“The three most important ways to lead people are… by example, by example, by example.” ~ Albert Schweitzer Dr. Robert Khayat was the 15th Chancellor of Ole Miss. He was a strong leader who had a tremendous passion for excellence and caring for others. It was in Spring, 2000 when I walked the campus with him for the first time. I had heard the stories, so it came as no surprise to me that he was picking...
“It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.” ~John Wooden The Grand Cypress Resort, a 5-Star Hyatt Hotel, is committed to providing their customers with high quality results. When I was training to be a first-time property manager there the term having an eye for detail was new for me. I remember being in the office with two of my fellow project managers, both with several more years of experience than I, as...
Why do so many leaders have such a hard time saying "no" to projects that just do not fit into the departmental operations? Some of us say “yes” to misfit projects because we want to protect working relationships. Others of us value our reputation or perception of being a “can-do player.” Maybe this misfit project is a unique opportunity, and we don’t want to be perceived as unsupportive. In some cases, we will take on a...
Leaders are judged on their results. Great leaders know they must work through a team of people doing hands-on work to get the results the organization needs. Let’s compare it to a train. The train conductor has to make sure that everyone is onboard, and that each car is connected correctly before leaving the station and before there is any hope of staying on schedule and reaching the destination. Connection, one to another, is key to...
Today, while working with our team in a Leader-to-Leader session, one of our seasoned leaders said, “I was creating my own leadership lid. I had intentionally set my ability to lead myself and others too low because I was afraid, I might fail. “ The leadership lid is that imaginary barrier we often put in the way of how we think and how we develop ourselves. The lid might be telling us that we don’t have the...
A great leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. ~John Maxwell Once, I thought I was a really good leader. Then, unexpectedly I found myself having to layoff almost half of my department’s employees. That day, I decided to take control of my leadership skills, because knowing how to lead people keeps me and my staff working. It also keeps my customers happy. So, I tried being a better listener and...
"God loves each of us as if there were only one of us." ~ Augustine Friends, as we pause this time of year to reflect, rest and be with loved ones during the Christmas season, I want to share with you my gratitude for each of you and for our time together. I have had the opportunity to speak with many of you; I've opened your conferences and coached some amazing leaders. What you have given me is a...
In the early days of my management career, I remember a scheduled manager training session on weeding. It was the good ol’ get on your knees, bend over and clean out the bed without damaging the plants exercise. Back in the old days, it was not uncommon to assign a new person the task of weeding to see if he/she had what it took to make it on the team. Not long into this unpleasant task,...
“One day, I am going to do it.” Have you ever been there? Maybe you felt like that, even said that out loud. “One day, I will invest in my team and not just our daily routine.” Maybe, deep down, you know it is time to get someone to coach some of your team leaders. “One day, I am going to invest in myself as a person.” Maybe you would like to get some insights on a challenge...
“You may delay, but time will not.” ~ Benjamin Franklin. Recently I was having a conversation with a young leader who told me he spent all day Saturday watching football and as a result, he didn’t get any work done. He felt bad because he had some projects planned, but he had wasted the entire day just watching football. This is a good guy; he takes care of his family, running a couple of successful “side hustles” to make...