Leadership Tidbits

The things you’ll remember most (or should remember most) about your career, and the things that’ll often indicate whether or not you were a good leader, are your people. The people who work under your charge, “your family”. The people to whom you report, “your bosses”. And the people with whom you interact, “your customers…

A few thoughts about becoming a good leader… – It’s no longer about “just barking out orders” or always/only giving directions. It’s about listening to ideas and comments. It’s about engagement, communication, teamwork and collaboration. – Having a culture that is open, welcoming and supportive is no longer just an option for companies. No longer,…

Here’s another gem from Sean Gagnon, CEO of The Abs Company… “The simple act of acknowledgment goes a long way in strengthening culture and letting your team know that they and their work matters.” ================================ There’s a lot to say about the “culture” you build & try to strengthen/maintain in your organization. CULTURE…it’s the glue…

Along the line of a previous “Perception is Reality” article, I have a quick li’l example of this at work… I was running the Customer Service organization for Aurora Loan Services in Nebraska (Lehman Brothers mortgage-servicing subsidiary) and similar to most call centers, we handled both English & Spanish calls in-house. For any language other…

As a good leader, it’s important to get out there amongst your people (1-2 levels under your direct reports) to not only find out what’s going on, but more importantly, to find out what THEY THINK is going on! Huh??? Often times, people’s perceptions of what’s happening…be that good or bad…are just that – –…

Always stay very friendly & on excellent terms with all the secretaries, administrative assistants & various administrative personnel in your organization. They can often get you needed access to a boss or senior leader when normally you wouldn’t have a snowball’s chance in Hell. Their boss’s schedule may look jam-packed, but she’ll know exactly when…

One of the most important factors in determining & shaping an employee’s satisfaction level with a particular company is not the salary they receive. It’s not the benefits they enjoy. It’s not the opportunity to advance, nor the need for interesting & challenging work, nor the chance to learn new things & improve their skills.…

*** Sign of a great leader: How successful are your people, now & years later? After they’ve gone through so many other leaders & managers, what do they think about you? *** You wanna know a few signs of a great leader? Now, these will probably only be relevant later on in your career &…

Another area with which I was at odds with HR was the importance & emphasis placed on the formal disciplinary process…informal/verbal warnings, written warnings, final warnings, “on documentation”, Performance Improvement Plan, etc…and exactly how we went about coaching the managers through it. I fully understand the need to “have your ducks in order” when it…

When I was running Client Relations (a.k.a. the “Sup Gate” where we handled escalated calls transferred from the reps, help calls for procedural/policy assistance, & calls from branch personnel) down in San Antonio, I overheard one of my senior Escalation Specialists “speaking” with a customer. She appeared quite flustered so I approached her & asked…