The leadership question that changes everything. During a recent leadership coaching session, one of my colleagues, Kwesi Johnson posed a brilliant question to the group: “Are you more like a mechanic or a gardener?” As he went on to explain the distinction, ...
We’re a goal-oriented society, and leaders tend to be goal-oriented people. They’re always moving forward and taking steps to achieve the next goal, cross the next hurdle, or achieve the next milestone. In the process, though, something gets left behind. Honoring ...
Orientation programs are notorious for being boring. Death by PowerPoint. Endless forms. A parade of presenters sharing policies and procedures. Yet, despite all of this, many new hires walk out feeling inspired. They've heard executives speak with pride about the organization's purpose, ...
You've probably seen it happen. Maybe you've even been part of it. Leaders gather in a conference room. Maybe their communication advisors are part of the meeting. Together they create and rehearse talking points. They create a PowerPoint presentation. Then, they ...
Leadership takes grit. Sometimes that means dealing with temporary discomfort to achieve a healthy culture. During a group coaching session with our Be the Leader Nobody Wants to Leave cohort, one of my colleagues recently said, “Don’t trade temporary discomfort for ...
The difference between talking about values and actually living them Culture, in its simplest definition, is how you really do things. It's how you make decisions, how you treat each other, and what you tolerate. Going back to an old adage: ...
When Performance Problems Points to Deeper Cultural Issues Someone once told me, “You can’t see the picture when you’re inside the frame.” In other words, when you are too close to a problem and its inner workings, you’re bound to miss essential ...
“Wait a minute, maybe it’s me…” I'm an idea person. I'm creative, and I like to think of new possibilities—“We can do this!,” “We can do that!” But not everybody gets as excited by my ideas as I do. I remember sitting ...
Bridging the gap between service standards and daily habits Have you ever experienced a moment when you spot a glaring gap between what an organization says about itself and what you experience? I recently encountered this disconnect during a culture assessment ...
How to build cultural immunity in your organization Bullying isn’t an issue that happens only on playgrounds. It happens in the workplace as well. Healthcare organizations are, in fact, often a hotbed of bullying with reported prevalence rates ranging from 26-77%. Clearly, ...
