Amazing Mondays

I heard on a podcast recently that the founder of Chick-fila, S. Truett Cathy, once asked a friend, “who needs encouragement?” and then after a moment responded, “every human being that is breathing.” At times as leaders we are trained to look for the bad and correct it. What if instead we trained ourselves to look for the good and praise it? How do you think this shift in mentality might benefit your business? How do you think it might impact your ability to lead? Those you work with and interact with need encouragement; we all do! This week let’s [...]

Having worked in health care most of my career, I’ve relied heavily on a good group of volunteers to help in the different facilities and hospitals I’ve worked. Volunteers are the best! I’ve noticed that as leaders, we are quick to forgive a volunteer’s mistakes, thank them for their time, and are gracious for any efforts they make to help our company. We also tend to trust they have good intentions and want to do a good job. We normally are quick to smile at them and shake their hand. We are always so grateful they came in [...]

The most important responsibility a leader has is to provide clarity for their team. That’s right, most important. The reason is because there is nothing that will negatively impact the productivity, engagement, and satisfaction among your team members more than confusion. Confusion at work causes a lot of problems including anxiety, contention, apathy, frustration, and stress. Clarity needs to come from the top. If the top is not providing clarity than you can bet that people throughout the organization are receiving different messages from different people which leads to what? That’s right, confusion. So what should be made clear [...]

The number one leading cause of death for leaders is distractions. Distractions have killed more leaders than anything else I know.     Now let me clarify for a minute. When I say death, I mean being removed as a leader whether it is losing a job or being asked to step down.   Why are distractions the leading killer for leaders? I believe there are two main reasons.   One is because they are so enticing. They often appear as fires that need immediate attention. They beckon for our help and often make us feel that if we don’t react quickly, then we will be burned. They also entice us by making us believe we are the only ones who can properly deal with them and thus lure us away from what is most important. Distractions are also enticing [...]

Let’s talk today about why culture matters—why it works at transforming and positively impacting all results within an organization. So why does it work? The answer is simple really. A company with a strong workplace culture taps in to the emotional and intellectual energy of every employee.  When a workplace culture is weak or unhealthy, people often do just enough to get by. They never emotionally or intellectually engage. They fail to feel a compelling reason to give their all. They don’t believe they are a part of anything special or significant so they simply do what they have to do to [...]

Are you a leader that is struggling to love your job? Do you feel like you’ve lost a sense of purpose or do you wonder if you are making a difference? Are you frustrated with your team’s performance and results?   If so, I get you. I’ve been there before. It’s not uncommon to feel frustrated, lost, discouraged, or even apathetic at times. Leading others can be hard!     So what is a leader to do? How can you fall in love with your job again?  The number one way I’ve learned to regain love for my job is by helping others  love theirs. As strange [...]

Today let’s talk trust. One of the best ways to improve trust in the workplace is by doing what you say you are going to do. That’s it! Sure, sounds easy but it can be hard.   Do any of these scenarios sound familiar….   Scenario #1 Employee: Can we talk?   Leader: Sure, I’ll get back to you within an hour. (gets tied up and forgets to get back)   Scenario #2 Employee: I need a new laptop computer can you order me one so that I can get my work done?   Leader: Yes, let me order it. (puts it on the to do list but never [...]

I recently read a quote that made me smile. It said, “Everything I learned about parenting is leadership and everything I learned about leadership is wrong.” – Bob Chapman  It made me smile because in so many ways it’s true!   Though I won’t debate the merits between taking a leadership course or a parenting class to become a stronger leader, let me share five things I’ve been taught about being a good parent that is applicable to great leadership.  And these ideas you won’t hear often in most leadership courses…   #1 Be An Example   For better or for worse, children mirror the [...]