Hope the holiday season is finding all of you healthy and hopeful for the New Year. If you haven’t had time yet, please take a moment to complete the Leadership Resolutions Survey and let’s set the agenda for next year! Leadership Resolutions Survey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/J5Z8HP7
Tag Archives: leadership
May
06
Appreciation
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
This being the occasion of Public Service Appreciation Week, it seems appropriate to take a moment and consider the act of appreciation, from the perspective of a leader. The power of appreciation is an awesome thing to behold. As young children, we were taught that “please” and “thank you” were required elements of just about […]
April
28
First Rule of Bossing – Do No Harm
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Stanford professor Robert Sutton is well known for his theories on management and business, with over a dozen books to his credit. His most popular work is about being civil in the workplace, which at its core is about the Golden Rule. It is unfortunate that in any conversation about workplace jerks, the buck stops pretty squarely […]
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 […]
January
13
What Kind Of Follower Are You?
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
This blog is about the art of leadership, and as I have said on several occasions, is aimed at the leader, the aspiring leader, and those who are led. Many of the topics I have covered thus far focus in on the perspective of those first two groups. The last group, the led, are known by another […]
December
31
Of Resolutions and Such, Part 2 – How Not To Suck At Email
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
According to a 2010 study, a little short of 300 billion emails are sent daily. After deducting 90% of that figure as spam, this results in about 15 emails per day sent/received by about two billion actual users (and not computer generated ED pill salesman). With the assumption that this is not the first post of […]
September
29
When You Don’t Own It
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
“Just own it”. Which is of course the opposite of “Just do it”. One requires accountability while the other requires initiative. One without the other can lead to either some pretty radical explosions, or a pet rock. From the perspective of a leader, there is no shortage of books, articles, and other assorted media devoted […]
What Happens When The Music Stops? – Managing Conflict
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
One of the most critical moments for an organization is that point when a crisis looms. It might be brought on by a resource issue, and hard decisions had to be made about the way forward. Or, it could be because the organization just spent some time trying to figure out what was value added and what was […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
So you are management now – Professional Presence
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Welcome! If this is what you dreamed about, ouch. It might turn out that way, but more than likely, the moments you recall down the road won’t happen in here. Right away, did you notice a change in how people act around you? Do they seem a bit more guarded? Perhaps over-the-top friendly beyond any […]
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