3 Things Your Teammates Need That They Won’t Ask For

1. They need to know you believe in them. When was the last time an employee asked you to believe in him? Probably never. We don’t ask for our leader’s belief in us, but we need it to stretch ourselves, try new things, and achieve our best. Our belief in a teammate is especially impactful when we know they can do it, but they aren’t yet sure. When that’s the case, we allow our teammate to borrow our belief in them. They don’t have the confidence yet, so until they gain it, they can borrow ours. (more…)

This week I had the joy of meeting a young leader who has done a great job developing her career. If you’ve followed this blog long then you know I love to learn from other leaders when I get the chance, and there is nothing more inspiring than learning from young leaders.

The company this person works for wasn’t always as successful as it is today. Four years ago it was suffering financially and experiencing the agony of workforce layoffs, yet today it is thriving, with multiple locations, the addition of hundreds of employees, and a future of exciting growth.

When I asked what caused the turnaround she answered, “Leadership.” Seriously, I did not set this up! Ha! The company changed many of their leaders. Isn’t it funny how one team of leaders can send a company spiraling, and yet a different team of competent leaders can send it soaring?

My new friend started explaining how the new leaders changed the culture, and her leader in particular was the best mentor she’d ever had. I love hearing about positive experiences, so out popped my next question. “What three qualities does your leader have that make her such a good leader?” (more…)

We live in a peculiar society that seems to waiver back and forth between what we feel we’re entitled to and what we believe others must earn. (more…)

Holding people accountable. It’s a challenge that isn’t isolated to middle management or new leaders. Executives at the highest levels also fall into the lull of hoping someone’s non-performance will just go away and  improve on its own.

When I see an environment where people are not held accountable I have no option but to look to the highest leader. You see, accountability isn’t just a leader trait. It’s a culture trait. Accountability is part of our environment. It lives with gusto or it hangs out on the sidelines as a weak link to performance. (more…)