Category: Developing Others
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Leaders Set the Tone
“Come on, we have to get this done to get the boss off of my back!” We have all experienced this scenario in our careers at one point. Maybe we were even the person saying this. Upon hearing our leader say something like this, we get an instant sense of stress. This does not help…
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Challenge what you Learn
On a daily basis, science is making new discoveries. It is almost impossible to watch the news or visit a favorite website without information from a study refuting medical practices or a once highly regarded belief of the natural world. When firmly held beliefs are challenged people often refuse to accept the evidence because what…
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Don’t Hate the New Guy
Ever get stuck working with the new guy? All they do is ask questions and on top of that, they need to be told how to do everything! What good are they? Sound familiar? You are potentially ignoring one of your most precious assets. First off, I want to address the questions and training portion. If you…
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Love ‘em Hard
“Love ‘em hard son” There’s something you don’t hear every day. On a stretch of interstate 95 northbound and somewhere just inside of Virginia, I was offered this odd sounding nugget of wisdom. To be clear…I’m a maintainer, and I like maintainer things. I was raised a maintainer, taught to think and act like a…
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Culture Drives Values
All Airmen are taught the core values and continue to have them infused each and every day. What is sometimes forgotten is how the culture of an organization can impact our values. On a routine basis, I sit with the pipeline Airmen that train at our schoolhouse. These students are only a month or so…
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Believe it or not, mistakes are allowed
One thing many people can agree on is people are allowed to make mistakes. It is how we learn. As leaders, we have to tread carefully when we react to mistakes made by subordinates—we can either create an environment where innovation has a place or stifle it by allowing no mistakes and creating an environment…
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The Big Picture is the sum of the parts
This video is a great example of the Air Force for two major reasons. First, both it and and the Air Force over complicate the simplest tasks. Where the end game is as simple as walking to the cooler and grabbing a Red Bull, there are lots more steps and layers added to accomplish the mission…
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Power Distance and Communication Barriers
Most people become introverted when they talk to their organization’s leadership. It is a common reaction to this situation; it is also a barrier to real and effective communication. Power distance creates this barrier. Power distance is the degree to which it is agreed that power should be distributed unequally and favor those at higher…
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Trust is Earned
General Colin Powell has said “Trust is the essence of leadership.” This is something I think most of us can agree upon. We want leaders we trust are looking out for our best interests. However, are WE leaders others can trust? All of us can think of a leader who we would follow into battle…
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Is your plate full?
“Chief, I think my plate is already full”, I respond after being asked to take on yet another project. “Well…make your plate ‘bigger’”, the chief stated flatly, looking at me and gesturing widely with his hands, as if holding a big plate. There are many synonymous terms used to describe ‘task saturation’ or ‘having a…
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