A couple of years ago I read a post on the Harvard Business Review Blog Network by Joseph Grenny titled, “4 Ways Leaders Can Create a Candid Culture.” It was the inspiration for my column in Vet-Advantage’s December issue. Upon review I think this column has equal application in practices and hospitals. Source: Vet-Advantage, December 2018. Link. Some veterinarians and many … [Read more...]
This list can help you be an effective manager
This article is titled “15 Tips for New Managers,” but it could just as easily be titled “Checklist for Managers.” Whether you are in your first month of management or a grizzled veteran, it holds a great deal of value for you. Source: the balance careers, August 21, 2018. Link. Use the Four Magic Words: “What Do You Think?” This is a favorite quote from management guru Tom … [Read more...]
A bad boss can be an asset
While we all would prefer to work for a great boss, a bad boss can be a great learning opportunity and an asset in furthering our career. A recent University of Central Florida School of Business study provided encouragement for future leaders currently saddled with abusive bosses. Source: phys.org, December 3, 2018. Link. "The lesson here isn't to hire more abusive … [Read more...]
Harshness can be helpful
The world can be quite the harsh place. It does you no good to avoid that fact, to hide from it, or to pretend it's untrue. Look directly at the harshness, at the ugliness, at the unfairness. Process it and understand why it's there. Then use it to improve. Source: Forbes, January 25, 2017. Link. All the brilliant work, great accomplishments, shattered glass … [Read more...]
Positive influencing pays off
The influence of leaders on their environment, and the people around them, is difficult to overstate. Like magnetism, the leader’s disposition and decisions affect everybody in the vicinity. If you're a leader, it's a good idea to remember some of the many ways you can influence. Source: Forbes, December 4, 2018. Link. Although a spirit of "meeting in the middle" is often … [Read more...]
Generosity is rewarding
Conventional wisdom holds that to make it to the top, you need to be a bit greedy—that constantly focusing on other people compromises time spent on yourself and your own advancement. But is selfishness really the key to high earnings? A new study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology suggests otherwise. Link. Source: Quartz at Work, November 18, … [Read more...]
Implementing change can be challenging
Why do the results of even good plans and strategies sometimes fall short of our expectations in the execution? The implementation can be far more difficult than the planning. The reason? People. People have different reactions and points of view, different interests and needs. Source: Veterinary Advantage, November 2018. Link. Buy-in is a powerful thing. It takes the … [Read more...]
Remain calm and lead on
Calmness inspires confidence. It’s a leadership style people want to follow. In most jobs you spend a lot of time with your boss. It’s only natural to want to feel comfortable about that — rather than having your stomach perpetually tied in knots. Source: forbes.com, September 18, 2018. Link. Employees respond well to calmness. Over the long term it’s a pleasant, easy … [Read more...]
Praise: the magic elixir
There is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying the experience of a compliment. Do we need to be able to receive praise well? Not in the same way that we need air to breathe or a roof over our heads, but it certainly makes for a better experience at work (or life in genera!) when you're able to receive and appreciate the value of a compliment. Source: forbes.com, October 23, … [Read more...]
Go from good to great
There are a lot of bad bosses out there—that's no surprise. In fact, 65% of Americans (link) would choose to fire their boss over getting a pay raise. But what gets lost amid trying to stop an awful lot of bad behaviors is the fact that there are a fair number of good bosses out there as well. Source: Forbes, October 18, 2018. Link. Great bosses take it a step further - … [Read more...]
Failures are essential to success
One of the hardest things for effective managers to do is to let one of their direct reports fail. The natural inclination is to jump in and save the day. But, you would never learn to ride a bike if you didn’t fall off a few times. So, failure is an essential part of success. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, October 1, 2018. Link. Success is important as it tells you that, what you … [Read more...]
Effective leaders have the right questions
A popular misconception is that effective leaders always have the right answers. Nothing could be further from the truth. However, they do have the right questions that stimulate the conversation where the right answers often emerge. As a starter, try these questions at your next staff meeting. Source: Inc., September 24, 2018. Link. No leader is perfect. However, the only … [Read more...]
Little things = big results
A penny that doubles every day for a month will produce more than $10 million by the end of 30 days. In the same way, the following small changes will produce big results in your career and personal life. Consider these micro habits. Source: Forbes, September 18, 2018. Link. If you want to change your life, you need to start considering the needs and wants of your future … [Read more...]
Be your own best advocate
Why advocate for yourself? Because, only you know what you really want and need. You are your own best advocate. And, cold hard truth here: If you don't do it, no one else will. Source: Bright Blue Consulting, August 31, 2018. Link. Smart, savvy women are forced to walk a tightrope between their authentic self, the skills they need to deploy to “play in the big leagues” and … [Read more...]
Add by subtracting
Sometimes, to become successful and get closer to the person you can be, you don’t need to add more things — you need to give up some of them. There are certain things that are universal, which will make you successful if you give up on them. Source: Thrive Global, August, 2018. Link. If you never try and take great opportunities or allow your dreams to become realities, … [Read more...]
Strong sales managers coach well
A friend who is a sales manager recently sent me an article titled, “There are too many bad salespeople,” with the suggestion that this could serve as an inspiration for a future column. My friend will be pleased to discover that it worked, but perhaps not in the way she intended. Source: Vet-Advantage – Companion Edition, August, 2018. Link. Real coaching occurs when … [Read more...]
Learn from your mistakes by reacting appropriately
Every business makes mistakes. As a leader, you’ll be responsible or at least accountable for most of them. The best leaders don’t let their bad decisions define them. A simple way you can accomplish this is by not reacting right away to every mistake, but reacting in the right way, whether that means rectifying the issue immediately or learning a valuable lesson and moving … [Read more...]
Protect your business
“Disruptive times call for transformational leaders with a knack for addressing complex problems. To navigate effectively, we must learn to let go—and become more complex ourselves.” This lead paragraph in an article in the March 2018 edition of the McKinsey Quarterly caught my attention. The further I read, the more I realized there is an acute need in the companion animal … [Read more...]
YOU are your sustainable competitive advantage
A competitive advantage is obtained by implementing value-creating strategies that are not simultaneously being implemented by any current competitor. These strategies need to be rare, valuable and non-substitutable. These competitive advantages become sustainable when they are not easily copied and, thus, can be maintained over a long time. Source: Vet-Advantage, June 2018. … [Read more...]
A conversation can be positive or negative. It’s your choice.
Conversations are a critical part of conducting business, leading teams and interacting with others. Despite their obvious importance, how often do we think about them as a crucial skill? Imagine if everyone on your team became exceptional at having meaningful conversations. Source: skiprichard.com, June 2018. Link. Actually, conversation is powerful, period, whether it’s … [Read more...]
One simple question can help you break out of your bubble
A significant challenge for many leaders is that the higher they rise, the more insulated they become. In other words, they get trapped in a bubble. Subordinates tend to become overly compliant, telling them what they want to hear. And once candid conversations are now not so candid. By explicitly asking others, “What do you think?” leaders can break free of this … [Read more...]
Don’t assume results speak for themselves.
While good results might be the price of admission, do not assume they are enough to get you recognized. This is where the skill of managing “up” in your organization is a necessary and effective to get you where you would like to go. Source: Wall Street Journal, April 10, 2018. Link. (Paywall. Also see: PDF of article. Link.) Employees also need to understand the boss’s … [Read more...]
When your boss isn’t your advocate
Having a great boss (Link) is a potentially life-changing gift. On the other hand, many of us know firsthand that having a bad boss (Link) can cause a lot of drama, headaches, and stress. While it’s easy to love the great bosses and flee the bad ones, there’s one kind of boss that’s much less straightforward to navigate: the boss who doesn’t advocate for you. Source: Harvard … [Read more...]
Help others succeed
How can you help others succeed if you don’t know how they define success? How do you know which benefits to highlight if you don’t know what they value? How can you help others get better if you don’t know where they are struggling? How can you have a successful sales call if you don’t talk about your product? The answer to the first three questions is “You … [Read more...]
Giving feedback is difficult
Why is it so hard to tell our employees (or our spouses and friends, for that matter) that they’re doing something that’s not working and need to change? Most often, we’re worried about the other person’s reaction. What if she gets angry? What if he cries? What if she tells me I’m an idiot? What if he gets super defensive and starts blaming me? Another thing that makes it … [Read more...]
Keep customers coming back
Lots of money, effort and time go into acquiring customers. But, not nearly enough thought goes into keeping them coming back. Sure, there’s the occasional offer or the “We’ve missed you” discount. All too frequently, we don’t pay attention unless they’re unhappy or turn up missing. Then, we get busy and try to get them back. Source: Hampton Roads Business Journal, June 21, … [Read more...]
Create a motivating environment
At some point, every leader has dealt with a person or worse, a group of people, who has lost motivation. It is frustrating. As much as we’ve been there ourselves, sometimes it’s hard to empathize with others who are disengaged from work and are unproductive as a result. Source: Harvard Business Review, March 22, 2018. Link. Despite these difficulties, it is possible for … [Read more...]
Developing leaders properly critical to success
Leadership matters! Most people at least implicitly understand this basic concept. People who have studied, and practiced leadership understand it at a deeper level. Developing and selecting individuals for positions of authority is one of the most important responsibilities of today’s leaders. Source: General Leadership, August 6, 2014. Link. The ability to be steady and … [Read more...]
Enjoy your failure
For many of us, graduation is barely visible in our rearview mirror. Those inspiring words spoken at graduation ceremonies are an even more distant memories. However, the occasional reflection back will clarify our vision moving forward. So, here is graduation reflection to consider as you tackle your next challenge. Source: GeorgiaPol.com, June 4, 2018. Link. In the end, … [Read more...]
When traditional goal setting doesn’t work
A goal should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-sensitive. This is right in most cases. However, in some cases you could spend all your time in the goal-setting process while the market passes you by. So, consider these ideas when you need a non-traditional approach. Source: Fast Company, June 4, 2018. Link. Instead of focusing on changing your habit … [Read more...]