In the previous post, we discussed the condition of Adversity. The emergence of Leadership during this condition is perhaps the most obvious and the most expected. When Adversity is present, people have a tendency to act. It is probably tied directly to our fight or flight response. Leadership is typically positioned quickly upon the presence of Adversity. Stronger Leadership anticipates Adversity by the markers that lead up to it. Sometimes one of those markers could be the next condition. This Leadership Condition is Malaise.

Relevance, as defined by Wikipedia is a term used to describe how pertinent, connected, or applicable something or someone is to a given matter. It may be the most important word on your path to leadership.  Think of the people whom you follow. Are they relevant? Is she or he someone who is pertinent and connected to your matter (your goals)? Would you hit at least a speed bump if their relevancy shifted? The stronger their relevance the bigger the speed bump. In some case it could be a brick wall. Relevance is a tool or state you must establish to lead.

One of the most routine and (in my opinion) abused management tools is the Performance Appraisal.  Now I know my readers won’t let me get away with giving an opinionated statement without clarification. Therefore, why I feel it is abused is because it can be an amazing tool yet so many managers see it as a tedious task that occupies their time when they could be doing more important things. What could be more important than improving your employees’ performance? Now generalities can be destructive so I will not say this applies to all managers but it does too many. As a result, it presents me with a great opportunity to help surface the value of the Performance Appraisal and provide some helpful tips to navigate the obstacles that may be in the way.

Every business professional needs to master the skill of networking. It’s essential to build a network of supporters who can help you navigate difficult business and personal obstacles. However, it’s not that simple to always ask for assistance. A network needs to be seeded, watered and cared for long term. Often misconceptions about the purpose of a network present barriers to growing one effectively. The following eCourse is about building your network.

This post is about getting to know yourself and how you can leverage your talents to build the culture you want within your organization.  Believe you can!  That has to be your first commitment.  As you look at so many of our accomplishments as a species on this planet, nothing was ever accomplished by someone who did not believe this.  Believing you can make a difference is a pivotal first step.  Ford believed he could when he made the first automobile.  Edison believed he could when he created the light bulb.  We’ve eliminated deadly diseases from existence like polio.  We put a man on the moon and beyond.  We have photographs of universal realities that look as if they could only have been imagined by someone.  Reality shifted every time someone believed they could do something and followed through.  If you want a specific culture in your organization, you must believe you can build that culture.   If you want to be a leader, you have to believe you can become that leader.

Recently I was asked to present a webinar for the Los Angeles Chapter of American Society for Training and Development. Although I am writing this blog post, well in advance, the purpose is to serve as a follow up for the attendees. The date of the webinar is May 6, 2010 at 12:30 Pacific Time. Although the link to register for the webinar is not up as of the publishing of this post, you can click on the ASTDLA link to stay updated.  My goal for the webinar is to help Learning Professionals move beyond skepticism regarding the use of Twitter, and see it as a evolution to the learning process.

Trust is a big word that should never be thrown around lightly. It is arguably one of the greatest commodities any manager (or person of any status for that matter) can earn from an employee. When it is awarded, the manager deserves it. The same can be said when it is withdrawn. Trust is perishable and must therefore be handled with the greatest care. A decision, a comment, even a look can contaminate trust and begin its spoiling process. Although I don’t mean to minimize the tactic of achieving it, I will make an attempt to provide a starting point to strategically gain trust.

Hopefully after reading “Delegation: What’s In It For You”, you realize the benefits and the need for every manager to use a delegation strategy. First steps can be scary. Perhaps an absence of delegation has gotten you to this point. It’s difficult to adjust and change when your experience is telling you otherwise. One of the biggest obstacles to trying something new is having a plan to do it. Simply convincing you of the power of delegation is hardly enough to make the transition easy from the way you managed in the past to this foreign style of management that you are not accustomed. The Delegation Risk tool is designed to help you put your strategy in perspective and protect those concerns you have that prevent you from managing through delegation.

Delegation can be one of the most crippling tasks for a new manager. New managers often cling to their workload as if it were their first born child, or any child for that matter. They protect and hide these proverbial children as if protecting them from the evils of the world. They fear that it can never be done as good as they do it. Therefore their misplaced pride leaves a disengaged workforce on the sidelines. Delegation doesn’t have to be painful. In fact any seasoned manager will praise this strategy as necessary. An avoidance of delegation is a rookie mistake when managing. This blog post is one of two designed to help you overcome that hurdle.

When I was a boy scout in my early teens, my troop had taken a trip to canoe down the Delaware River. As I partnered with my canoe buddy, we had to develop our strategy to navigate the rapids.  Every time we came upon new rapids, we had to work collectively to avoid capsizing and continue our journey. The rapids were inevitable. They were going to come whether we were ready or not. The only thing we could control was how well we worked together to make it through the challenge. Change is like this. We can close our eyes to the inevitable and hope we wake up from the nightmare or we can work together to navigate the obstacle and continue our journey.  This blog post is about managing your team through change.