January
27
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
After nearly 40 years of public service, the average person would be ready for a well-deserved rest. However, our latest person you should know wasn’t satisfied with a 40-year career culminating in his service as United States Coast Guard Commandant from 2010 to 2014. Upon retirement in 2014, he transitioned directly into his appointment as United States Special Envoy […]
June
24
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 […]
October
27
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Resolving communication problems can appear to be simplistic when written as a five-step action plan. In the real world, the causes for miscommunication between yourself and another, or your entire team, may be a much more difficult issue to tackle. Depending on your emotional IQ, or your teams, no one may be even willing to […]
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
According to a recent study by Deloitte, only 20% of workers are truly “passionate” about their job. Brent Peterson, in his book “Fake Work” reported research that claimed 70+% of workers believe their organization’s strategies and goals are not translated into specific work tasks they can execute, do not know how to support their organizations’ strategies […]
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
So, you understand that people will follow your lead because they want to, and not because they have to? And, you have worked hard to keep a consistent character-driven relationship with everyone. What’s next? There are many force multipliers in the field of “influence”, but there are an equal number of “force-dividers”, which will ensure […]
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
If leadership is about influence, then influence is about credibility. There are a variety of descriptions and diagrams about the dynamics of influence, but all start from a position of credibility between the influencer and the influenced. How does one get to be credible? Bill Zipp defines credibility as the combination of two factors – […]
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
It is generally accepted among leaders who have significant experience in the dynamic that things get done more often because of influence rather than direction. The new positional leader may find this challenge to be among the first they experience. Having been anointed as a “leader” by virtue of title or job description, it is […]
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
What is a crucial confrontation? According to Joseph Grenny, it consists of a face-to-face accountability discussion – somone has disappointed you and you talk to them directly. All ends well, the problem is resolved, and the relationship benefits. And shortly after this happens, a beautiful unicorn dances over a fluffy cloud onto your rainbow. Awesome. […]
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Ever wonder how people “see” you in your office? If this video is any clue, they may need to see you a bit more often. If this is how you are seen, you might consider practing a little more “MBWA”. This term was coined by the founders of Hewlett Packard and later attributed to […]
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Courage, Apathy, or Fear. From your viewpoint as a leader, which one defines your organization? Each one of these words can define the culture of an organization, the people in it, and the fundamental way that the organization works its way through the cycle of decisions and opportunity. Does your behavior as a leader, or as […]
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
As humans, we converse through the power of language every day. When we work as a team in a shared endeavor, like the workplace, we often engage in conversations, that often, but not always, involve the spoken word. It is not likely that anyone will exist in the modern workplace for long without at some […]
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
While not everyone may be aware of the magic that is comedian Bill Engvall, one part of his act is dedicated to all those moments when someone feels the need to state the obvious. On the other side of the communication spectrum, is the moment when you realize you are the only one in the […]
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Diversity is good news to any organization. Besides being reflective of organizational charters, personal value systems, it is (hopefully) engrained in procedural doctrine for your organization. Having decided that, is employment policy the only area we have to practice diversity? Are their behaviors, either individual or as an organization that we can commit to not […]
"The front of the jersey..." 