left in our regional office, and the company decided to temporarily close it, and have us experiment…
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Don’t chase consistency; pursue faithfulness
You know the stereotyped volatile leader. One day they’re all smiles, and no matter how much you mess up, it’s no big deal. The next day the slightest slip-up draws a tirade loaded with expletives. And you think to yourself, “I just wish they were consistent.” As you try to learn from other people’s mistakes,…
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Changing companies has a hidden trap
When you take a better offer at another company, it’s easy to think that things will be better for you after the transition. I mean, that other company offered you a better salary, or a larger scope of influence, or a better title, or something better than your old job had. Why would they lure…
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Dealing with difficult people
The bad boss. The competitive colleague. The toxic genius. They make life difficult for you and others. But what can you do about them? Especially if you have no formal leadership position in your organization? First, let me be clear that I’m talking about the more common people who are annoying or flawed, not the…
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Should I become a manager?
I bristle when I hear of a software engineering organization pressuring their top engineers to become managers. Managing and engineering are completely different skill sets – different enough that those who excel at one tend to struggle at the other. But what if you’re an individual contributor, and you see that there may be a…
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Nail the Stretch Assignment Without Sacrificing Family
They finally recognized your potential at work, and you have the chance to do something new. Something you haven’t done before. Something that comes with a real risk of failure. This is one of those growth opportunities that can make or break your career. Or your family. But here are two practices that will come…