The question “What is a leader?” can be answered in many different ways. My favourite is one I recently ran across: a leader is both a plumber and a poet. Leader as Plumber: This is about ensuring an organization is running efficiently. Suitable objectives have been set, resources allocated and the right people, systems and […]

Early in my career, a manager coached me on using the 15 minute rule. If you can’t figure out how to do something within 15 minutes, ask for help. This rule formed the basis for one of the key expectations I set with each new direct report during our first meeting. When assigned a task,

What if Isaac Newton had aspired to be a corporate manager rather than a scientist? Would his great works have been lost? The following is a reimagining of what Newton’s three laws of motion might have looked like had he decided to sell apples, rather than contemplate why they fell. Newton the Scientist Newton the

My first LinkedIn posts were about what I believe to be key elements of an exceptional corporate culture (a particular passion of mine). Enough time has passed that it seems appropriate to revisit them. . Take care of our people…take care of business – in that order. The people we work with and their loved

Accountability is a key element of any successful organization. But what exactly does it entail? Experience has shown the following basic tenets are essential for accountability to flourish.

All of us have spent time trying to craft the perfect LinkedIn profile headline. Something so compelling that prospective employers or contacts will find you impossible to resist. The best I’ve seen was just one word – Enthusiast. When I first saw it on someone’s profile, I found myself wondering what they were so enthusiastic

While your first instinct should always be to solve any problem you are confronted with, there are a class of issues for which the solution might be out of reach. Perhaps the costs outweigh the benefits, or the steps to resolution are overly complex, risky or will take too long to implement. In these situations,

The loud, demanding employee exists everywhere. While occasionally perturbing, at least you know where you stand with them. Don’t fall into the trap of focusing solely on the squeaky wheel, the quiet employee also presents a particular challenge. Are they quiet because they’re content? Maybe. Or, are they quiet because they’re not engaged? Of particular