aspiring-leader

Do you want to be on the leadership team?

“Steve, it’s only fair to let you know this. I never cut anyone from my soccer team, and you’ll be able to wear a jersey and sit on the bench, but you probably won’t get much time on the field.” That was not what I wanted to hear after soccer tryouts in my senior year…
Silence the internal noise

Before I write this, let me check if I got a response to my question yet. Oh, and I needed to order more paper for the printer. And there are those three unchecked boxes on my to-do list. They’ll only take me about five minutes each and they’re just nagging me! Even if you use…
Don’t try to be the person who succeeds

Some leaders want to advance in their career. They make a pitch that they get good results and their team members and coworkers are happy. They connect with other departments to gain visibility and let other teams know they’re open to bigger opportunities. They tell their boss they want to be the first person in…
You will compare yourself to others

“Don’t fall into the comparison trap” is a confusing warning. You can’t avoid comparing yourself with others. But you can avoid falling into a trap. What matters is how you respond to what you notice. If they’re better than you are at a certain skill: ✅ You can admire them and find inspiration to become…
Yes, work on your weaknesses

“Stop fixating on your weaknesses; focus on developing your strengths.” That’s what they say. I get it. And I don’t completely agree. Sure, you can often get a much greater return investing your time and energy on further strengthening what you already do well. After all, what you do well is how you create value.…
Caution: Student Driver

When you level up as a leader or join a new organization, you get about 30 days of grace. Here are a couple of ways you can use your newbie status to your advantage. ✅ Schedule 1:1s with as many people as you can meet. People know you don’t know them, so these requests won’t…
Listen

“Seek first to understand, then to be understood” is Habit #5 of Steven Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. He once called it “the single most important principle I have learned in the field of interpersonal relations.” When you truly believe that every human being has something they can teach you, listening to understand…
Time isn’t why you’re burned out

“I feel swamped! I can’t keep my head above water!” You’re probably not really running out of time as much as you’re running out of energy. When your energy runs out, everything takes longer and some things just don’t get done at all. You don’t need more hours in the day; you just need the…
Make the Fun Work Conditional

I have a prioritization problem. I often find myself doing the “fun” work before the important work. I’ve been preparing a live webinar on aligning your purpose in work and life. Writing content is hard, but important. Learning how to use a live video/screenshare mixer/switcher tool is fun. I’ve found myself digging into the details…