Culture is the organizational extension of the way leaders build relationships inside a company…and it starts at the very top. Culture is created, sustained and changed from the inside out…the way a leader manages relationships across the organization will define the culture, regardless of whether she wishes it or not. The CEO and President cannot […]
News & Events
Mike’s #BeIntentional — 15
If “wanting to be liked by your employees” is a leadership flaw, then count me among the world’s worst bosses. Some of my most valued friends are people I work with every day. I worry about the impact of critical conversations we have on our friendship. Despite my concerns, I engage in those conversations because […]
Mike’s #BeIntentional — 14
“When I ask for the time of day, you tell me how to construct a watch.” I have received this feedback from members of my team more than once. Striking a balance between offering too much or too little of your perspective can sometimes be a challenge. Ask people to help you. Encourage them to […]
Mike’s #BeIntentional –13
When you hear that someone is a “natural leader”, don’t take the statement at face value. Watch them. They work hard at making it look easy. Years of experiences, successes, failures and learnings have molded the leader. Someone may have good leadership instincts but that alone will not make a great leader unless they work […]
Mike’s #BeIntentional — 12
“I made a mistake. I understand how it impacted you. I apologize. This is what I commit to do differently going forward. Please hold me accountable to honor my commitment.” As leaders, we sometimes tend to dismiss our errors, or trivialize their impact, or blame them on someone else. What a lost opportunity to improve […]
Mike’s #BeIntentional — 11
“You can’t get there from here.” This was the response I would occasionally hear when asking for directions in Appalachia. It was sometimes difficult to get from one location to another due to mountains, rivers and rough terrain. But, if getting to some place was important enough, you could always find a way. As leaders, […]
Mike’s #BeIntentional — 10
The greatest source of organizational strength is not the leader, but the people they lead. A leader’s greatest contribution is their ability to unleash the individual and collective power of their people. If we as leaders lose sight of that reality, then we are destined to lose our own way. Be intentional about it…
Mike’s #BeIntentional — 9
As a leader of managers, you should be evaluating your managers on the quality of their decisions…not on how effectively they execute your decisions. Managers should not be asking you to solve their problems. Instead, you should encourage them to share the nature of the problem, identify 2-3 possible solutions, rank the solutions, then explain […]
Mike’s #BeIntentional –8
Two of the greatest challenges a President or CEO must overcome are isolation and lack of unfiltered feedback. They often lack professional colleagues to engage in open, constructive dialogue. Also missing is the objective feedback needed to understand the impact of one’s words and actions on their organization. By analogy, it is like being perched […]
Mike’s #BeIntentional — 7
Why did this happen to me? Throughout our lives, we all must deal with losses and setbacks. You can’t prevent them from occurring, but you can control how you respond to unfortunate events. How we deal with losses and hardships says much more about us as leaders than the way we deal with wins and […]