Management - Leadership

Good operational leadership is a consistent process of providing clear goals, coaching, and review to make sure people are clear about their tasks, have the direction and support they need to succeed, and get feedback on how they are doing along the way. But the results of a Blanchard survey suggest that leaders are falling…

The first step in becoming a great leader is to understand who you are. Unfortunately, most leaders don’t realize that this first step, knowing yourself, should never end. Why? Because as you grow and develop as a human being and as a leader, aspects of you will inevitably change—as is the nature of growth and…

In 1997 I asked my boss to consider allowing me to telecommute on a part-time basis. My proposal went down in flames. Although the company already had field-based people who telecommuted full-time, and my boss herself worked from home on a regular basis, the prevailing mindset was work was someplace you went, not something you…

I am a runner. It defines me. Up until recently, my Twitter bio’s opening descriptor was Runner. (It’s now, temporarily, a Game of Thrones quote. I’ll change it back soon.) Running is part of my life. It’s what I do. But lately I’ve encountered a problem: I haven’t been running. When I’m training for a…

“A diverse team that does not see the value of the diverse perspectives might as well not be diverse.” -- Mark Gistdirector of industrial participation a

Dear Madeleine, I run a department in a fast growing biotech company. Things are moving so fast that they keep promoting me and I have to say I am pretty sure I have no idea what I am doing at this point. I have excellent people reporting to me—they are all super smart, insanely dedicated,…

The success or failure of a business usually comes down to its talent. Businesses spend a lot of time, money and effort finding the right people, hiring th

What is it about the word why that makes people so defensive?  Perhaps it’s because we believe we have to defend our position. Perhaps it’s because of the way it is sometimes said with a certain tone.  Or maybe it’s because we find it irritating when our small kids relentlessly use this word. I remember…

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." ~ Lord Acton Power accompanies leadership. No matter how lofty or humble your title, whether you manage 3 people or 3,000, if you lead a girl scout troop or you're the CEO of a multi-million dollar company, you will…

I recently flew to New York City to meet with the head of one of the world’s largest wealth management companies. He told me he’d read my book, Why Motivating People Doesn’t Work… and What Does multiple times and was dedicated to using its ideas to change the culture of his organization. Pretty heady stuff.…

Call it what you may – the “aha” moment, the light bulb, sudden awareness, or moment of meaning. It is that wonderful flash of insight learners or people being coached experience when the pieces come together and a shift in thinking happens. That moment extends well beyond learning and problem solving. It is the moment…

In today’s society, everyone wants to learn something quickly and master it straight away. In reality, this doesn’t happen—to learn something well takes time and practise. A couple of articles I’ve been reading lately can help shed some light on training techniques that work. In a recent post for VeryWell, Kendra Cherry, author of The…

High employee turnover hurts the business bottom line. It’s estimated that the average cost of a lost employee is 38% of the employee's annual salary. Conside

“A diverse team that does not see the value of the diverse perspectives might as well not be diverse.” -- Mark Gistdirector of industrial participation a

Are your leadership practices based on outdated assumptions about the true nature of human motivation? Think about how you might approach leadership differently if you took into account some of the latest findings: - Our basic human nature is to thrive. No one wants to be bored and disengaged. People want to contribute. People appreciate meaningful…

Dear Madeleine,  I am a leader who is conscientious, caring, and committed. Now, at the middle of my career, I find myself becoming a bit resentful of working long hours. I am constantly in danger of losing my PTO and yet the stress of preparing to be off work, along with the avalanche of work…

Scott Blanchard, principal and EVP at The Ken Blanchard Companies, likes to use the phrase heart of the house to describe the important role middle managers play in an organization. In Blanchard’s experience, if mid-level management is neglected, the result can be heart trouble—a slow moving organization that doesn’t respond well to feedback. Is your…

Are you one of these undesirable employees?

Your success as a manager is NOT dependent on the authority that comes with a higher title. Here's the secret to being a great manager.