Category: Leadership

There Is Always One or Two

When I am working on a project with a team, it seems that there is always one or two people that distract the group from their goal. It could be that they actively speak out against the plan, or they could silently disrupt progress behind the scenes.

Here are some strategies that will help you overcome the rabble-rouser.

  1. Focus on the majority. – The simple method is to just ignore the person that is disrupting the group. If you are able to move forward with the majority of the group, then you are able to gain momentum.
  2. Address the issue with the person separate from the group. – Confronting the rebel in front of the group will only justify their message. So pull them to the side and try to resolve the issue discreetly.
  3. Create wins to show the group the progress. – People want to be on the winning side. Get some small wins and you will begin to over come any opposition.

There is always someone that will stand in your way on your path to success. Find a way around and don’t lose too much time thinking about it.

Strategic or Tactical

Great leaders are always working on strategy, but concurrently managing the tactical actions aligned to their strategy. It is a delicate balance. Too far in one direction or the other and you can find yourself off course.

One approach that has served me well is knowing the difference in each conversation. In fact, I think it is best accomplished if you can separate the two into separate conversations.

You can approach one of your employees or team members and let them know you want to talk strategy. Or you can let them know you need to review tactics, and then proceed to be very clear on actions and expectations.

If you are forced to speak to both in a single conversation, preface your comments to identify your thoughts. You could say, “strategically thinking…” or “tactically, we need to…”

Sometimes team members can be confused if we expect action but talk strategy. They may not feel empowered, or strategic concepts may not have the clarity they expect. If they cannot tell the difference, the team will struggle.

How do you balance strategy and tactics in your conversations? Is it clear to your team members which is which? Are expectations clearly defined?

Reacting Under Stress

Stress can cause us to act differently. It can cause us to be more abrupt, more direct, less effective, and too aggressive. Afterwards we may feel regret, but too often the damage is already done.

William James has said, “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” We have the ability to change our thoughts and therefore we can change how stress affects us and how often it affects us.

The first step is eliminating stress caused by things we don’t control. The second step is reflection. We can learn about our reactions and the thoughts that trigger stress. The third step is practice. We can practice the reaction we desire.

Stress can ruin the moments in life that we should be enjoying. In 2019, we should choose our thoughts and have more joy, and less stress.

Another Mistake?

Confucius wrote, “the wise should not hesitate to correct themselves.” Everyone makes mistakes. A wise person quickly corrects their mistakes.

If we want to grow our influence, our authenticity, our credibility, our leadership ability, then when we make a mistake, we must clearly say, “I was wrong”.

A mistake does not show weakness. It only reveals that we are human. Our character is exposed by the actions we take after we realize we made a mistake. 

Therefore, when we are faced with another mistake, we should be proud that we are willing to learn, and make corrections.