Last week we explored one way people with Leadership Gift skills can apply a heightened appreciation for productive relationships to advance their purpose in life (and at work). Two additional competencies wielded by those who live "on purpose" include their abilities to (more…)
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Which is the better strategy, cooperation or competition? Look out, it's a trick question. Both strategies can add value. Cooperation allows for synergy while competition fosters invention and choice. But many people think of cooperation and competition as mutually exclusive opposites. (more…)
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Rallying a team to beat a "common enemy" is a frequent and intoxicating business tactic. It's also a cheap trick. What makes it cheap is that results are temporary and ultimately backfire as well. Leaders choose "common enemy" strategies because they rapidly point people in a common direction and excite people into action And, yes, these are two critical measures...
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One of the leadership team members participating this week in a private Creating Results-Based Teams workshop took me at my word when I invited doodling with the color pens I placed on the tables. He drew a flow diagram around the edges of his agenda as a way to integrate the content. (more…)
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“I thought 'as soon as you get a team together, half of the job is done and everything else will systematically fall into place'… until now it never occurred to me that everyone in the team must take responsibility to make the project a success.” Had I known this was one of my students, I would have contacted Christopher Avery...
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I recently was contacted by a university professor asking for some success tips in giving team assignments to university students. When I was a visiting faculty member I experimented to find out what worked best. My students were generally Juniors and Seniors at The University of Texas at Austin. Here's what I learned and shared with the fellow who asked. Conditions for...
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Collaboration Is Not About Being Right or Wrong Some people exhibit such a need to be right that they can't stand evidence to the contrary. Do you work with someone like that? These are the folks who work overtime to prove others wrong and disparage anyone who has a different point of view. This type of communication stance makes team...
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An entrepreneur friend of mine has built and sold eight companies. His new venture is a massive, important economic development project that requires the simultaneous launch of three or four different companies with a large number and variety of partners. As my friend told me about his plans, I found myself leaning farther and farther back in my chair --...
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Can you believe it -- the holidays are here, again. The change of a calendar year can be a wonderful time to acknowledge the investment required to maintain growth and development, including the quality of your relationships at work. One of my favorite tools for team maintenance is the Reorientation Process. Assembling all the players for reorientation is a powerful...
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In my recent post, we looked at what to do when we're left in the uncomfortable position of "holding the bag" and I suggested a straightforward 7-step process for calling others on broken agreements. It's a great process. And it's simple. But it can be very difficult to apply. Why? Many of us have one or more emotional blocks to...
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