I’ve been an executive coach for two decades and before that a leader in defence, law-enforcement and commerce. Despite that, I’m still learning to be a better leader myself as I help others. I was asked recently if I could distil everything about being a great leader down to three traits. I described those traits […]
Gordon (not his real name) had just been appointed head of his firm’s large regional office, after four years as a senior sales manager there. He was aware that it was an unpopular choice, having earned the mistrust of three long serving key people he’d criticised and re-deployed whilst in his previous role. They were […]
In an earlier post I spoke about the difference between elite and high performance being more about mindset. To unpack that elite performance mindset is the purpose of this post. You could look at the elite mindset as being a tripod. Clarity of Goal - Absolute clarity of goal is essential, no ambiguity or uncertainty […]
If there’s diminished trust and respect in a leader, then there’s equally diminished performance and productivity. Right? Trust and respect go hand in glove and it is rare that a leader is trusted but not respected or vice versa. Trust and respect must be earned, and where the leader must go first. We all fundamentally […]
We know how important trust is to us, don’t we? When I ask my clients to describe trust, they pause, finding it difficult to put into words, because it’s largely a feeling. So I ask them to comment on this framework: I assert that trust means: Our values are shared. We proactively care about each […]
Whether we are a leader or team member, we all seek to be trusted and to trust others. I distil trust into the three “C’s” which must be present to earn trust. Consistent Care and Competence. If we are caring or compassionate yet incompetent, then we cannot earn trust. If we are competent yet do […]
Do you remember when you were helped by an amazing person? Who never judged you, yet asked you for your best. Who believed in you, stood beside you, urged you on. Who gave you the glory for your achievement and accepted responsibility for what didn’t work. Do you remember what distinguished that person from others? […]
People and organisations usually include trust and respect in their list of important values. They go hand in hand. Earning trust and respect is a key requirement of leaders, isn’t it? Yet so often people complain that those values are breached or missing. We cannot expect that trust and respect is granted automatically because of […]
Most leaders were initially chosen to lead because of their technical or operational capability. Most of those that then make it through to the higher echelons of leadership are chosen because of their alleged track record and their relationships with their seniors and allied networks. The very few who also possess or acquire outstanding people […]
Employee engagement is a hot topic right now, in partnership with performance and productivity. The concern over these critical requirements for success is warranted because we have a cause that isn’t getting the attention it deserves – that of leadership engagement. Leaders at all levels are largely missing in action, stymied by email, reporting, questionable […]
