Leadership Skills You Can Develop Now
Are you doing what it takes to earn a leadership role at your firm? A few years ago, I was working with a team of senior project managers (PM). The training program was “From PMs to Business Leaders.” In our first session, I asked them to list the job requirements for a PM and […]
How Effective Leaders Should Give Feedback — Especially During Sensitive Times
Is it time to change the way leaders give feedback to employees? Feedback is tough to give (or receive) in the best of times. Doubly so during troubling times, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a high-stress environment, emotions are high. Sensitivities are raised. Feedback is tricky. However, giving feedback is part of a […]
Engaging the Engagers: Succeeding in the New Era with Better Leadership and Management
“Literally nothing a CEO or CHRO does will authentically, structurally, and sustainably change the value of your organization more.” This is a statement from the recently released book written by Jim Clifton, Chairman and CEO of Gallup, and Jim Harter, PhD, Chief Workplace Scientist for Gallup, based on their research and more than 30 […]
Leadership Is Not a Title — It Is a Perspective
Previously, we discussed the importance of your voice as an industry and community integrator: Who Knows What You Know? — Your Voice Matters! Taking this guidance an important step further, I encourage you to move from managing people to empowering leadership from every vantage point, as our ability to deliver complex solutions in a timely […]
Being in Charge Is Complex and Comes With High Expectations
To succeed, you must… Go to school… Get good grades… Love math and science… Get into STEM… Take AP classes… Love STEM… Pick a college… Go to college… Love STEM more… Get a STEM degree, preferably engineering (my opinion)… Get an internship… Get a job… Be a leader/manager… [su_spacer] Does this list sound familiar? […]
Not-So-Obvious Customers
Way before I decided to go back to school, I worked. I worked a lot and mostly in jobs that required customer service. I did door-to-door sales, telemarketing, and finally food service. I enjoyed being a server. I was good at it and always had cash in my pocket. I had two goals at that […]
Remember Who You Work For
When someone asks a leader who they work for, the best answer is “I work for my team.” That’s obviously not a complete answer, but it speaks to a mindset. Leadership is service, and leaders who approach their roles with that mindset are more likely to be successful. It’s not the complete answer, of course, […]
Would You Want to Work With You?
Picture this: It’s 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning, you’re thinking about where to go for lunch, but you are still waiting for a response from your project team member. You had requested this information via email three weeks ago and every few days you get a, “You should have it soon.” You sent an email […]
Continuous Learning: Providing Coaching and Accountability
Last month’s blog discussed Embracing a Risk-Intelligent Approach. The guidance stated that we shouldn’t be paralyzed by unknown unknowns, allowing a risk-intelligent culture to support sustainable growth. In these uncertain times, as we respond to broad human suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic, I’d like to expand on mitigating unknown unknowns as an introduction to our […]
What Does Transformational Leadership Mean for Engineers?
Transformational leadership is a model of leadership that involves a leader who inspires his or her followers to work together toward a common goal and focus on the greater good. The best transformational leaders can enter a stagnant organization, identify its issues, and begin making improvements almost immediately. While this type of leadership may come […]