Engage with your colleagues, profession and industry by attending seminars, conferences and meetups, both local and global. Learn from others who are wiser or more experienced; learn from those who have done it successfully; learn from those who are a bit further along than you on this journey. Additionally, and equally as important, don’t forget to share what you know …
How to be a great leader
To be a great leader you must make your intentions, actions and decisions about others, not yourself. You also need to provide needed resources and create a safe and relaxed environment. Additionally, you also need management skills to build on as all members of your team must be aware of the policies, rules, guidelines and responsibilities. Finally, share responsibility, empower …
Don’t apologize for your opinions
Be authentic, transparent and most importantly, be who you are. Now, don’t confuse this with being confrontational or difficult for no apparent reason, what I actually refer to is sticking to your beliefs and opinions which are backed by facts, experience and values. If you have seriously considered all options and alternatives and you have formed an educated opinion don’t …
In-person conversations
The lost art of in person conversations is now more valuable than ever. It is especially important and effective when you are trying to understand causes of issues and challenges and when you need to communicate vision, values and motivate people. Take the necessary time and make the effort to meet with people to learn what makes them tick; what …
People matter the most
People matter the most and as such they should be the primary focus of every leader at every level in every organization. Attracting quality personnel to your team(s) is essential in order to be efficient, effective and competitive. Focus your search and positioning on quality over quantity, every single time. While it is very important to have adequate resources (funding, …
When hiring, trust your instincts
Trust your instincts at all times. They are here to protects, alert and warns us of what is happening around us and how we could and should react to potential opportunities or threats. These instincts also come in very handy when building a team and hiring new staff. During this process focus a bit more on personal traits, character and …
Capture ideas and make them a reality
Write your ideas down, think about them, follow through and make them a reality. Productive, valuable ideas come at random times and it is important to catch them before they escape your mind and your grasp. Even more importantly, put some time aside to think them through, do your feasibility research and follow through. Turning ideas into reality is what …
Be resourceful and negotiate
Most of us are faced with lack of resources in some capacity in order to accomplish everything we believe we could and think we should be able to do. This lack of resources can be manifested in lack of personnel, particular skill set; lack of funding, lack of technology; equipment; tools; support services…and the list goes on. Sadly, that is …
Helping people selflessly
How can I help you? When was the last time you have asked that question of people from another department, division or functional area? How often do you offer help selflessly without any expectation of receiving anything in return? These are some of many questions we should each ask ourselves as we go to work every day and try to …
Motivating yourself
Sooner or later you will have a day or two, maybe even a week (hopefully not much longer than that) where you will lack motivation to contribute, to put in your 100%. On those days (and in general) you can do several things to try to recapture your motivation: Be grateful what you have – strengthen your spirit Keep your …