The Work of Leadership
Leadership ideas worth applying.
Twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, practical reflections for leaders who want to lead with greater character, courage, and intention. Give leaders something they can use Monday morning.
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Previously.
You do not have an accountability problem.
Many accountability problems are agreement problems. People cannot reliably own what leaders never made clear.
Authentic Self-LeadershipYour calendar is your culture.
Leaders can publish values, announce priorities, and repeat that people matter. Employees still watch the calendar.
Authentic Self-LeadershipYour annual review is too late.
If an employee first hears about a serious performance concern during an annual review, the review is not evidence of a strong accountability system. It is evidence that the conversation arrived late.
Authentic Self-LeadershipUrgency is not leadership.
Teams can move quickly for a season. They cannot think clearly inside permanent emergency.
Authentic Self-LeadershipStop asking for buy in.
If the first meaningful invitation comes after the plan is finished, the leader is not asking for participation. The leader is asking for endorsement.
Authentic Self-LeadershipThe most powerful leadership sentence is I was wrong.
People rarely expect leaders to be flawless. They do expect leaders to be honest.
Authentic Self-LeadershipYour best performer may be your biggest leadership failure.
A leader looks at the numbers and sees a star. The team looks at the same person and sees the reason good people are leaving.
Authentic Self-LeadershipHealthy conflict is an act of care.
Many leaders say they want trust, but what they reward is agreement. The absence of conflict is not evidence of a healthy culture.
Authentic Self-LeadershipStop rescuing your team.
Most leaders do not become bottlenecks because they want control. They become bottlenecks because they want to help.
Authentic Self-LeadershipBefore you judge the result, understand the person.
Performance is data. It is not the whole story.
Authentic Self-LeadershipYour first answer is probably not the problem.
Sometimes the fastest leader in the room is simply getting to the wrong answer faster.
Relational LeadershipThree questions to ask before giving your team the answer.
A member of your team walks into your office with a problem. Within 30 seconds, you know what they should do. So you tell them.
Authentic Self-LeadershipStop pretending you have all the answers.
One of the easiest traps to fall into as a leader is believing that your value comes from having the answer.
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