Last week, we talked about inviting others into your development in the form of mentorships. When you hear “mentorship,” what probably comes to mind is a relationship between two people in different career stages. This is a valuable and essential type of mentorship, but it’s not the only one; peer mentors offer a network of support based on diverse lived experience. In other words, they’re in the same boat as you, but they’ve traversed different seas.
Read MoreIt’s tempting to view your development as a leader as a solo journey you can embark on, achieve, and triumphantly walk away from, with the pride of having pulled up your proverbial bootstraps and done it all on your own. After all, we live in a society that praises individualism. That doesn’t make it right—and in the case of leadership growth, I’m going to advocate this month for the opposite: unabashedly inviting others into your development.
Read MoreSelf-awareness is often regarded as a valuable leadership trait, but what is it and why? To define self-awareness, I would point you to the work of Tasha Eurich, published in Harvard Business Review. Dr. Eurich’s research suggests there are two types of self-awareness: internal and external. Internal self-awareness is understanding yourself—your values, beliefs, passions, etc., and how those things influence the way you react to the world around you. External self-awareness is understanding how others perceive you.
Read MoreA few weeks ago, I wrote about the importance of having more conflict, not less; I also wrote about the importance of establishing a baseline of trust to make way for healthier conflict. But having more and better conflict takes more than goodwill; it’s essential to think about what structures support healthy conflict. Over the 15 or so years that I’ve been helping teams do great work, I’ve identified systems that will turn good intentions into results.
Read MoreDid you know that there is a kind of nuclear reactor that actually produces more fuel than it uses? It’s called a breeder reactor. Conflict on your team can be like a breeder reactor for trust; you need a solid foundation of trust for healthy, productive conflict AND healthy, productive conflict produces more trust. That’s because every time you settle differences respectfully, people grow to trust that you care about them individually, and you both care about what’s best for the organization.
Read MoreThere’s a really good chance that you and the other members of your leadership team are not having nearly enough conflict. I get it—the harmony that comes from no one stepping on anyone’s toes feels nice: everyone likes one another, you have fun together, things are running smoothly. And, you probably aren’t nearly as good as you could be as a company. There are tough decisions being made without all the relevant information. There are people who are not feeling (or being) heard. There are people who aren’t bought in on some key decisions.
Read MoreAccording to the Family Business Alliance, 80–90% of businesses in America are family-owned. This number includes companies ranging from the literal ‘mom & pop shop’ around the corner to Fortune 500 businesses like Walmart. It’s easy to see why it’s attractive to start a company with a family member or other person close to you—shared values, deep trust, and loyalty jump to mind. I’ve worked with a few of these types of businesses, and I’ve seen first hand that it can also be tough: blurred lines between personal and work life, a lack of outside influences and ideas, and the risk of work conflict impacting the personal dynamic or vice versa.
Read MoreDeliberate practice is more than mindlessly repeating a task; it’s about practicing systematically with the intention to improve. Deliberate practice necessarily includes operating at the edge of your current skill level and working to the point of failure. When you hit that failure point, you assess what went wrong and apply your learning to the next practice round.
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