Tag: Collaboration

What People Teach Us: John McCain And The Leader’s Legacy

August 31, 2018By CiOIn CiO Briefs, General LeadershipComments Off on What People Teach Us: John McCain And The Leader’s Legacy

Leadership Lesson: There are so many lessons we can learn from the leaders we’ve lost. Learning from their best attributes galvanizes their legacy and reinforces our own development and self-reflection.

It’s always sad to lose a great leader. Every day they lived they added strength to their reputation and resolve to their message. They knew how to live their life, espouse and live their values, and work for the betterment of the group. And, although that impact continues through their legacy, the lack of their everyday presence creates such an immense void beyond the obvious physical absence. We lose the everyday visual display of their impact and influence.

And as powerful as that sounds, none of it means you had to agree with every decision they made or…

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Whether You’re A Leader Or Not, How Have You Walked In Others’ Shoes?

August 24, 2018By CiOIn General LeadershipComments Off on Whether You’re A Leader Or Not, How Have You Walked In Others’ Shoes?

Leadership Lesson: Part of effectively helping and serving others is paying attention to and understanding what goes into the work they do and the needs they have.

In order to move people from the current state of things into a better future in the smoothest and most effective fashion, leaders should consider what it’s like to walk in their followers’ shoes.

Only by truly understanding everything his or her people have to go through and experience can a leader make the best decisions to effectively complement the ongoing daily work.

So, as they make their way, leaders should keep the impacts of both their general and specific actions and decisions in mind.

Keeping the specific impacts in mind means leaders shouldn’t be making decisions without truly understanding the work…

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What People (Can) Teach Us: The Democrats – Respect, Understanding, and Preparation

November 10, 2017By CiOIn CiO BriefsComments Off on What People (Can) Teach Us: The Democrats – Respect, Understanding, and Preparation

Democrats swept political seats across the country earlier this week on Election Day, picking up seats and taking control of state legislatures, governor’s mansions, city councils, etc.

Elections sweeps, some may say, in general, are eventually par for the course when one party takes the majority in each of the political landscapes at the federal, state, and local level – the next time around, the pendulum swings the other way to make up for a previous swing too far in one direction.

But this was overwhelming — a blue wave as it’s been called. It seemed to be a grassroots groundswell in response to the political environment and atmosphere which has gripped the country.

“Whether in politics or not, one needs to be sure…

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What People Teach Us: Jeff Flake – Environment vs. Principles. How Much Is ENOUGH?

October 27, 2017By CiOIn CiO BriefsComments Off on What People Teach Us: Jeff Flake – Environment vs. Principles. How Much Is ENOUGH?

When is enough enough for you?

This week, Arizona junior United State Senator Jeff Flake, a detractor of the President’s since early on in the presidential campaign season, gave an impassioned speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate in which he came out against and denounced the current state of U.S. politics and the President’s role in perpetuating the negativity, telling the President “ENOUGH!”

In an attempt to avoid a perceived complicity in the devolution of political system, Flake announced he would not seek reelection in January 2019 and would instead retire, knowing he would face steep odds in maintaining his seat as his favorability numbers tank in his district while those of the President remain high. In addition to those hurdles, he…

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How Does The Role You Play In Your Leader’s Audience Impact Your Effectiveness?

September 1, 2017By CiOIn Article, General LeadershipComments Off on How Does The Role You Play In Your Leader’s Audience Impact Your Effectiveness?

When it comes down to it, leadership isn’t about title but instead about making an impression, being invested, and wielding influence. Even the smallest of steps and actions of impression, investment, and influence can both make a difference and set the example for others.

One would be amazed how easy it is to influence people in a positive manner through example, demonstrating to others what is possible. One can shape the environment, even if just taking one small step at a time.

Much in the same way we can influence others through our examples, causing them to adjust their own actions and approach, the example can also be set with how leadership can be shaped.

Consider the current catch phrases one might hear nowadays — “managing up” or…

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What People Teach Us: Caitlyn Jenner, Her Community, And The Opposing Side

April 26, 2017By CiOIn CiO Briefs, In The MiddleComments Off on What People Teach Us: Caitlyn Jenner, Her Community, And The Opposing Side

In a recent interview on WBUR’s Here and Now, Caitlyn Jenner spoke about her life, covering topics spanning from her early life, to winning Olympic decathlon gold as Bruce Jenner, up into her revelation of her lifelong identification as female. Jenner also covers these topics and more in her new book.

An interesting part of the conversation took place when it turned to politics.

At the time Jenner revealed her newfound life as a woman to Diane Sawyer on 20/20 in April 2015, she was asked how the Republican establishment would accept her.  Jenner was a known conservative whose newly-revealed identity clashed with the well-known traditional, conservative, and religious values of the Republican Party. At that time, she believed it would be a…

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The Senate’s Plan: What Kind Of Nuclear Options Have You Witnessed?

April 4, 2017By CiOIn CiO Briefs, To The BossesComments Off on The Senate’s Plan: What Kind Of Nuclear Options Have You Witnessed?

Politics can play out everywhere, at every level of any kind of organization, in varying levels of severity and impact, from the most obvious and extreme positions to the sleight, unseen, or subtle plays, no matter the industry, field, or environment.

Lately, Washington has been the epitome of overreaching and dismissive authority for the sake of one’s own mission and cause, long-lasting consequences be damned.

A great example exists in the latest episode of the soap opera confirmation process of Neil Gorsuch as President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, which exhibits the irresponsible and haphazard turn politics of any kind can take.

In short, the Democrats in the U.S. Senate — the minority in that house –- are shooting to filibuster Gorsuch’s confirmation, frustrating…

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When You Want To Move Forward, Avoid The Dead End That Is “I Don’t Know.”

February 17, 2017By CiOIn General Leadership, To The StudentsComments Off on When You Want To Move Forward, Avoid The Dead End That Is “I Don’t Know.”

Leadership and professional development culminate in, ultimately, a goal we have for ourselves, but it begins by serving others.

It begins with serving others because, very rarely, can such goals be accomplished without others buying into, believing and investing in, or contributing to what we are trying to achieve, whether they are customers, staff, or other stakeholders.

And there are various ways to serve others.

First and foremost, we can provide others with focused and definitive consultation, guidance, and advice, among other things, based on the knowledge we hold.

Another way in which we can serve others is providing possible options when we don’t have that first-hand knowledge or immediate information to solve a problem.

So, whereas in the methods outlined in the former example of service, where…

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What People Teach Us: Trump – Disturbing The Environment Taken On As A New Leader

December 17, 2016By CiOIn CiO BriefsComments Off on What People Teach Us: Trump – Disturbing The Environment Taken On As A New Leader

Politics aside: How do you maintain a culture after you arrive?

You might have strong opinions from a distance about a certain job that is being carried out or not, but if you’re fortunate enough to get into that position, how long do you spend actually studying the situation to determine how it should be addressed?

Watching from a distance is not the same as sitting in the driver seat, making the decisions, and dealing with any subsequent implications and consequences.

Do you take the time to learn the pro’s and con’s of certain actions you would like to take impulsively? Can you stop yourself, review the facts, and change your mind if need be?

Case-in-point: The manner in which President-Elect Trump is impacting U.S. relations with…

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As a Leader, To Understand All Your Resources, First Seek to Acknowledge and Understand

September 24, 2016By CiOIn To The BossesComments Off on As a Leader, To Understand All Your Resources, First Seek to Acknowledge and Understand

So much can be accomplished by a leader. So much action can be taken, guidance provided, and so many goals achieved for their stakeholders.

But many leaders have different styles for reaching their accomplishments, utilizing available resources, and emboldening those in their environment.

Great leaders take in a global assessment of both the outside world and the internal dynamic of their workplace or environment but when it comes to the internal assessment, the best and most effective leaders take a much deeper accounting of the resources at their disposal in their environment.

It is no easy task to take all that on — the constant assessment and vigilance of one’s environment — but it is very important.

This awareness — this understanding — is key to performance.

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For All Its Relevance And Benefits, Does Emotional Intelligence Have A Dark Side?

July 8, 2016By CiOIn In The MiddleComments Off on For All Its Relevance And Benefits, Does Emotional Intelligence Have A Dark Side?

 

Leadership Lesson: It’s important to consider how you recognize and utilize the emotions you see and can interpret in your environment, using them to the workplace’s advantage and not only for your benefit.

Since its first mention in the leadership development field, Emotional Intelligence (or “EQ” for “Emotional Quotient”) has been seen as the someone’s ability to understand and read their environment with clear thinking so as to react without emotion in the moment.

It allows one to be able to process and handle the situation at-hand as objectively as possible without getting wrapped up in the situation so that they can step outside themselves and determine how to proceed effectively, without their response being clouded by immediate emotion.

Since the phrase and concept was coined, much…

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The Effectiveness And Honesty Of The Workplace “Just Sayin'”

April 10, 2016By CiOIn Article, General LeadershipComments Off on The Effectiveness And Honesty Of The Workplace “Just Sayin'”

“Just Sayin’” is a term that’s invaded and taken over conversations as a quick means for the user to note that they are just seemingly pointing something out without wanting to engage in a debate about what’s been pointed out.

Although it’s overused, it serves an interesting purpose in ongoing discourse.  It allows us to point out that something is off, amiss, or even objectionable, but that the main reason that the user is pointing it out is not to initiate an emotional debate but to have it known that something that might have flown under the radar is quite clear to them.

“Emotion gets us in trouble. It’s not what you say but how you say it.”

There might be various reasons for the person to bring…

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