Tag Archive: leadership

Mar 30 2011

Leadership Development – What do Workers Need? Safety

We previously discussed the first level of human need on Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy. Next we’ll look at the second level of Maslow’s hierarchy which is the safety need. Maslow focused on the need to be free from fear and was generally referring to a larger social context. However, leaders should consider how this level of need applies to the workplace. When workers feel unsafe, their attention becomes completely focused on their own safety and they experience fear. That feeling of fear will keep them from considering much else.

Mar 23 2011

Leadership Development – What do Workers Need? Survival

Jennifer was a good worker and the customers liked her. She consistently received favorable customer comments and many of the regulars asked for her by name. The store manager always gave Jennifer high marks on her appraisals and felt she had a great future with the company. When Jennifer announced that she was leaving, it was a great surprise for both her department and the store manager. Jennifer left the store because she had found a job that paid more.

Mar 16 2011

Leadership Development – What do Workers Need?

A restaurant owner once told me that it was difficult to motivate employees because most workers in the food service industry were just working there while waiting for whatever was next. That’s a common thought throughout the retail industry and in many cases it’s true. Why? For one thing, our society doesn’t see hawking disassembled furniture at Target, or waiting tables at Applebee’s as glamorous jobs. If we ask why again, there are several popular answers, but I want to concentrate on a particular area that many leaders don’t seem to pay much attention to. That is, leaders seldom make much effort to satisfy employee needs.

Mar 02 2011

Leadership Development: Six Steps in Preparation to Lead

After years of lower level leadership positions, I was anxious for the big time. I could envision myself in the big chair, issuing orders, solving problems, and just generally making the organization, if not the world, a much better place. Nothing would faze me and I would be loved by all. Then one day my opportunity came. This was what I had been waiting for. Bring it on!

Feb 03 2011

Leadership Development – 4 Steps to Embracing Conflict

Is there any place that is truly free of conflict? If there is, I haven’t seen it. The fact is that humans will always disagree, have differing goals, or just have bad days. It’s a leader’s job to manage, not prevent, conflict to make it a positive rather than distracting force in the workplace. That seems like a difficult assignment. How does a leader manage conflict?

Feb 01 2011

Leadership and Strategic Planning: Who’s in Charge of Strategy

What’s your company’s strategy? Is there someone in charge of that? If so, who? There’s often a disconnect between real strategy and what many leaders think is strategy. I’ve seen too many senior leaders who seem to think strategy is something like a marketing plan. To be truly successful, leaders must see strategy for what it is; the overarching plan for success.

Jan 20 2011

Leadership, Management, and Commissioned Sales

I recently read a comment from a very successful small business owner stating that commissioned sales is the only way to really motivate employees to provide great customer service. Reasoning that only a sales associate who works on commission can understand how important repeat business is, he claims that associates on commission will deliver better customer service. I emphasize that this individual is a very successful small business owner so this has obviously worked for him. But, is it the best way?

Jan 11 2011

Communicating the Strategic Plan – Be Careful

Send to Kindle“Be Careful!” Those words jumped out from a bumper sticker on the car I was passing. We were on the interstate, traveling at interstate speeds when I saw the bumper sticker. Of course I immediately wanted to know what I should be careful of, what danger I should avoid. Alas, the explanation, the …

Continue reading »

Jan 06 2011

Why Do We Ask if Women Can Be Leaders?

Do women make good leaders? First, that’s a stupid question. Unfortunately, it still pops up from time to time, even from what I would consider to be normally intelligent people. Of course there are excellent leaders who are women. There are also horrible leaders who are women. The same holds true for male leaders. So why does this subject seem to warrant ever more discussion? Probably because it gets people’s attention and because there still is some bias, real and perceived, on both sides of the issue. So, why do I bother to address the matter? Simply because the question of women in leadership goes to a deeper problem that leaders must be aware of and guard against.

Dec 14 2010

How To Design A Great Leadership Development Program: Follow-Up, Follow-Up

One common critique of leadership training programs is that the leader attends some training, but then isn’t able to utilize what they’ve learned at work because there is no support mechanism within the organization. A comprehensive leadership training program will include a support structure for developing leaders. This support takes several forms.

Older posts «

» Newer posts