Category Archives: Leadership

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Merry Christmas

Demdaco figurines depicting the nativity scene of Jesus' birth

Photo by Dan Kiefer on Unsplash

I want to wish all of my readers a very Merry Christmas this year. As you gather with family, friends, and loved ones, remember the reason for the season. The greatest leader to ever grace the world was born (I know it’s not the exact date of Jesus’ birth but it is the day we celebrate).

He led with kindness, fury, and righteousness. He showed the world what love is.

You can read the Christmas story here.

I hope you and yours have a fantastic time remembering this and focusing on the love He gave for all.

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What Is Healthy Competition?

Organizations have often made competition unhealthy. Whether it’s the sales competition where someone holds up a gold trophy after beating out every other salesperson in the organization or chopping the bottom 10% of your organization every year as Jack Welch did at GE, we tend to pit our best employees against each other.

 

Is that really healthy competition? 

No, it breeds a lot of animosity, frustration, and anger. Salespeople brew and stew. They voice their displeasure over having to compete against their teammates. 

That’s not healthy.

So, what is healthy competition? How can you encourage your team members (and yourself) to seek out healthy competition? 

Well…

What Is Healthy Competition?

Healthy competition means looking at yourself. Take a good look at who you are and who you want to be, and find a way to get there. I’ve got three steps you can take to gain healthy competition.   Read more...

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6 Questions To Ask Yourself About A Mentor

We know there’s value in having a mentor. After all, a mentor can help us reach places that we can’t on our own. 

A mentor is an experienced and/or trusted advisor. Many times, these mentors have experienced what we’re going through, about to face, or have just come through.

A boxing coach giving a pep talk to a boxer in the boxing ring. The boxer is backed into a corner.

Photo by Xuan Nguyen on Unsplash

Mentors have the wisdom of experience. We desire that wisdom to get through our challenges.

But…

We need to consider 6 things before we take on a mentor. It may seem strange to ask questions about a mentor. But, if we don’t, we may miss key insights into whether or not the mentor is a fit for us.

6 Questions To Ask Yourself About A Mentor

1. What are their accomplishments?

First, we need to ask them and ourselves about their accomplishments. Have they successfully run a business? Did they grow it from the ground up? Did they step in and help a business recover?  Read more...

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Can You Accept That People Are Different?

In general, people like to be around those who are like them. We even find this in hiring biases, where hiring managers choose people with similar appearances, beliefs, and ideas. 

We believe these similarities mean they’re a match for our corporate culture. If we find enough people who are alike, our organizations will thrive.

Plus, as a bonus, it means people will get along.

What if we’re wrong? What if we’re hurting ourselves and our organizations by hiring those who are like us or trying to make people more like us?

You know where I’m going with this. The truth is that we are hurting our organizations by trying to find people who are too similar to us. Whether this be in the way they dress, their college education, or their culture.  Read more...