Remember that your wins, your successes, your accomplishments are always built on the effort of others. Those who have covered for you, who have supported you, who have motivated you, who have done what you didn't want to do, who have kicked you when you needed a kick and hugged you when you needed a … Continue reading The effort of others
Category: leadership
Facade
This is an historical period that is completely out of the ordinary. Exceptions are made, circumstances are raised, needs are shaped. Yet, we should be careful using all of this as an excuse to deviate from our path. In most cases, we can still continue pursuing what we were pursuing before. The values, beliefs, rules … Continue reading Facade
What else do you care about?
The way companies communicate and engage with their employees in this time of crisis is going to have long term effects on motivation. It is understandable that managers and leaders are focused on business continuity (no business = no employees). Nonetheless, if that is the only thing they talk about, the rationale behind every action … Continue reading What else do you care about?
Humble
Being humble is a great way to go about tackling a new challenge. Humble keeps you grounded (the word actually comes from latin humus, that means earth), and it frees you from the need of having all the answers. When you are humble, you have time to explore, to audit, to find out, and eventually … Continue reading Humble
Reciprocity
Ideally, relationships are established in good times. It is more challenging to do that when the crisis hits, when everyone is occupied saving their neck, when nobody knows what tomorrow will bring. There's a sense of individualism that grows in dire times, preventing the reciprocity needed to build and cultivate relationships. The only thing that … Continue reading Reciprocity
Tough job
Two things about leadership I got reminded about in the past week. First, if you want to start a conversation on a challenging problem, do not put your idea forward. Not in the beginning, not in the middle, not at the end. Sit down and listen instead, and see if some elements of your idea … Continue reading Tough job
All the difference
Discussing a plan, an idea, a project, a strategy with somebody who's on a different agenda is challenging. To push it through, you might be tempted to do one or more of the following. Make it about the lack of alternatives - i.e. if we don't do this, we will do nothing. Make it about … Continue reading All the difference
