Tweet In one of my first vocational leadership roles, I managed a large retail division of a major department store. The division had several departments within it and each department…
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Tweet Do you want to know if a leader has high character? You simply have to observe them long enough. We demonstrate whom we really are by what we really…
Tweet Years ago a very successful business mentor of mine gave me a vital tip about a necessary meeting all leaders should consider. Unfortunately, since I received this advice, I…
Tweet This is an opinion post. In fact, this is an opinion blog. Unless I’m quoting Scripture you can dismiss everything I write as one person’s opinion. Mine. But this…
This is a random post, but I was thinking recently about the “backside” of leadership. Here’s what I mean…
A great leader:
The longer I lead and manage people, the more I realize that the most important element in leading and managing people is….
Wait for it…
Have you forgotten that principle?
Leadership is about people. It’s relational. It depends on learning how to interact with people, how to encourage them, how to have healthy conflict, how to recruit them, and how to keep them informed.
You get the idea.
That’s not new information, but the problem is that every decision a leader makes impacts people. Some make the leader popular. Other decisions make the leader unpopular. Therefore, it’s easy for many leaders to become people-pleasers, trying to make sure everyone is happy. Other leaders go to another extreme and become a controlling leader; never allowing anyone input into the leader’s life or the decision making process.
One solution for me has been to do a stakeholder analysis of the situation. When I consider the person’s interest and power or influence in the organization, it can help the way I respond in making the decision, who’s involved in that process, and help us stay focussed towards the mission, while still valuing people.
This diagram shows a typical stakeholder analysis model:
Tweet As a pastor and leader, I am continually dealing with change. Everyday. Change is a part of life – for all of us. Some change occurs without us doing…
Tweet How’s this for a title? One principal for a better life? Really? Yea! Really. And, it is a very simple principle – one every leader knows, but one we…
Tweet What’s the greatest killer of momentum? We often think it is a lack of vision. But, you can have the greatest vision ever and still see motivation dwindle and…
Tweet I’ve often wished I could say something to every leader. Some things I’ve learned the hard way. I often share things leadership should do, but today I thought I’d…