Leadership Perspectives

7 questions to see if communication issues are damaging your team’s productivity

The purpose of a team is to utilize diverse talents, experience, and world views to make better plans, arrive at sounder conclusions, and solve thornier problems than one might be able to do on one’s own. That diversity of thought and experience is what makes teams so effective, yet it is the very same thing […]

6 ways to delegate more effectively

In the management and leadership classes that I teach, I’ve proven time and again that even leaders just starting out understand the benefits of delegating, the consequences of failing to delegate, and even some of the reasons that they don’t delegate.  Yet the need to delegate more effectively comes up repeatedly on the list of […]

What you can do to make 2014 your best year ever

Were you your best leadership self in 2013?  If so, do you want to keep getting better?  If not, do you want a chance to make 2014 your year to shine?  Here are just a few key things that you can do to be more effective and happy with your performance in 2014. Set a […]

5 Problems with being a perfectionist

Last month an article caught my eye.  It was called “Why your employees need to make mistakes.” Years ago, I tried to convince my boss that mistakes weren’t necessarily bad.  Mistakes could be valid measurement of effort and innovation.  If we never make mistakes, it’s a strong sign that we aren’t putting our necks out […]

DC’s Eight Wonders of Effective Communication

Ask many leaders to tell you what they really want to work on, in terms of improving their on-the-job performance, and Communication, with a big capital C, invariably shows up on a lot of people’s lists.  Sometimes leaders mean that they need to start telling people about things, being more transparent, and sharing with others […]

Empathy: A powerful tool for leaders

The following article, which I wrote, originally appeared on the PMANewsline.com Business Success Column on July 3, 2013.  It is reprinted here with permission. People – and your relationships with people – are the lifeblood of your business. Customers, prospects, employees, and even suppliers are people that you need in order for your business to […]

Seven benefits of better listening

Listening is one of the most effective tools that a leader has in his arsenal. With relatively little effort, a leader who is a good listener can net high yield results. Think about it. When you listen, you don’t have to DO much of anything. Yes, you may ask some curiosity questions or clarifying questions, […]

Four easy ways to increase your interpersonal effectiveness in 2013.

One of the most important skills that a successful leader depends upon is their own interpersonal effectiveness.  As the New Year gets underway, there are a few simple things that you can begin to do today to increase your effectiveness with co-workers, employees, and other leaders in your organization. Smile.  Underrated as a tool for […]

Managing conflicting leadership roles with personal mastery

This month, Financial Executive Magazine published an article that I wrote for financial officers. (Click here to read it.) The article was titled “Leading with Personal Mastery,” and spoke to the challenge that CFOs have in fulfilling a dual role. Dual roles to fulfill. On one hand, CFOs are responsible for guarding the financial integrity […]