Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 30, 2012
I ask G.J. Hart, when he was CEO of Texas Roadhouse, if he could spot emerging leaders. He didn’t rule out talent, education, or leadership presence, but he replied, “I can usually tell if they have the humility to make it.” Hart’s statement so deeply impacted me that I wrote about humility in, “The Character Based Leader.” [.].
Kevin Eikenberry
SEPTEMBER 24, 2012
As a child one of the first things we are taught to do is to share. We don’t do it naturally; and we may learn this habit grudgingly (you probably don’t remember this for yourself, but if you have kids, you’ve seen the pattern repeated, haven’t you?). Some things don’t change much as we grow [.].
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Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 26, 2012
Not doing is one side of finding success. Never let the bottom line be the bottom line. Never pretend things are ok when they aren’t. Never let what you’ve never done be the reason not to try. Never get ahead by resenting those who get ahead. Never let those who aren’t doing something prevent you [.].
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 28, 2012
The first thing you need to know is: Success is a result not an end in itself. Five organizational strategies: Always create more harmony than discord. Build up more than you tear down, much more. Long-term views build stability. Short-term views produce quick results. Make life easier for those over you. Three relationship strategies: Friends [.].
Speaker: Kaitlin Ruby Carroll
Retaining top talent in 2025 means rethinking benefits. In a competitive job market, fertility benefits are more than just offerings - they are a commitment to your team’s well-being. Gain critical insights into the latest fertility benefits strategies that can help position your organization as an industry leader. Our expert will explore the unique advantages and challenges of each model, share success stories from top organizations, and offer practical strategies to make benefits decisions tha
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 23, 2012
Most people I’ve asked say they’ve worked for a micro-manager. Their frustration shows when they talk about the person who drained joy from their career and under-utilized their skills. You’re a micro-manager if you: Over-estimate your skills and under-estimate the skills of the team. Feel misunderstood and unappreciated. Hear too many questions. See yourself as doers [.].
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 1, 2012
It’s shockingly easy to discourage others. It takes no skill to knock people down. It’s the joy of fools to drag down. Leaders encourage – losers discourage. Discouragement comes quickly, easily, and without thought. Encouragement – positive momentum – is a fragile flame that requires fuel, protection, and repetition. Encouragement fuels success; discouragement destroys it. [.].
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Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 18, 2012
The more time you dedicate to developing leaders the more successful you’ll become. Successful leaders develop leaders. You may think your job is explained in a list of responsibilities that include oversee financials, cast vision, hire and fire, etc. That’s only half the picture. If you plan to do great things you must develop great [.].
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 29, 2012
Inept leaders block uncomfortable topics from the discussion. It’s pathetic. Weak, fearful leaders need agreement to confirmation their leadership. On the other hand, I recently spent time with five members of an executive team who displayed the power of candor. They brought themselves and their perspective to the discussion. In some organizations it would have been [.].
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
You might think it’s awkward but I asked anyway. “What makes me think you can be a leader?” The person I asked is in their early 20’s with many leadership accomplishments. Maybe it was part humility, part fear of saying the “wrong” thing, or part sincerely not knowing, eventually they said, “I don’t know.” I [.].
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 11, 2012
Mistakes matter more when you’re the new kid on the block. Long-term relationships contextualize and soften occasional screw ups. 13 mistakes new leaders make: Forgetting your arrival stresses others, including those who hired you. The stress you feel, others feel too. Proving technical skill. You don’t need to prove what you know. You did that [.].
Speaker: Jeremy York
2024 has tested every organization, and 2025 promises no less - the warning signs are everywhere. If you’re relying on superficial approaches to diversity, you might find yourself scrambling to catch up. Thought diversity - the fuel for new ideas, fresh perspectives, and disruptive innovation - is more than a buzzword. It's a survival strategy. And if you’re not building it into your workplace culture right now , you’re heading for trouble.
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 14, 2012
“Most of what we call management consists of making it difficult for people to get their work done.” Peter Drucker Four ways managers get in the way: Meddling – Managers that roadblock work stay too close and talk too much. Your people want you to let them work. Stop by to encourage and ask questions, briefly. Express [.].
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 13, 2012
“We have a crisis in leadership. Confidence in leaders continues to decline. At the same time, our current financial situation says we are in disparate need of leaders.” “Would you trust your leaders to babysit your children?” John Baldoni. Leadership begins with trust. Acting in the best interest of others builds trust. Self-interest, at the [.].
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 10, 2012
Mark Owen (Not his real name) explained his firsthand view of the raid on Osama bin Laden’s Pakistan compound on 60 minutes Sunday night. Scott Pelley interviewed the former Navy SEAL who gave a blow by blow of the operation, even his visit to Taco Bell after he arrived home. Owen is under fire from [.].
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 21, 2012
If you don’t move first you aren’t leading. But, don’t move first every time. Passion, vision, and compassion propel leadership-action. Leaders step in where others step back. All leaders move toward: Opportunity. Challenge. Change. Achievement. Wise leaders move toward: People over opportunities. People are leadership’s greatest opportunity, period.
Speaker: Radhika Samant and Todd Wuestenberg
Employee recognition has often been deemed a "feel-good" initiative, tied closely to rewards. While we understand its importance, we tend to associate recognition with intangible outcomes like engagement and sentiment, rather than direct impacts on retention and high performance. In today’s workplace, the true ROI of recognition lies in its ability to regenerate tangible, business-driven results.
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 17, 2012
Leading sets you apart from others. Being out in front means you may walk alone. Additionally, you work to understand others but do others understand you? If you feel alone, you aren’t alone. Leadership’s “A” game: Leaders bring their “A” game every day. You direct, guide, manage, decide, counsel, encourage, challenge, … You think of [.].
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 7, 2012
Managing is more than processes and procedures; it’s people. Successful managers bring out the best in others. “Management and leadership are about coaching around performance.” John Baldoni My conversation with author, speaker, and executive coach, John Baldoni, covered everything from what’s wrong with leadership to the good side of office politics.
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 8, 2012
Circumstances don’t determine the atmosphere and tone of organizations, leaders do. Look around your office or leadership team. Is the tone positive or negative? Now, look at yourself. How are you perceived? Organizations reflect leadership. Thursday, I reconnected with Shirzad Chamine, author of, Positive Intelligence. He reminded me that our “Sage” is a joyful, curious, [.].
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 9, 2012
David versus Goliath is the quintessential story of winning in the face of insurmountable challenges. Most know the story of the shepherd boy, with a sling and stone, who defeated the mighty warrior. You may not know the rest of the story. When David – the shepherd boy – arrived in military camp he was [.].
Speaker: Miriam Connaughton and Donald Knight
As organizations scale, keeping employees connected, engaged, and productive can seem like a monumental task. But what if AI could help you do all of this and more? AI has the power to help, but the key is implementing it in a way that enhances, rather than replaces, human connection. Join us for an exploration into how industry trailblazers are using AI to transform employee experience at scale while addressing both the potential and the pitfalls.
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 5, 2012
Embrace the dark side. Don’t pretend it’s not there. Leaders are angry individuals. Think frustrated if it’s more comfortable. Not: I’m not talking about temper tantrums. Wisdom delays action when it comes to blow-ups. Rule anger never let it rule you. Ruling isn’t pretending it’s not there. Anger from leaders who feel powerless or trapped [.].
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 22, 2012
When leadership is about making things better it’s inclusive not exclusive; functional not positional. Everyone who asks, “How can I help us make things better?” is on a leadership journey regardless of position. Three essentials: Everyone leads when they believe in their own voice, embrace a vision, and exercise change-making-skills and strategies.
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 16, 2012
If you hear the train’s whistle and see the light in the tunnel you know the trains coming. If you let a train wreck happen without saying something, at best you’re foolish at worst you’re cruel. Letting people fail isn’t: Saying nothing when a wreck is around the corner. Standing on the sidelines gloating. Forgetting [.].
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 24, 2012
I’m so committed to pressing into the future that it’s hard to enjoy the present. You can’t lead if you aren’t dissatisfied. How are you navigating the leadership tightrope between what is and what could be? Leadership tightropes include: Passion to improve and discouragement at progress. Pressing into the future and rejection of the present. [.].
Speaker: Brian Richardson
With a staggering 92% of CEOs prioritizing skill development, and 84% struggling with transformation, mastering upskilling is now more critical than ever. Drawing on extensive research and collaboration with hundreds of leading organizations, discover key hurdles and innovative best practices in workforce upskilling. You'll walk away with a deep understanding of how to build a culture of continuous learning, expert insights into assessing the current skills of your employees, and a strategic too
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 15, 2012
Don’t get so busy getting things done that you end up done yourself. Experience shows many leaders between 45 and 55 years old are so connected with business that they become disconnected with themselves. Don’t get so lost in business that you lose yourself. Gary Anzolone, CEO of CEO Clubs NYC, sat beside me for [.].
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 19, 2012
What’s the point of staff development if career ladders look like traffic jams? Tough times end promotions and pay raises. Maybe it’s better to slow or stop staff development. What can you offer? Don’t raise hopes. However… The people you want on your team want to learn and grow. If they don’t want to grow, [.].
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 4, 2012
Ownership is dangerous when others are ruled out. “It’s mine! Don’t touch my things!” Individual owners do things themselves. That’s good unless it become exclusive, protective, and short-sighted. Individual contributors: The trouble with individual contributors is they create patterns and processes others don’t embrace or duplicate.
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 6, 2012
Success always has failure in it. Weak leaders pretend and fearful leaders need everything to be okay. But, nothing works perfectly. You’re never successful without failure. Every initiative, program, event, or project has glitches, inefficiencies, and dropped balls. Improving and Fixing: The downside of improving is oppression. “Isn’t it ever good enough?
Speaker: Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions
Join this brand new webinar with Tim Buteyn to learn how you can master the art of remote onboarding! By the end of this session, you'll understand how to: Craft a Tailored Onboarding Checklist 📝 Develop a comprehensive, customized checklist that ensures every new hire has a smooth transition into your company, no matter where they are in the world.
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 25, 2012
Decisions should be made by those closest to the action. The trouble is those closest to the action may not see the big picture. They may act selfishly. Perhaps they’re great at their jobs but they’re fearful. Should I continue? You have a bag full of reasons why others shouldn’t have decision making authority. Most [.].
Kevin Eikenberry
SEPTEMBER 3, 2012
Have you ever given a presentation and when it was over you said to yourself. “I should have been better prepared.”? Have you vowed in that moment of stress, frustration and with the sense of lost opportunity that “I’ll be better prepared next time.”? Then, as the next presentation came up like [.].
Kevin Eikenberry
SEPTEMBER 26, 2012
Unless you live under a rock, or are truly adverse to the media or professional sports in the United States, you likely know that the NFL has operated the first three weeks of their season with replacement officials. The back story is that the League locked out the regular officials as a part of the [.].
Kevin Eikenberry
SEPTEMBER 21, 2012
I love today’s quotation (more on that later), but here is the back story to my selection today. While the quotations on which I base these Friday posts sometimes come from something I’ve recently read, often the quotations I select come from my files and database – and that is the case today. When I [.].
Speaker: Andrea Wuchiski
In an era where a workforce spans multiple generations, HR managers and Total Rewards leaders face the unique challenge of designing benefits packages that cater to diverse employee needs. This session will delve into how comprehensive fertility benefits can bridge generational gaps, support employees’ health, and enhance workplace satisfaction. Join us for an insightful session that highlights the strategic importance of fertility benefits in today’s competitive job market.
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