What wins the race? It is the leadership quality and finesse of multiple factors that wins, not the novice conceit of speed, or the number of hours of practice. From the book, “Inner Speed Secrets: Mental Strategies to Maximize Your Racing Performance,” by Ronn Langford and Ross Bentley share insights into the nuances that also apply to leadership:Continue reading “Leadership Quality Wins: Moving Beyond 10,000 Hours”
Every moment offers a choice. As we experience national level stress, it’s helpful to consider that smart, adaptive planning, through complexity, is essential to leadership, in tough times. What helps is to focus on the important while managing the urgent? As I wrote this post originally, the United States was dealing with the…
Continue reading “Prioritizing through Tragedy, War, Conflict and Peace”
Featured: Five key concepts and supporting research and tools will help you lead through adaptive change in a VUCA world, one that is Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous, as presented in Mexico City for CPA firm leaders at the Russell Bedford International conference, yet applicable for any leader.Continue reading “5 Strategies to Lead Change Using Liberating Structures, DPPE”
Leaders know that good data is essential to good decisions. But what data? Finding the right data, at the right time, from the right sources is critical.Data is the first of four elements from a simple acronym DPPE. It stands for Data, Purpose, Plan, Evaluate. Continue reading “One Overlooked Element that Can Stop or Supercharge Any Project, DPPE”
Leadership skill is built upon skilled listening, including listening to yourself for health and wellness. Busy leaders know intellectually that taking care of yourself is how you are best able to take care of others. The challenge, in this part three of our series, continues to be putting this principle into disciplined, regular practice. Leadership coaching, as my clients have told me, has helped leaders:Continue reading “Seven Ways New NonProfit Leaders Succeed the First Year on the Job”
Like a well-played symphony, when nonprofit leaders partner well with their board, staff and volunteers, magic happens. Though a board of directors or council holds ultimate legal and fiduciary responsibility, true success requires a solid partnership between the chief executive officer (or staff officer) (CEO / CSO) and chief elected officer, a board chair or council president.
Continue reading “Nonprofit Leader Partnerships: How to Achieve the Right Balance”
It takes courage to listen. Whether it’s a first or fifth transition to a new leader role, these non-profit leadership lessons learned are timeless. Pause, reflect, choose (from horse-guided leadership & learning.) In your first months, resist the urgent and not important tasks and follow these practical steps to ensure your success.
Continue reading “Courage for New Leaders To Listen and Learn in the New Year”
Successful organizations focus on people as well as profits, often built with talented staff that take action as co-owners of the business. Twenty-first century talent retention practices can build greater success in your organization. Here’s are 4 ways leaders can help this happen:
1) Check your “hire smart” bench strength & compensation
Nothing breeds success like talented staff and the ability to pay them at the going market rate or better. Nothing works right if you don’t have these two basics as your foundation. Make sure your hiring process is top-notch using behavioral and performance based questions and follow-through. Don’t hesitate to make a change if staffing mistakes have been holding your business back from success.
What can a 1200 pound horse teach you about leadership? In 2010, I found out as Cherokee walked up and chose me in an experience that has forever changed the way I relate to both people and animals in my professional and personal work as a coach and consultant. The photos below reflect my early experiences working with horses as a learner and a future coaching partner.
What I learned, from Horseplay and mindfulness practices included:
Let it go, let it go, let it go! It takes courage, tenacity and teamwork to let go of performance appraisal practices and industrial age thinking. In our post 9-11, post financial, no-such-thing as “New Normal” world, business models continue to evolve dramatically and surprise us. Yes, the old relic of performance appraisal from twentieth century business practices persists. For example, a recent entry in Wikipedia suggests:Continue reading “6 Steps Beyond Industrial Age Performance Appraisals”
