As leaders, being confronted by emotion is part of the job. Often, the actions we take as leaders can contribute to or generate that emotion. Emotional displays can be genuine or they can be manufactured as a defense against whatever it is you are bringing. Performance management is a particular venue in which a blowup […]
Category Archives: Leads with Maturity and Passion
December
06
4 Things To Say To Sabotage Your Newest Teammate
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
The stress of starting a new job in a career field can often be a critical factor in making a decision to stay, either in the field, or with the chosen employer. There are many components to this stress, of which some are obvious (like doing the work itself) and some are less so (like […]
November
04
The Real Meaning of Work Ethic
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
How often have you observed a person at work who seems to be indifferent to the job they are doing? Is it because they wish they were somewhere else? Or doing something else? Or unhappy that whatever job they are doing was assigned to them and they are way too important for this stuff? The […]
September
04
Humble Can Be A Verb
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
You are right. You know you are right. The data is clear. All the variables have been accounted for. It’s the right thing to do. There is no question about which direction to proceed. Anyone could see how right you are. And yet…..that’s not the way the boss decides things will go. And you are […]
June
24
What Experts Say About Lessons Learned
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
The other day I was asked about what lessons I have learned over the past 25 years that could be distilled into a hindsight approach. I thought that was a great question and so, as with all great questions, I asked the Internet. Rather than ask for the nearest location of a great teriyaki takeout […]
April
10
Attitude is Every Day
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
For those of you who just took a chewing from the boss, or experienced a spectacular fail, or got crushed under a huge Rock Of Unrealistically High Expectations, coming in to work the next day (or the next minute, depending on the circumstances) can be an ordeal. Sometimes, it’s even worse if you have had […]
March
23
Entitlement and Leadership
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
The cliché of the executive washroom to which the entitled Chief Executive dispenses access like cash is a staple of many of the Reagan-era Hollywood depictions of the corporate leader. It was (then) a perfect description of how those outside the boardroom viewed life inside. It definitely was the kind of image that was likely to strike […]
February
14
Captain Miller’s Rule – Gripes Go Up
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
War movies are sort of a cliche for finding leadership material. For one, they are not everyone’s favorite genre’, so a respectable portion of aspirant leaders may not read any farther when someone starts quoting their favorite scenes. On the other hand, the topic of leadership is something endemic to the military, especially due to the […]
February
07
How Much Are Style Points Worth?
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Before you spit your morning beverage of choice out, have confidence that the answer to the title of this blog will be to your liking. I was struck by a recent post in Leadership Freak that discussed more than a few ways to be IR-relevant. It also recalled for me an item in Forbes from a […]
December
22
Culture vs. People
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
In my morning newspaper today was a story about the hometown college football team who suspended the quarterback for the rest of the season for violating a team rule. While this may not be a higher order “man bites dog” story, I was struck by a number of elements to the drama. The player in […]
November
24
Do You Have What it Takes to Admit Mistakes?
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
In a previous post, I talked about the confluence of leadership and truth, especially when the truth may hurt. The goal was hopefully to establish that this practice was not a “one-off” topic in your leadership library but a valid, accepted behavior that all good leaders understand, and great ones model. The purpose of today’s […]
November
24
When Conflict isn’t a Problem
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
The terms “conflict resolution” and “problem solving” are sometimes used interchangeably in organizations to describe any situation which has the potential to, or has already, threatened the momentum or direction of things. Practically, they are two very different dynamics and revolve around some very distinct action steps. Confusing one for the other is by and […]
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 […]
The False Choice of “Character” versus “Results” – Developing People
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Recently, the Chairman of the Joint Chief’s of Staff, Martin Dempsey, noted that the character deficencies of the senior leaders of the services required special attention. The general said that officers who had “incredible” character but poor professional competence, and those who were high-achievers but who “did not live a life of character” were of […]
What Color is Your Marshmallow? – Lead With Maturity and Passion
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Richard Bolles classic 1970 career advice book “What Color is Your Parachute?”, has provided over 40 years of job seekers with sage wisdom in the art of marketing you and your skills towards a successful job search. It is consistently listed as one of the Top 5 career advice books. In many ways, Bolles’ theories […]
Yes…you are a Rocket Scientist – Research and Leadership Effectiveness
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
>People who lead have fascinated social scientists for over a century, which has led to more research than you can read in a single sitting. The most critical finding about leadership is that it is both a science and an art. There are clear findings about what works but equally clear findings that knowing what […]
Got Toxic? – Lead With Maturity and Passion
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Over the last 10 years, the US Army has noticed something that the corporate world has known for a long time. To wit, a jerk boss can really cause damage in an organization. As one of the armed services defined by its relationship to the civilian-led Department of Defense, the Army is required to be […]
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