Blog
Question Authority! (Then Listen to the Answers)
I forget where I first heard the rallying cry Question Authority! I mean, I’m a sixties person. I had it on a sweatshirt, on my college notebook (kids, this was a primitive device that required pen, paper, and handwriting) and on the stickers we pasted on phone booths. (Oh my… How do I explain ‘phone booth’? Ah! They were conveniently placed little rooms where Clark Kent could change into Superman.) I think the term is also in one of James Baldwin’s early works. Questioning authority was a team sport. We’d gather in small groups, debating...
read moreWho Are My Heroes? Young Millennial Leaders
I bet you’re asking yourself if I’m nuts. I am. And I’m happily addicted to these kids too! The stereotype of Gen-Y/Millennials is one of entitlement. There certainly are those who fall into this category and I’d submit there are plenty of Baby Boomers too (hum…look at Washington DC’s problem openly discussing Medicare and Medicaid!). I see this all the time in corporations with people of all ages. You may say my heroes are self-selecting and I’m limiting my scope. You may be right. That doesn’t diminish the hope and encouragement they...
read moreAppreciating Diversity and Differences Builds Effective Teams
One key to developing strong and effective teams is the ability to appreciate the benefits of the differences each team member presents. Those differences can confuse, frustrate and cause misunderstandings – OR – they can be illuminate, broaden our horizons, provide growth, and help us to gain new insights. Achieving our organizational goals can often be best achieved when diversity of opinion, background, and skill are engaged. We’ve all likely had the experience of being on a team where one or more members presented special challenges. They...
read moreA Gen Y Definition of Leadership
I was surprised (and more than somewhat honored) when I was asked to participate in this blog. After all, I’m in fantastic company… what could I possibly contribute that adds value? And then it hit me: I can offer insight into the leader I hope to be in the near future. Gen Y is the next generation of leaders, and we bring with us a fresh outlook on leadership. So, I’ll focus on my desired leadership style, the rationale behind it, and the implications to companies big and small – after all, I’m probably not the only one who thinks the way I...
read moreLeadership Is a Social Business
Somewhere along the line, leadership forgot who it was leading. Leaders are often selected based on their business acumen and “results,” – not necessarily their ability to lead people. Unfortunately, the ability to produce results as an individual does not always scale to effectively lead others. In addition, leadership development has evolved to focus on developing business acumen, often at the expense of developing critical people skills. Leadership, in many ways, has been reduced to managing outcomes. The problem with this approach...
read moreIt’s Time for Honesty About Diversity
The topic of diversity is very popular; so ever-present that the word has almost become cliché. People hear “diversity” and dismiss conscious thought, relying instead on whatever stereotypical notion they have about the topic. How did things get this way? First, we have a very real diversity problem with glass ceilings everywhere. Second, there exists a lack of bravery, honesty, and emotional intelligence when it comes to talking about diversity. Put these together and what you get in most organizations is required training that offends some,...
read moreA Leadership Challenge to Those Starting a Career
I issue this challenge mostly to those about to enter the professional world, as you have not yet given over your original, unique self to the corporate hive mind. This directive is, however, also a kick in the ass to some of you who have been in the work world for a while, and who still have a spark of independent life left inside. This directive is also a kick in the ass to some of you who have been in the work world for a while For me, it’s been about 11 years since I left the cube farms of corporate America for the more friendly, if more...
read more3 Leadership Lessons We Can Learn from Gen Y
A third of U.S. employees feel chronically overworked. 52% of U.S. families say work interferes with their family or home responsibilities. More than 54% of U.S. Americans say they will look for a better job once the economy improves. I could prattle on with statistics like the above. Let me first give you context for citing such disappointing numbers. The workplace is under siege by a growing sentiment that the way we’re working is not longer effective. The Great Recession has catapulted the need to change how we work into our conversations....
read moreThe Dirty Secret Of Workplace Diversity
Intellectually, it’s easy for us to promote the value of diversity in our organizations. We can endlessly proclaim epithets about the added benefit of a diverse and varied constituency of employees, espousing the importance of mixing genders, races, generations, and lifestyles. In our heads, we “get it,” and for good reason—it seems almost self-evident that a variety of perspectives would make our collective decisions better, faster, stronger. In practice, however, leveraging the obvious benefits of diversity is, well… really freaking hard....
read moreNot a Born Leader? So What!
I was not born a leader. When I was born (and this was a very long time ago), there were serious defects in my leadership blueprint. First, I had two X chromosomes at a time when one Y was needed in order to be a leader. Actually, nobody knew what a chromosome was back then, so 42 Extra Long was the preferred measure, and I didn’t reach my full 5’2” until I was 25. Although I had no choice in the matter, I also ended up with two loving parents, neither of whom was an entrepreneur or executive. It would seem hopeless. Now, in 2013, diversity...
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