People want an empathetic leader. Many managers strive to be one. But ask someone to define the term, and you’re likely to be met with silence. Let’s start with the definition. According to Merriam-Webster, empathy means “the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of…
How many times have you wondered who the future leaders will be in your organization? When I listen to organizational sponsors express their needs for leadership development, it can be framed as a need to shift people from almost ready to ready NOW. Coaching is a significant way to develop high potentials into emerging leaders.…
The amount of direction and support people receive from their manager directly impacts the efficiency and quality of their work. Without it, people are left to their own devices, have to fake it until they make it, and learn primarily through trial and error. Eventually people get there—but it comes with a cost, says Ann…
I’ve always appreciated this quote from famed author Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.: “Another flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance.” What good is building character only to have it erode due to a lack of maintenance? Coaching enables people to gain clarity about who they are,…
“Great managers aren’t born—they’re trained.” That’s the message Scott Blanchard, principal and EVP with The Ken Blanchard Companies, is sharing with audiences as he speaks to groups of leadership, learning, and talent development professionals. Blanchard points to research that shows most managers don’t receive that necessary training, however, until they are about ten years into…
Think about a leader you admire. Maybe it is the CEO of your company, the principal of your local high school, or the president of your alma mater. If I asked you about the specific qualities that made them successful, you’d probably tell me about their hard skills—teachable abilities such as vision and strategic thinking.…
Dear Madeleine My question is: how does an organization scale their management team and keep skills sharp as they grow? We are a software development services shop and we are growing fast—we currently have 30 people in management positions. It’s getting more difficult each day to make sure everyone is managing from the same playbook. …
I really like the quote from author and philosopher Eric Hoffer, “In times of change, learners inherit the earth while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.” In today’s rapidly changing world we are all learners. And our busy lifestyles can make it hard to find the…
Regardless of their formal title or position, people who want to be great leaders must embrace an attitude of service to others. That’s the message that Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller share in the 10th anniversary edition of their bestselling business book, The Secret: What Great Leaders Know and Do. Leaders can find countless ways…
Studies by the Hay Group, Aon Hewitt, Towers Watson, Gallup, and other consulting firms have clearly established the important role leaders play in an employee’s well-being, engagement, and performance. In its own research into employee work passion, The Ken Blanchard Companies has found significant correlations between perceptions of leader behavior, employee affect, and subsequent intentions…