Surprise and Delight

We all experience bad client service from time to time. Usually anger or resentment or some other negative emotion lingers for a long time after. In reality, little can be done to reverse and remedy the bad impressions that are implanted from such an experience.

I’m a client of a firm in a specialized niche. My initial experience was excellent and met or exceeded my expectations. A few months ago, I purchased some additional services and unfortunately, my experience as a client dropped precipitously.

Navigating Generations in the Workplace

I recently was a guest on The Complete Leader Podcast, talking about Navigating Generations in the Workplace. More info and podcast below.

Our guest today is Dr. Lisa Aldisert, who is an executive advisor, business trend expert, author, speaker and the president of Pharos Alliance. Lisa tells us about the five generations that are alive today, the benefits of understanding generational values as a leader, and how leaders can be more effective in reaching the different generations that they manage.

Spectrum of Emotions

One of the contradictions of behavior is that the attributes that are your strengths, when taken to an extreme, become your weaknesses. Think of performance as running across a spectrum, rather than statically.

For example, a leader who is passionate about client service may be perceived by the team as unreasonable based on its perception of her unreasonably high expectations.

“Nice Guys Can Still Be in Charge”

This comment was made during a meeting with one of my clients. These leaders were frustrated by the actions of some of their junior employees and were venting about how to get them on track for stronger performance. When this comment was made, the tone of the meeting changed.

It’s surprising, but many leaders still believe in the command and control credo. If you bark loudly and authoritatively, your people will fall into line and do what you want.

Resiliency: The Ability to Bounce Back From Adversity

I teamed up with The Complete Leader program as a facutly member to talk about leadership competencies. In this short video I speak about characteristics that define a resilient leader and ways for leaders to improve their resiliency.

Rise Above the Fray

Wouldn’t it be great if we could be given advance warning before facing major problems or setbacks? Obviously, that’s not likely to happen, but leader preparedness can make a big difference in the outcome.

Leaders who rise above the fray will always be more effective than those who succumb to panic. Major problems tend to involve losses that have a big organizational impact, such as losing a key client, a key employee, a key participant in a project….you get the idea. Staying cool under fire is always preferable in these scenarios.

What Signals Does Your Company Send?

I met with a high potential employee of one of my clients and we had a great conversation about her future opportunities. She loves the company and her boss, and feels empowered to be a self-starter and emerging leader.

After we discussed new opportunities, the conversation evolved to some personalities at the company. She mentioned one senior person whose attitude is patronizing and dismissive. She said, “I understand the culture when everyone is an idiot…but…it gets a little insulting after a while.”

Will Your Leadership Leave a Legacy?

I recently was a guest on The Complete Leader Podcast, talking about Legacy Leadership. More info and podcast below.

Our guest today is Dr. Lisa Aldisert, who is a NYC-based leadership advisor, speaker and author, and the President of Pharos Alliance. Lisa tells us the ways that leaders can leave a legacy with their teams. She outlines the five key competencies necessary for an influential leader, and how leaders can master these skills over time (and gives us a free worksheet to get the process started). She also makes the case for looking at leadership in a multidimensional way, and the power of helping employees maximize their strengths versus work on their weaknesses.

Do You Listen to Your Brain or Your Gut?

It was 1:30 on a Tuesday afternoon and I was on the 16th floor of a non-descript building in the jewelry district of Manhattan, trying to find the office of a laptop repair service. As I walked the hall, I was struck by how desolate and remote it seemed. Why the heck was a computer service office in this dismal location?

I found the office and waited for someone to open the door. The “office” was the size of a large closet and was occupied by one person with very little equipment. My heart sank and my brain immediately went to thoughts such as “front for money laundering”.

Was I going to leave my precious laptop with this unknown person in such a dismal setting? Would I ever see it again? Had I lost my mind?

Derail or Move Forward?

Think back to the last time when a huge hindrance got in your way while you still needed to deal with business as usual. Did you let it derail you or did you work around it and move forward?

Leaders need to be agile when it comes to working around big obstacles. You will feel more confident when you proactively handle them. You will also influence your staff by how you manage them. I’ve seen too many situations where leaders freeze when faced with something big and unexpected, and it results in lower productivity for everyone for weeks to follow.