Development

During a recent Leadership Development workshop I led, someone asked a thoughtful question: “How is a leader’s effectiveness measured?” At first glance, the answer is simple: if the company, department, or team is hitting its numbers, then the leader must be effective. But I disagree. That wasn't my answer. Yes, results matter. But real leadership success is reflected in the growth of your people. If your team members are developing new skills, gaining knowledge, and becoming more effective in executing the plan, that’s true leadership success. My core belief is this: People growth = Business growth. Lack of people growth = Business in decline. So, every leader should ask themselves: Who is succeeding because of you? Who on your team has grown [...]

  I’ve found this to be profoundly true in both my personal and professional life. It’s easy to fall into the trap of comparison: "Look at that person. I could never be that good." "Look at that company. They scaled so fast, and we started at the same time. Now look at them!" Sound familiar? Maybe you’ve played the comparison game too. Now, don’t confuse comparison with learning from best practices. Always be learning, growing, and striving for improvement. But when we compare ourselves to others, doubt creeps in. The key is to shift our focus to compare ourselves not to others but to our own potential. Ask yourself: "What do I (or we) need to do to get better with [...]

Most of us make New Year's resolutions. As you are likely to know, the statistics indicate the majority of us (70-75% ) do not follow through. I am certainly guilty. This year, I am challenging myself and the Lead One Community to make a new one. Let’s be intentional this year on growing personally. Let’s put a plan in place to improve in certain areas of our leadership. What new knowledge should be acquired? What skills need to be improved? What habits need to be formed or, in some cases, broken? We are in charge and control of our growth. Actually, as leaders, it is our responsibility. Let’s remember this—Learners are not always leaders—But great leaders are ALWAYS LEARNERS. Great leaders are on [...]