Planning Worksheet

Playing the lottery can teach us a helpful lesson about creating plans to accomplish our priorities. Like the lottery, where you are trying to turn little amounts into big bucks, an effective plan is also designed to turn a little into a lot. However, unlike the lottery, where you are counting on luck to achieve…

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Worksheet: Leaders Communication Check

Words have meaning. Talking in shorthand is helpful, but only to the extent that both parties understand the jargon, acronyms, or phrases. This week’s tool and video will help you to explore the shorthand you use and ask you to consider if your message recipients – employees, customers, or partners – genuinely understand what you…

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Worksheet: Getting Past a Veiled Response

Sometimes leaders, customers, and employees say one thing when they want to say something completely different. For example: A team member asks a leader for funding to attend a workshop. The leader says, “let me think about it.” In reality, the leader doesn’t want to deal with it and hopes you will forget about it.…

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Worksheet: Translating Values Into Behaviors

Think back to when you were a child. There was likely a time when someone told you to clean something – your bedroom at home, a locker at school, etc. Let’s say that you set out to do the task well and impress others with the quality of your work. At some point, the person…

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5 Keys to Giving Feedback When People are Doing Good Work

When you are left in the dark, you make erroneous assumptions, second guess yourself, and hold back on your best efforts. Have you ever left your people in the dark when they were doing solid work? Here are five ways to shine a bit of light on great work. Be consistent. Don’t let your feedback ebb…

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Weekly Leadership Development Rhythm

I frequently tell a story about how my daily physical training in the Army allowed me to run a marathon on a whim when I was in my twenties. My consistent regimen led to freedom of action. In order to become a great runner, you must have a habit of running and follow a consistent…

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Name it, Capture it, & Shred it

Every once in a while on the Leadership Lab podcast, I sit down and talk to a professional athlete. I’ve spoken to people like Dansby Swanson, the shortstop of the Atlanta Braves, or former NFL player Desmond Clark. When I learn about their approach to shaking off mistakes and getting back in the game, the…

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Worksheet: 2 Biggest Assets

As a leader, one of the biggest challenges you have is that there are so many things to do, opportunities to tackle, and problems to fix. It can be overwhelming. But the reality is that your success is not defined by trying to do everything. Your success often stems from tackling a few critical things.…

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Worksheet: Gaining Support

Wise leaders recognize that the change management game is not won by getting every stakeholder to become a strong supporter but by moving everyone one step closer. They work to move someone who is opposed to a spot of neutrality on the issue. Or, they attempt to move a neutral party to a position of…

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