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The Danger Of Being Unteachable
After researching opportunities, “Bob” and “Mary” bought a franchise business in the quick serve restaurant (QSR) industry. The franchise was proven and, having been in existence for more than 25 years, was well established as a profitable business model for its franchisees.
In two short years, Bob and Mary closed their doors. To talk with them, it was all the franchise company’s fault. “Not enough corporate support” was what they said.
Upon closure of their store,
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Read MoreWhat Makes A Good Manager?
What makes a good manager?
Recently a friend of mine was reflecting on the best manager he ever had.
“While I’ve been self-employed most of my life, in those seasons where I worked for a company, Denise Birling was the best manager I ever had.
The best way I can describe Denise’s leadership is that she stayed close enough to keep her finger on the pulse, but far enough away so as not to breathe down your neck.
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Read MoreLeadership Hyperopia: the good and bad of it
Leadership and Farsightedness.
According to the American Optometric Association, “Farsightedness, or hyperopia, as it is medically termed, is a vision condition in which distant objects can be seen clearly, but close ones do not come into proper focus.”
I’ve been told I think big-picture. While I don’t consider myself a natural-born visionary, I like to think in broad swaths. What could be possible? What are the big implications if we could?
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Read MoreDan Allender on Leadership Vulnerability
“. . . to the degree you face and name and deal with your failures as a leader, to that same extent you will create an environment conducive to growing and retaining productive and committed colleagues.”
“. . . to the degree you attempt to hide or dissemble your weaknesses, the more you will need to control those you lead, the more insecure you will become, and the more rigidity you will impose — prompting the ultimate departure of your best people.”
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Read MoreLeadership Focus, Karin & the Multitasking Myth
I disagree with Karin. I have for five years. And I’m hoping to win her over. Let me explain why I think this is important for my leadership effectiveness and hers.
As our business expanded five years ago, my wife and I realized that day-to-day operations were growing beyond our abilities. We are both great “starters.” Vision, energy, creating-something-out-of-nothing, putting it all on the line to make something happen: in hindsight, that’s what we did.
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Read MoreNeillie Leadership Minute: Skiing in the Morning
The Leadership Six: 6 numbers that need to be front-of-mind for every good leader
Here are the most important Leadership Numbers we need to remember: 1-3-5 and 2-4-6. Depending on the level of your leadership investment, there are two other numbers that may be important to you: 5 and 10. More about those leadership numbers in a minute. But first, the first three leadership numbers:
1-3-5
The first three numbers represent weeks. A good leader is purposeful about the now and the very near future.
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Read MoreA Key Leadership Question: Are We Having Fun?
Bill Hybels, in his excellent book, Axiom: Powerful Leadership Proverbs, reminds me again: people should enjoy their jobs as much as they are good at their jobs. When I do a reality check with my management team and ask them how they are doing, I look should be looking for two things:
- Is the mission being accomplished?
- Are they enjoying their job?
If the mission is being accomplished but they are not enjoying their job,
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Read MoreLeadership Powerlessness
Leadership sounds wonderful. It’s not. Sometimes it’s downright scary.
She’s not making her numbers. More precisely, her division is significantly off our year-to-date forecast. She was strong through the first quarter, but started dipping at the beginning of the second quarter. Her third quarter is off to a very challenging start.
We had a very hard, very productive conversation about it recently. She owns the responsibility. She sees the reasons and doesn’t use them as excuses.
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