Category Archives: Leadership Skills

Client Jill Asks: “I just don’t get it. I put in longer hours than anyone in my department. I come to every team meeting and propose at least one creative, new initiative. But I’m just not getting through to anyone. No one notices how hard I work, and no one seems particularly interested in my ideas. And I’m sure not getting any face time with C-level managers. I know I’m missing something here. What is it?”

Coach Joel Answers: You’re focusing on the wrong thing. You’re a creative person, so it’s natural that you would focus on the creative part of your business—coming up with new ideas in your workplace, developing unique strategies for your company and your clients. But how are you presenting those? You keep trying to impress people with how creative you are. What you need to do is speak about your ideas in terms … Continue reading Want New Ideas in Your Workplace? Here’s a 4-Point Plan →

Client Nathan Asks: I am completely frustrated. As the client development manager for my firm, I am expected to be the “idea person” when it comes to new business development and client relations. And I think I have a ton of good ideas at work. But whenever I get into a staff meeting, my ideas–even my participation in discussions–are almost totally ignored. I’m not a “rah rah” sort of person and maybe that’s what people are expecting. I’m pretty low key and I feel I’m presenting good ideas—it’s just that nobody’s hearing me.

Coach Joel Answers: It’s not unusual for people in almost any role to sometimes have difficulty getting attention, let alone get their ideas accepted and implemented. Here are three things I think you should do right now to improve your acceptance ratio:

Build a support network Support the … Continue reading How to Get Your Ideas Heard at Work →

Brian Asks:  I’ve positioned myself into a number of opportunities which can raise my visibility with my firm’s leaders, but now I’m in the position of having to execute on that work while also maintaining my pipeline of new projects and my actual day job. How do I best handle this type of situation?

Joel Answers:  As an executive coach and career coach, this question comes up often with my coaching clients. Following my advice, they seek out projects that will increase their visibility only to find that they suddenly have too much work to do! Don’t worry—the answer doesn’t involve working an extra 20 hours per week. Here are the three steps you should take to ensure that you can complete your highly visible projects without neglecting the rest of your work.

Step 1: Make the high-visibility projects your #1 priority. … Continue reading Take on High-Visibility Projects without Doubling Your Workload →

Damion’s goal was to become a great leader. He’d been under some mediocre leaders and wanted to do a better job than that. He looked at other leaders in the company and got some ideas of leadership skills from them.

But he felt there was more than what he was seeing. He wanted both the “why” and the “how” to become an outstanding leader. So he started reading. If you want to help yourself become a better leader, books are an excellent resource.

Damion’s created a list of leadership books that had the greatest impact on his career success. Damion offered to share them with you so you, too, could become a stand-out leader.

On Becoming a Leader by Warren Bennis.

Forbes magazine called Warren Bennis “the dean of leadership gurus.” This thought leader book resonated with Damion because Bennis affirms that leaders aren’t born, … Continue reading 6 Books Leaders Read to Become Stand-Out Leaders →

Diego Asks: I’m a fairly new boss in a large organization. Sometimes it seems like I’m invisible. My superiors don’t seem to interact much with me. And my employees go on in the old ways and don’t listen to me much. How can I be a better leader?

Joel Answers: Diego, it’s insightful that you don’t blame your boss or employees for the situation. That makes it easier for you to take control. When you lead effectively, they can’t possible ignore you!

Let’s break this down into three main steps: evaluate, implement, and become. This three-step process will help you develop the core qualities of great leaders.

Evaluate.

First, take this simple self-test. These are some key good leader qualities to check for. You can find the full test in my book How to be a Great … Continue reading Qualities of a Good Leader – Be So Good They Can’t Ignore You →

While it may sound elementary, a leader – by definition – must lead. And a leader cannot lead from behind the scenes. While every organization needs people who work in the shadows, these individuals are the “supporting cast.” However, an effective leader must be front and center, taking an active role in the vision of the company and the growth and success of its employees.

The Result of Hiding Behind the Scenes

According to a recent Towers Watson Global Workforce Study, 26 percent of employees consider themselves totally “disengaged,” 17 percent feel “detached,” and 22 percent classify themselves as “unsupported.” These views, whether real or perceived, reveal that many employees are not happy campers when they are at work. And, over a period of time, demotivated employees will not sustain high performance and productivity levels. Active leadership is the only way to combat these problems and Continue reading The Importance of Being an Active Leader versus a Behind-the-Scenes Leader →

Renae Asks: I’m trying to use my time wisely, and that means being strategic in the leadership training opportunities I pursue, as well as the ones I set up for the team I manage. Which qualities would you say are most necessary for people to develop if they wish to become key leaders in their organization?

Joel Answers: Let’s start by demystifying what leadership actually means. It’s the ability to influence followers in order to meet organizational goals through change. That’s something you absolutely have the capacity to do—and you can help every one of your star employees learn to do it, too.

To many, leadership is an elusive role. Some people seem to have a natural talent for leading, while others struggle to grasp how to do it.

Great leaders are not necessarily born, however. Often there’s a lot of self-defeating behavior to overcome. Anyone with the motivation … Continue reading Great Leadership Qualities →

Client Taylor Asks:

I asked my employees for honest feedback on my performance, and a few of them said I’m too authoritative in the way I speak to them. How can I show them I value their intelligence and ideas?

Coach Joel Answers:

When David Steiner became CEO of Waste Management, Inc., he received an invaluable piece of advice from one of his directors, as I describe in my book Getting Ahead. The director told him that one phrase will help him shift the organizational culture more than any other: “I need your help.” These are the four most powerful leadership words you can say, and you should say them often.

Why “I need your help”? When you’re in a position of power, you may have the authority to impose your ideas on others, but that’s no way to motivate them. In fact, that’s one of … Continue reading The 4 Most Powerful Leadership Words You Can Use →

Many employees believe that if they continue doing what’s expected of them, they’ll always have a job. However, with the major changes that are already occurring across countless organizations, that’s not necessarily the case. The workplace of the future will have a high level of automation, allowing many routine tasks to be handled by computers, meaning employees will need to work hard to update their skill sets in order to remain relevant.

As AI, robotics, and machine learning take on increasingly central roles within organizations, employees will need to focus more on skills in the interpersonal and decision-making realms. You may already be considering how to upgrade your own skill set in order to stay relevant. As a manager, take action now to make sure your organization maximizes the potential of all its people, helping them develop the most vital skills for their shifting roles and functions.

The … Continue reading 6 Vital Workplace Skills You’ll Need to Succeed in the Future →

Do you feel like you’re just treading water right now, trying to keep your team afloat? To lead through challenging times, you must embrace change. Never forget that disruption gives you an opportunity to rise to the top of your field.

My executive coaching clients have been going through the same thing as the COVID-19 crisis brings dramatic changes to workplaces everywhere. No one has all the answers to how to navigate this new situation, I assure them. We’re all working to create solutions step by step. Fortunately, all of the best minds are hard at work on that task, and we’re bound to create novel solutions together.

On a daily basis, I’ve been talking through solutions with the leaders I work with so they can maintain high morale despite the extreme disruption that’s been occurring. Fortunately, many key leadership principles that apply in any crisis are … Continue reading Leadership in Turbulent Times: 9 Ways to Embrace Change →