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 […]
Do you have the courage to own up to your errors immediately? Do you have the courage to ensure the right people are on your team for the right reasons? Do you have the courage to hand leadership over to a person better suited for the immediate situation, even temporarily? Do you have the courage […]
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 […]
“How long did it take you to become an expert in your field?” I was asked. “Well, I’m still learning” I replied. “There are over 7 billion people on the planet and they are all individuals. Until I fully understand them all, at least, I’ll need to keep learning.” “What about you?” I asked my […]
The HR Manager told me that we couldn’t call the leadership development project “coaching” because the CEO doesn’t believe in coaching for leaders. The CEO has stated that leaders should be developed enough to not need coaching; that they wouldn’t have made it thus far if they were deficient. That CEO and his Chief Operating […]
I am dismayed and frustrated at the prevalence of leadership cowardice and ignorance, and its resulting high cost. As an executive coach I find that most of the cases I undertake, whilst warranted, are exacerbated by a more senior leader failing to be clear, decisive and timely in bringing the critical issues to the attention […]
“I aspire to be a CEO” Have you heard that before? Perhaps you’ve even thought or said it yourself. What if you are a CEO now? Do you think you really deserve it? How often do you doubt yourself as a CEO? Can you imagine anyone telling you that you shouldn’t be the CEO? Mostly […]
I’ve just seen Bernard Marr’s slideshare answer to this dilemma. With full respect to Bernard’s expertise, I disagree with some of his suggestions. We all have weaknesses, both professional and personal. The conscientious interviewer is aware of his or her own too. The question is difficult because it causes us to become fearful of a […]
As a newly appointed leader, you have an obligation to earn trust and respect prior to being effective as the leader. The quicker you do that the quicker you can become effective. You won’t gain it quickly by being a know-it-all hero. You won’t gain it quickly by becoming popular. You’ll gain it by being […]
