In looking back at the early issues of Traveling Light, the biggest change I see is that I’ve shifted to writing many more articles that share very little strategy and instead deliver those down-in-the-weeds, here’s-the-technique, start-with-this-script, say-this-not-that tools and advice. Why? You tell me you...
If you’ve worked closely with me, you have probably noticed that I see what’s going on inside of people, often before they see it themselves. I pick up the zeitgeist of the moment, and the next wave coming. Whether it’s nature or nurture that gave...
The tough economy has employees stressed in nearly every organization of every size, in every industry -- particularly those who have seen their coworkers laid off. The sickening fear that pervades an organization, ironically, interferes with productivity at the very time when you need the most...
Have you ever tried to lead a major organizational change that failed? I did years ago, and it hurt! I still remember the sting and the embarrassment of having to retract all of my bold statements and retreat from my position. That’s why, ever since, I’ve...
Check out John Bruno’s short, cool, snappy video on customer-driven innovation at http://www.ncr.com/about_ncr/h/john_bruno_future_technology.jsp. John is NCR’s Executive Vice President leading all industry lines of business, customer service, research & development, marketing, corporate communications, government relations, and business development. Some of our readers were at Cisco when...
“Charlie’s become a problem. We thought he’d be great in this role, but he’s blowing it big time. He was great in his previous role, but now he’s missing deadlines, he’s losing key team members, and he’s become completely disorganized in running his organization. So...
I stared in dismay at the overwhelming evidence in the 360-degree feedback report I had just written. There was no way around it: this leader was the worst-performing leader I had ever been asked to coach. I poured over my notes again. Perhaps I had...
While there are many challenges involved in making a decision, one that is often overlooked is naturally occurring bias, which is built into our DNA. There is no such thing as a 100% objective leader or leadership team. It’s a complete myth and an unachievable...
The first step in becoming an outstanding leadership team is to get a clear picture in your minds of what your team “looks like” if you are truly outstanding. What should you consider? What is likely to trip you up? What could you plan and...
Many Traveling Light readers long ago mastered the fundamentals of taking on a new team, so today I’d like to share my favorite all-purpose technique to step up your game. This technique is the new leader assimilation focus group. The focus group is comprised of your...