Category: General Leadership

Leaders Protecting Followers: How Many Forms Do You Think That Takes?

September 6, 2019By CiOIn General LeadershipComments Off on Leaders Protecting Followers: How Many Forms Do You Think That Takes?

Leadership Lesson: Aside from protecting followers from outside forces, intrusions, and obstacles, leaders should also protect followers from the many ways they may limit, do in, and derail themselves.

I recently came across a graphic on Instagram that simply stated Leadership = Protection. In the caption below the illustration, the account asked Are you protecting your followers? Are you protecting your leaders? and then subsequently concluded A true leader protects all people around them.

Generally speaking, this is true….

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What You Put Up With: What Does Your Toleration Threshold Lead To?

August 16, 2019By CiOIn General LeadershipNo Comment

Leadership Lesson: There can be no growth or development forward if you’re tolerating too much, unwisely using your precious resources, including energy and reputation, to hold things together or keep appearances.

There’s just too much that can go sideways then drag you down if you put up with too much BS in your life and work.

In so many words that’s how I’ve responded to high school students when they’ve asked me what my tip…

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Negligent Leaders Must Learn: Lead Or Get Out Of The Way

August 9, 2019By CiOIn CiO Briefs, General LeadershipNo Comment

Leadership Lesson: We should all become aware of how and to what extent we are the obstacle in the path of progress of our mission, group, or organization.

“Lead, or get out of the way,” was a recent rallying cry used at a gathering of political figures at the national level. I won’t go into who said it or under what circumstances because it would only…

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#SessionConfessions: You Need To Think About What Is Holding You Back From What You Need?

August 2, 2019By CiOIn General LeadershipNo Comment

Leadership Lesson: You can’t be the best version of yourself while doing the same things you’ve always done and expecting a different result. Don’t be insane.

In talking to clients in coaching sessions, when it comes to development and improvement of any kind, there are so many reasons we (yes, “we”) don’t do what we should do — even more, why we don’t stop doing what we shouldn’t.

Whether by conscious or subconscious choice,…

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In Order To Get Better And Move Forward, We Should Eulogize More People

July 26, 2019By CiOIn General LeadershipNo Comment

Leadership Lesson: Getting in the habit of telling others what you think about them (before it’s too late) can provide a sense of fulfillment in yourself, along with both confirmation and encouragement in them about the value of what they’re doing, who they are, and how they impact you.

No, this isn’t some veiled attempt at convincing you to take out the competition in order to get ahead.

And no, it’s not some kind…

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When It Comes To Your Development & Growth, Who Do You Have To Brainstorm With?

July 19, 2019By CiOIn General LeadershipNo Comment

Leadership Lesson: Everyone should have partners and colleagues with whom they can share ideas, in order to form a development ecosystem that allows them to harness, reshape, and finalize their steps forward.

What I always try to get people I coach – or anyone else for that matter who seeks to get better at what they do – to do is consider what resources they have around them. I want them to see –…

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The Serenity In Customer Service: Understand What You Can Control & What You Can’t

July 11, 2019By CiOIn General LeadershipNo Comment

Leadership Lesson: We may not be able to control all the factors in the environments of work, business, and life, but understanding what we can control and what we can’t will help us provide the best experience for those around us.

The best companies know success is about the experience the customer has, takes away, and tells others about.

Google introduced the world to, and continues to operate, a more clean, streamlined, and powerful search engine…

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The IntExt Path Of Leadership: A Snapshot Of The Building Blocks Of One’s Leadership

June 21, 2019By CiOIn General LeadershipNo Comment

Leadership Lesson: How you sit back, look for and see the process of leadership and how it unrolls from within you, is important to understanding your path of leadership – tracing it from the internal to the external — and the way you live it, demonstrate it, and carry it out.

I recently ran a workshop at Stanley Black & Decker’s Access Technologies department which opened up a…

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How Far Will Any Feeling Get You Without A Plan, System, Or Process To Set It Into Motion?

June 14, 2019By CiOIn General LeadershipNo Comment

Leadership Lesson: Because we do our best work when we have balance, we always need to be aware of all sides of a approach, both the emotional side that gives us rise and pushes us forward, and the pragmatic side that keeps us level or brings us back down to earth when necessary.

A few months ago, I posted this image on Instagram:

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When You Want To Celebrate Your Win, But Your Coach Says, “Look Back And Learn!”

June 7, 2019By CiOIn General LeadershipNo Comment

Leadership Lesson: In the right fashion, and when appropriate for the environment, a leader should always make sure people are self-aware, and improving and refining their tactics, even in the moments following a great win or success.

As much as I love and watch soccer and, much more, live for the high-stakes championship games, I don’t think I’ve ever seen this before:…

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The Power of Engagement: How Do You Draw Others Into Your Vision?

May 31, 2019By CiOIn General Leadership, To The BossesNo Comment

Leadership Lesson: Aside from the work for the mission and encouraging people to go after targeted benchmark goals and achievements, one should know how they can work toward guiding others to want to work toward that same goal.

What are you in it for? What do you want out of what you’re working toward, whether for yourself as an individual, or for your organization as one of its team leaders and/or players?

Whatever you’re involved in, supporting, or passionate about…

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Ten Things We Learned From Our First Leadership Coaches – Our Teachers – Part 2

May 24, 2019By CiOIn General LeadershipNo Comment

Leadership Lesson: Hands down, teachers were our very first leadership coaches, pushing us to be curious about the world around us, keeping us accountable to what they knew we could deliver, and trying to make sure the lessons they shared stuck long after the partnership ended.

Continued from Part I

What We Learn About Others

Through this third group of attributes,…

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Ten Things We Learned From Our First Leadership Coaches – Our Teachers – Part 1

May 17, 2019By CiOIn General LeadershipNo Comment

Leadership Lesson: Hands down, teachers were our very first leadership coaches, pushing us to be curious about the world around us, keeping us accountable to what they knew we could deliver, and trying to make sure the lessons they shared stuck long after the partnership ended.

Recently, I came across a LinkedIn post in which one of my connections, a school teacher, posted pictures of a letter he had received from a former student. In…

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What Potential Do You See In What’s Around You? In The People, Places, And Ideas?

May 10, 2019By CiOIn General LeadershipNo Comment

Leadership Lesson: Leadership is not only about enjoying and building off of what is already established but also about investigating, empowering, and building up that which is all around us, unseen by others, and holds untapped potential.

Leadership is about more than you. It’s also about more than others. It’s about more than what either you or them brings to a situation or environment.

It goes beyond that.

Nothing is ever solely about what a leader brings…

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What Do You Expect For Yourself That You Don’t Provide To Others?

May 3, 2019By CiOIn General LeadershipNo Comment

Leadership Lesson: Too often, we seek out what we need from others — the best conditions and treatment — without thinking about whether or not we’re providing it to others ourselves, whether in advance or in return.

One of the strongest predictors of great development is what someone takes in from the environment around them. Positive experiences and results can build someone up, pushing them further into their own success and achievements. Negative…

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