I like to think of myself as a self leader. I know my strengths and weaknesses, desires, and character. However, being self aware is only the first step. Turning that awareness into action and actually becoming a self leader is tricky. Sometimes when things don’t go my way, I need a reality check—and I ask…
Last week my daughter and niece—both 13 years old—attended a Student Self Leadership course that was offered to employees here at The Ken Blanchard Companies. I was curious about what they would think about the program since we were basically teaching them an accelerated, age appropriate version of the class we teach to aspiring leaders…
As someone who has been coaching people for 26 years, I am often asked what the key to success is—and, surprisingly, whether luck plays a role. I’ll take that last part first. For the record, I prefer to pretend that the concept of luck doesn’t really exist—because if it didn’t, any magical thing that happened…
Several years ago when I began coaching, I was taught that it was important to focus closely on the language choices made by clients. For example, clients who said they would try to change a behavior, read an email, or follow up on a difficult situation inevitably failed. Clients who said “I will” were much…
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer may be the most famous reindeer of all, but not too many people know the reasons behind his enormous success. Rudolph’s experience offers a number of lessons for leaders at all levels. If you aren’t familiar with Rudolph’s story, here’s the Reader’s Digest version: Rudolph was a reindeer with a red…
Do you work in a matrix environment? Do you have several managers making requests of you, each with their own agenda and priorities? How do you effectively cope with more than one boss? Working in a matrix organization with multiple bosses can create major challenges: Work overload. A common refrain in workplaces around the globe…
Perhaps it came on like a stampede of wild horses. Look out! Or maybe it crept up steadily over time like the warm water and the frog that stayed in it. Not a nice ending for the frog. Once the responsibilities and difficulties of a new management role emerge fully, some find themselves in a…
