Debt Beyond Dollars

Technical Debt Will Cost You More Than Money

Even if your organization’s balance sheet shows no debts, it’s a safe bet you have some.  If you’re not aware of that debt, you can’t be managing it well.Triple constraints

The debts I’m referring to aren’t generally tracked in dollars.  But the financial toll of their impact on your organization’s resilience, flexibility, responsiveness, ability to grow, and overall health is huge. Continue reading Debt Beyond Dollars

Avoiding a “No” From the Boss

Leading Up to Move Forward

Avoiding "No"

As hard as I’ve tried, I’ve never been able to master Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Jedi mind trick to get someone to say what you want them to say.  But there are things we can do to stack the odds in our favor, hopefully avoiding a “no” response to our ideas. Continue reading Avoiding a “No” From the Boss

Productivity is a Team Sport

Time Management Isn’t Just Personal

Everyone wrestles with time management challenges at one time or another. I have a library full of resources with “surefire” solutions to this ubiquitous problem. But what works great for some doesn’t work for others. We’re not all the same and personal time management starts with knowing ourselves. But that’s a topic for another time.Productivity impact

Where most of these resources fall short is that they’re all about “me”. How do I become more productive? Seems logical, but… Continue reading Productivity is a Team Sport

Leading Through Crisis

Where Great Leadership Shines

Some changes we create. Others, like the current world crisis, are thrust upon us. But in addition, those you lead also experience the changes you’re creating as being thrust upon them. How you lead them will define whether you thrive or just survive once you’ve executed your strategic plan.

Continue reading Leading Through Crisis

Changes Now, Changes Past

Leveraging Your History

Unless you’re a fresh startup, your organization has a history. It’s a pretty good bet that your history includes some significant changes. And you’re about to introduce another…

Change built on the pastWhether your company’s history is a source of pride and loyalty or a dark dungeon of despair, you can’t afford to ignore the past as you introduce change.  The uncertainty of change stirs emotions even in those who aren’t inclined to express them. For some, those emotions may be positive as they see the potential for a brighter future. For others, even positive changes are accompanied by overwhelming anxiety. And if the change is in any way threatening… Continue reading Changes Now, Changes Past

What Cultural Fit Isn’t…

Cookie-Cutter Yes-Men Need Not Apply

Cookie cutterStewarding an organization’s culture is a core responsibility of every leader. Weak culture can bury the strongest strategy and vision. But a strong culture will put even a mediocre strategy on steroids.

Culture-fit can get distorted into an unhealthy form. Unhealthy culture-fit looks something like this: Continue reading What Cultural Fit Isn’t…

Getting Good Decisions

Because You Can’t Train for Everything

Jeff had been through new employee orientation. His resume was stellar. He had completed the in-house job training with flying colors. His first nine Confusedmonths on the job showed great potential. So how could he have made such a boneheaded decision that put the organization’s reputation on the line with a major stakeholder!

What would you do to avoid a repeat of Jeff’s scenario? Continue reading Getting Good Decisions

I Don’t Want To…

But I Should…

Imagine how different life would be if every time we chose our next action we based it on what we should do instead of what we want to do. Why are we surprised when our followers choose a less important task over the most important one when our own wants often win out over the shoulds?
Continue reading I Don’t Want To…

Decision Time

Before Flipping a Coin…

Decision TimeIt’s decision time. And the decision is clearly yours to make. You’ve done your due diligence, gathered as much data as you can reasonably expect to get, made your pros/cons list, done the cost/benefit analysis, sought the perspectives of every stakeholder – now all that’s left to do is decide. But the decision still isn’t clear.

When the facts are clear, some decisions jump out at us. If I want to fill my gas tank at the cheapest price, I can gather information on local gas prices and decide where to go. But life is bigger than logic, and some problems involve unknowable or unmeasurable variables.  Continue reading Decision Time

Leading Yourself Through Change

Easy Unless You’re Human

I suspect change would come much easier if I was leading robots. Replace some hardware, upgrade the software, and presto! Change complete. But then again, for change to be that easy I would have to be a robot, too.

Leading others through change starts with leading myself through the change. Continue reading Leading Yourself Through Change