As a leader, you have countless opportunities to be exposed to the various “competencies” of the leadership craft. It is understandable (and perhaps frustrating) that the manner in which these skills are portrayed in whichever media you have chosen (including this blog) do not necessarily come with a full proof plan for absorbing and executing […]
Author Archives: Jeffrey Thomason
Reality…What A Concept
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
There are many stories in and around the workplace, but none are arguably more frustrating to the new leader than inheriting the narratives of all your teammates. Cy Wakeman, author of “Reality-Based Leadership” argues that drama is emotionally expensive for all concerned. As both leader and a peer within your own team, you will find […]
Because It Goes to 11…
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
The Online Slang Dictionary defines “dial it back” or “dial down” as a transitive verb that means to “reduce in intensity or frequency, such as “you need to dial back your drinking, man”! Other similar phrases include “take it down a notch” or “chill”. When these words are uttered, either to your face or in […]
July
03
Defining the “Reluctant Warrior”
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
It’s review time. You are sitting down with a teammate talking development and goals and the future with a hardworking, productive member of your organization. In the midst of this, comes the following – “Do I need to have goals and a career development plan? I don’t want to be a leader”. Hopefully, your hair […]
Leading Your Organization – “Whom Do I Lead?” – Part IV
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
The final part in your leadership skillset is your relationship to your organization, as a whole. Having described people (you and others), and processes (performance and change), the larger organization should also be a focus of your leadership. You are not leading in a vacuum. As you gain experience as a leader, you must understand how your […]
June
21
Defining the “Rogue”
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Webster’s defines “rogue” as a “scoundrel, scamp, or generally mischievous person”. In Nachbar and Lanse’s work “Popular Culture”, the tension between the hero as Rogue, and the hero as Citizen is represented in American popular culture in numerous ways. Americans admire their Citizen heroes and carve their faces and names in granite. Americans love their Rogue […]
Leading Performance and Change – “Whom Do I Lead? – Part III”
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Having identified the “tangibles” of whom is led (self and others), the next category is more of a “what” is led. Besides the clearer human targets of subordinates, peers, bosses, teammates, leaders are at the front of the crowd with respect to leading the things that happen in an organization. For the purposes of this […]
Leading Others – “Whom Do I Lead? – Part II”
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Now that we have ourselves sorted out, who is next to be led? No surprises here as it is the people around you – your team, your peers, your boss, and anyone else other than you in your organization. You lead these others in a variety of ways using varying tools and skills. By using […]
Leading Self – “Whom Do I Lead? – Part I”
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
John Maxwell has noted that one of the most important things you can do, as a leader, is to learn to lead yourself. As we continue to look at the answer to the previous question “Who Do I Lead”, I suggest that the first, most simple answer is, …you. Maxwell created the “Mirror Principle” to […]
Whom Do I Lead?
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Webster’s defines “leadership” as “the capacity to lead” and “the act or instance of leading”. What is missing from this description is who is the “actor” and who is the “acted upon”. It would not be a stretch to assume that a random survey of people on the street might define leadership in terms of […]
How Resilient Is Your Organization?
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Social psychologists generally define resilience as the human capacity to remain both flexible and strong in the midst of ambiguity, stress, and change. The “resilient” person perseveres by showing above average ability to remain positive, focused, flexible, organized and proactive. According to researchers at the National Mental Health Institute, the answer to human resiliency might […]
When Leaders Make Mistakes – Leading With Maturity
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
The art of the apology is one that has had a lifetime of practice given that it has a well stocked and steady stream of imperfect humans making error after error. The relationships of family, marriage, work, business, and society provide numerous opportunities to offend, enrage, sadden, or otherwise damage the connection. It could be between a business […]
Iceberg, dead ahead!
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
In this era, public service organizations devote significant time and energy to identifying and developing mission and vision statements. They also devote time to creating strategic plans that seek to translate those statements into goals and practices. What frequently proves to be the biggest barrier to carrying this out successfully, especially when the plan represents […]
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