Thoughts on people, teams, organizations, communities, effectiveness and success
One of the cardinal sins of leaders is to think out loud. More tears have been shed by subordinates springing half-formed thoughts into reality than you can imagine. But how and who, particularly in these tough times, does a CEO talk with to make partially baked thoughts into fully formed solutions?
Short answer: it depends.
As someone married to a psychiatrist, CEOs apparently talk to shrinks.… Read the rest
A little experience goes a ways, and a lot of experience goes even further. It may not mean you know the answers to the future, but it provides a data set that is significantly greater than those who are newly initiated.
I remember Todd Wanerman from the preschool our son Traylor attended (and on whose board I still sit) assuring us that despite my son Traylor’s fierce declaration – “I’m going to wear pull-ups until I’m five!”… Read the rest
Land O’Spin is an occasional set of writings focused on best practices in coaching and assessment: how do take what you observe, know what it means, and draw conclusions about what outcomes will occur in the future.
The news came in different ways about different people but the intersection was all mine: addition by subtraction was at play.
The sports news channels were filled with the predictable dispatches about Terrell Owens ‘ release from yet another National Football League team – this time the Dallas Cowboys.… Read the rest
Having had the fortune to live and work through four recessions , the dynamics of the employment market and how most companies approach these sorts of times have gotten in better focus than when I first graduated – and encountered my first working-person recession in 1974.
Based on first-hand experiences with those recessions, as well as a personal temperment to be optimistic when I can see a reasonable path being laid for recovery, I expect that I’ll see another four or five recessions before my working days are done.… Read the rest
In the earlier two posts [Land O’Spin] two things were covered regarding assessment basics: 1) Watch and note behaviors (what did people or organizations do), and 2) when assessing something, what sort of behaviors, actions or characteristics are you looking to see demonstrated or evidenced?
In my coaching work, whether with individuals or teams, the first thing I start do is observe: what’s going, what do I see, what other actions or behaviors are triggered, etc.?… Read the rest
It might be nice – albeit less interesting – if job hunters interviewed successfully once and kept that role for the balance of their life. The reality for most is different.
The truth of the matter is that most of us over the years end up kissing lots of frogs –warts and all – to find roles that work well for us.… Read the rest