I am constantly looking for new leadership lessons. When I am a student or trainee, I observe how the instructor structures the class, presents information, and keeps the room engaged. As a sports fan, I pay attention to how a coach organizes the team, creates energy toward a shared goal, and adapts to change. Over the last year, I have had one of the richest opportunities as my wife and I began raising our first child, Winnie, who recently turned one.
July 1, 2013 was the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. In the course of that three-day battle, the armies of the North and South deployed some 180,000 troops on the field of battle and suffered some 51,000 casualties and the course of American history was forever changed.
Today’s Tuesday Reading, “If You Want People to Listen, Stop Talking,” comes from the pen of Peter Bregman and appeared in the Harvard Business Review blog on May 25, 2015. Bergman is CEO of Bergman Partners, a company that strengthens leadership in people and organizations through programs, consulting, and coaching. He is also author of 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distractions, and the Right Things Done.
Adam Galinsky, a faculty member at the Columbia Business School, and author of the New York Times article “When You’re in Charge, Your Whisper May Feel Like a Shout,” recalls casually saying to one of his doctoral students, “I need to see you this afternoon. Can you come by my office at 3 pm?” He didn’t think much about the seemingly innocuous words he spoke.
“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts…” William Shakespeare’s As You Like It – Act II, Scene VII
I attended the MOR IT Leaders conference in late May. As an ITLP graduate who stepped into a CIO role two years ago, I was asked to share how I employ the elements of the MOR toolkit in my leadership role. I’ve invested in relationships and focused on changing culture. I’ve taken uncomfortable risks. But, reflecting on my talk, I recognized that I took the safe route in sharing those experiences. I didn’t share the boldest initiatives. I didn’t lean in.
No, today’s Tuesday Reading is not bad driving advice! The curves here are those Brad Wheeler, Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer for Indiana University and a professor of information systems in IU’s Kelly School of Business, is speaking of in his January/February 2014 EDUCAUSE Review essay “Speeding Up On Curves” which is our
Today’s reading, IMPACT, was written by Bruce Barton, as a reflection in one of the Leaders Program cycles. Bruce manages the Shared Development Group of the General Library System at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Something I've been thinking about:
We’ve all been in situations where we’ve succumbed to peer pressure. We often argue to ourselves that it’s too hard to step up with a different point of view – we won’t be liked, we’ll do harm to our relationships, and after all it’s not that big of a deal. However, in many cases, it is a big deal.
Last week’s Tuesday Reading, “Employee Engagement – What?” focused on what employee engagement is. According to Kevin Kruse in Employee Engagement 2.0, “Employee engagement is the emotional commitment the employee has to the organization and its goals. This emotional commitment means engaged employees actually care about their work and their company. They don’t work just for a paycheck or just for that next promotion, but on behalf of the organization’s goals."
