Leadership Perspectives

Downtime is essential for leadership effectiveness

Some of a leader’s best thinking and learning occurs in that space in-between when all is still.  It’s known as the creative pause, a term probably coined by the best-selling author Edward de Bono, and it refers to the increasingly rare downtime that leaders have to rest and to quietly reflect. Between the ultra-connected world […]

Leaders under stress: Pay attention to lifestyle factors

Many leaders compound the stress inherent in leadership responsibilities with the additional stress experienced by our bodies and minds when we don’t care for ourselves properly.  I have learned that three lifestyle factors are essential for me to operate effectively.  Without them my ability to manage stress goes right out the window.  Proper nutrition:  Food […]

Four step plan for cleaning up unresolved issues and projects

Those issues that you know you need to address but just haven’t gotten to, and those half-finished projects, often the result of multitasking (see prior post: Multitasking: a less effective way to cope), are like the proverbial ball and chain that weigh us down.  Over time, unresolved issues contribute just as much stress, if not […]

Leaders, Get comfortable with ambiguity

Sometimes when I work with leaders, they struggle with ambiguity.  They want all the facts before they make a decision.  They want to memorize a script before an important presentation.  They don’t want to take questions for fear of not having answers. While I understand the urge to want to be certain, have all the […]

You are a Leader, but are You a Lion?

A recent article that I had published in the Griffin Report started with “Every morning in Africa, a Gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest Lion or it will be killed. Every morning a Lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest Gazelle or it will starve to […]

Engagement Lacking? How Leaders Get Re-engaged

Last fall, we posted a good bit in various social media about employee engagement.  Leaders worry a lot about how to help workers feel enthusiastic, committed, and emotionally connected to their work.  After all, engaged workers are more productive and they are less likely to leave. But what happens when the leader isn’t feeling engaged?   You […]