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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How Do You Know if Your Team is Built? I can tell from a distance if a team is built, and you can too -- if you understand what "built" means. Stand back, so you can observe the team as a whole. Then ask yourself these two questions: (more…)
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Is it easy for you to grant a small favor to someone you've just met? Are you just as willing to ask a favor of someone you've just met? Most people are much more willing to grant a favor than to ask for one. However, when I teach people about the Leadership Gift, I let them know that asking 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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Some people have a strong distaste for consensus. They say it takes too much time. They describe the painful details of the myriad ways in which group members polarize on issues and then threaten to use their veto power when they don't achieve their individual purposes. I find these processes distasteful myself. They take up too much time and can...
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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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