If you’re a leader fed up with problems that fall into the category of I thought we solved that – in other words, recurring problems – I encourage you to add systems thinking to your skill set.
How often have you found yourself stuck in a work problem and just spinning your wheels over and over? It could be a co-worker conflict that seems to defy resolution, a group disagreement over a hiring decision, or a stalemate on budget cuts that have to be made.
How often have you been told that you’re a good listener? Do you think you’re a good listener? What is a good listener? The concept of a good listener is undervalued or at worst completely ignored in organizations.
How often do we hear leaders openly admit their mistakes, say that they’re wrong or be honest about their shortcomings? In other words, how often do we see leaders show their humble sides? Not nearly enough.
A while back, a new client came to me exasperated that her workplace had fallen into nonstop gossiping and backbiting – one drama after another. All the signs were there. She saw too many spontaneous closed-door meetings, a rumor mill in overdrive and endless reports of how this co-worker was working against that co-worker. Sound familiar?
The executive in this article’s title is me. Former executive I should say. I spent 20 years in charge of various departments, programs, work teams and budgets. For most of that time, I believed that part of being an effective leader meant being thick-skinned.
If you were in charge of recruiting Uber’s next CEO to replace embattled Travis Kalanick, what qualifications would be at the top of your list? Given the recent publicity around Uber’s abusive workplace, one can only hope the company’s next leader knows how to create a positive and safe work environment, especially for women.
Recently I was listening to a manager complain about how her supervisor was not being upfront about her performance and on-going responsibilities. The manager took an extended vacation,and during that time her supervisor had reassigned some of her biggest projects to other team members. When the manager returned, she was surprised to learn of the changes.
If you’re a leader considering a restructure because your organization has stalled in some way, hit pause.Your well-intentioned efforts will likely make things worse.That’s the advice and prediction of Boston Consulting Group (BCG) executives Yves Morieux and Peter Tollman.
Recently I was working with an organization where the senior executives and managers wanted to take steps to create a much tighter and productive working relationship between the two levels of management.
Twenty years ago who would have predicted an ever-deepening relationship between the meditation and business worlds? Not me, and I suspect I’m in good company.
It seems a day hasn’t gone by lately without another prominent male getting added to the list of high-profile sexual harassers, many of whom have engaged in this abusive behavior against women for decades in the workplace with little or no accountability.
