Category: Communication

7 Years

Beingaleader has now been published every Tuesday morning for the past seven years. It has been a journey to provide my contemporaneous thoughts on leadership. Below is that first blog from January 1, 2019 that outlines what I've tried to do and I feel like I've stayed on point during this whole time. Read the … Continue reading 7 Years →

Modern Leadership #14 – Discernment

Beingaleader means you need to have and exercise discernment every day. The ability to recognize subtleties in speech and demeanor. The ability to apply wisdom to new situations. To use your judgment in making right decisions and plans for the future. The ability to pick up on subtleties can have a profound effect on your … Continue reading Modern Leadership #14 – Discernment →

Modern Leadership #13 – Information

Beingaleader means you need to provide information to your team. Not horde it. Not assume 'they can't handle it'. Not 'they don't need to know...yet'. Stop already. If you have information that impacts your team, tell them. Some say that information is power. And some leaders want to wield that power over their employees. Some … Continue reading Modern Leadership #13 – Information →

Modern Leadership #12 – Connection

Beingaleader means you need to know how to connect with and among your team. Employees are looking for connection. Connection to people. Connection to a purpose. Connection for community. Connecting to people is a high priority for many employees today. Connecting on a regular basis with specific individuals especially their supervisor who can provide both … Continue reading Modern Leadership #12 – Connection →

Modern Leadership #10 – Performance Evaluations

Beingaleader means you need to re-think and re-do performance evaluations. Yes, everyone needs to be evaluated. But the current mindset of annual performance reviews is broken, in my opinion. First of all, performance reviews reflect and discuss issues that might have occurred over 12 months ago. How would you like to be reminded of the … Continue reading Modern Leadership #10 – Performance Evaluations →

Modern Leadership #9 – Employee Expectations

Beingaleader means you need to understand modern employee expectations. The employees of today. Not the employees of the past. Today's modern employee is looking for flexibility. Remote. Hybrid. Flexibility. Stop with the "culture of the company" requires physical presence talk. It's just not true anymore. I'm not sure if it was even true before. But … Continue reading Modern Leadership #9 – Employee Expectations →

Modern Leadership – Conflict

Beingaleader means you have to deal with conflict. And in today's modern workplace, conflict can take on a whole new meaning requiring a whole new approach. Conflict is usually best dealt with face to face. That's a new problem for this remote world. At best, face to face is via a screen. That creates new … Continue reading Modern Leadership – Conflict →

Intelligence

Beingaleader means you need intelligence. Different kinds depending on the situation. You need the ability to learn, understand, and apply knowledge. Without it, you will continue to make the same mistakes over and over. There are lots of different kinds of intelligence, of course, including emotional intelligence (EI) where the understanding of your own or … Continue reading Intelligence →

Testing Ground

#Beingaleader means you have a ready made testing ground for new and innovative ideas. There's absolutely no reason to keep doing things the same way if you're not liking the results you're getting. Try something new. Too often we get stuck. Doing the same thing. Getting the same results. And not always favorable ones. Try … Continue reading Testing Ground →

Soft Skills

#Beingaleader means you need to have and utilize soft skills. Those skills that distinguish you from others with the same technical skills and training that you have. The hard skills needed for a particular position change with technology and time. For example a hard skill for an electrician is to know the basics of electricity … Continue reading Soft Skills →

Meetings

#Beingaleader means you have to attend a lot of meetings. Zoom. Teams. In person. Meetings. Sometimes all day. Meetings you control. Meetings that others control. Meetings that have value. Meetings that don't. Meetings often feel like a necessary evil, clogging calendars and draining energy when they lack focus. Without a clear agenda, they can devolve … Continue reading Meetings →

Talent Optimization

#Beingaleader means you need to understand talent optimization. It's not just about filling seats; it's about finding the needed strengths, ensuring every member of the team plays their part with precision. The heart of true talent optimization lies in understanding the individual team member. This requires a leader who is both observer and listener, one … Continue reading Talent Optimization →

Assertive

#Beingaleader means you need to be assertive. At least at some critical points in time. It might not be your normal style. It might not be what you are comfortable with. But sometimes you need to be assertive to the betterment of your team and the circumstances you are working under. Being assertive is not … Continue reading Assertive →

Vulnerable

#Beingaleader means you need to embrace vulnerability. Be who you really are and not some fake personality that blusters over every one. Leadership is often associated with strength, confidence, and decisiveness. But true leadership isn’t about projecting perfection—it’s about being real. It means being willing to admit that you don’t have all the answers, that … Continue reading Vulnerable →

Looking Ahead

#Beingaleader means you need to be looking ahead. Taking stalk of what has gone before, but be looking ahead to what is and what might be coming. This is the start of my 7th year of weekly blogging on various leadership topics. A lot has gone before. But the question for today is: what is … Continue reading Looking Ahead →

Multi-Generational

#Beingaleader means you need to understand the multi-generational aspect of leadership and the marketplace. It's a skill you need to learn and apply. Each generation has different things that motivate them. Different ways of expressing themselves. Different ways of communicating. Different ways they want performance evaluations or feedback to be provided. You can learn them … Continue reading Multi-Generational →

Negotiate

#Beingaleader means you need to know how to negotiate. The ability to come to an agreement with someone else. To find a resolution. To settle a disagreement. Negotiate. Negotiation skills include keeping a calm demeanor. Knowing what your final goal is. Knowing what your opponent's or competitor's or the person across from the table's goals … Continue reading Negotiate →

Listen

#Beingaleader means you have to listen. To others. To yourself. To your team. Listening to others. Critics. Competition. Supporters. All have something to say if you're willing to listen. Is what they are saying truth? Even if it hurts, truth will still improve you. Improve your product. Improve your business. Listening to yourself. This is … Continue reading Listen →

Caring

#Beingaleader means you need to be caring about your team. This is essential for building a positive work culture and achieving success as a team. Caring means communicating openly and honestly: Keeping your team informed about any updates and decision-making processes shows that you value their input and care about their well-being. Caring means supporting … Continue reading Caring →

Structure

#Beingaleader means you have to provide your team with structure. Parameters. Direction. How else are you able to define success for them? How else can you achieve the goals of the team? You don't want to micromanage them but you should provide the expectations and the guardrails for what you are looking for. It is … Continue reading Structure →

The Point

#Beingaleader means you have to get to the point. Be direct. Say what you mean. Your expectations. Your evaluation of them or their progress. Clearly. Concisely. Using examples when needed but not telling a story without getting to the punchline. You are not helping others by beating around the bush. It is not kindness to … Continue reading The Point →

Conflict

#Beingaleader means you have to deal with conflict. Sooner or later. And perhaps often. Disagreement. Clashing. Differences of opinion or desired direction. You don't have to go looking for it. It will find you. The question is how will you treat it? How will you react or respond? Let me break it up into two … Continue reading Conflict →

Vision

#Beingaleader means you already have vision. The ability to see what's going on now. The ability to see and think about what could be in the future. And, often, even the steps and the people needed to get there. But it's much more than that. #Beingaleader also means you need to be able to communicate … Continue reading Vision →

Timing – Redux

I have dealt with issue once before https://beingaleader.blog/2019/12/03/timing/ but I have found it is a critical issue that needs re-raising. #Beingaleader means you need to understand the concept of timing. Knowing that you need to do something is not the last step in the process. You need to know when. When to move on from … Continue reading Timing – Redux →

Repeat. Repeat.

#Beingaleader means you have to repeat yourself. Often. What that means is you have to repeat yourself. Often. Your team is unlikely to get it the first time. Or the second. Or perhaps even the third time. You have to repeat yourself. Often. It's because #Beingaleader involves a lot of communication. Communication is fraught with … Continue reading Repeat. Repeat. →

Compliment

#Beingaleader means you need to learn to compliment others. Compliments that focus on success. Compliments that are frequent. And ones that are done intentionally. #Beingaleader means that your compliments should focus on success. The success of your team member or your child. Everyone seems to receive an abundance of negative feedback whether intentional or unintentional. … Continue reading Compliment →

Boundaries

#Beingaleader means you need to have boundaries. Boundaries from one area of your life to another. Something that separates out your mind, your energy and/or your time from one activity to another. Something that separates work from family, recreation from projects etc. In the area of work, this has proven to be the hardest thing … Continue reading Boundaries →

Virtual

#Beingaleader in today's world means you have to lead virtually. Zoom. Email. Focused on the task but also building the culture you want. In the cloud. "Seeing" them but not really. Working on the tone of your emails to stop or at least not start, misunderstandings. #Beingaleader means you have to learn to lead virtually. … Continue reading Virtual →

Coach

#Beingaleader means you are a coach. Someone who raises others up. Someone who encourages growth. And provides honest feedback. #Beingaleader means you raise others up. To make them reach their heights. Their goals. To make them better for having known you. The goal of @Beingaleader is to make leaders of those on your team. To … Continue reading Coach →

Restraint

#Beingaleader means you sometimes have to show restraint to your team. Restraint of words. Restraint of emotion. Restraint of self. #Beingaleader means you need to restrain your words. Just because you think it doesn't mean you should say it. Too many words are said out of emotion whether verbally or in an email. Some say … Continue reading Restraint →

Quickness

#Beingaleader means you need a level of quickness. Quickness of decision-making, of movement, of thought. #Beingaleader means you need to have quickness of decision-making. Life is fast. #Beingaleader only picks up the pace. You cannot afford to agonize over every decision. Analysis paralysis is a real thing. And it is incompatible with #Beingaleader. The more … Continue reading Quickness →

Choices

#Beingaleader means you need to make a lot of choices. Some simple. Some monumental. But each should be done with a similar mindset and criteria. #Beingaleader means you need to make simple choices. These are the ones that seem to fill up the day. Left or right. Up or down. They are simple but they … Continue reading Choices →

Discord or Discourse

#Beingaleader means you need to make a decision whether you will participate in discord or discourse. Too many leaders make the wrong decision. As a result, they use their influence to sow discord rather than encourage civil discourse. By discord, I mean creating an environment where opinion becomes fact and one's opinion is greater or … Continue reading Discord or Discourse →

Unfinished

#Beingaleader means you are unfinished as a leader and will always be unfinished. You will never reach completion on this side of eternity. Always improving. Getting better. Content but not satisfied. If you don't know how to lead the way you want to today, you have an opportunity to continue to grow. Sometimes we can … Continue reading Unfinished →

Failure

#Beingaleader means you will fail. At some point in time. Likely at many points. It's just part of the journey you've been called to as a leader. Sometimes it's an actual failure. Sometimes it just feels like a failure. Either one can be devastating to you, to others or to the project. And it's unavoidable. … Continue reading Failure →

Togetherness

#Beingaleader means you do things together with others. A group of people. A team. It usually presupposes some level of connection and proximity to others. Meetings. Gatherings. Impromptu check ins. For most of us it required physical presence for many of these tasks. Or at least we thought it did. There are different levels of … Continue reading Togetherness →

Continued Trust

#Beingaleader means you need to have the trust of your people. I have written about this before. See https://wordpress.com/block-editor/post/beingaleader.blog/133. However, it bears repeating in a time of crisis. Whether national, business or family. So many decisions that are made are either followed or scorned based upon the level of trust someone has in their leadership. … Continue reading Continued Trust →

Age

#Beingaleader means you have to deal with a lot of different ages on your team. Young. Old. Experienced. Inexperienced. Wise. And maybe not so much. All age levels might be on your team and each might react differently to the same approach you take. You will have to deal with this no matter in what … Continue reading Age →

Hurry

#Beingaleader means you are sometimes in a hurry. Maybe most of the time. Hurry to get somewhere. Hurry to accomplish something. Hurry to make a decision. Deal with an employee. Finish a task. The speed of life can overtake you. This is not an article about slowing down your life. But you still need to … Continue reading Hurry →

Struggle

#Beingaleader means you will struggle. With time pressure. Stress. People. Communication. Personal issues. Identity. Confidence. Maybe depression. With a lot of things. Most of the definitions I found of the word struggle were negative in connotation. But I think that struggle is part of fighting for what you want. Overcoming obstacles. Even striving to go … Continue reading Struggle →

SHIELD

I need to revisit a topic that I touched on earlier as it's a topic that people can debate on but it's also a critical test of your character that #beingaleader requires you to pass. #Beingaleader means you sometimes are a shield for your team. Shielding them from attack and criticism that would weigh them … Continue reading SHIELD →