Are You Giving Effective Feedback?
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Are You Giving Effective Feedback?

Because managers and executives struggle with the process, feedback has developed a negative reputation. Feedback doesn’t equal criticism. Feedback is providing someone with observations that influence their performance. Since influence is your number-one job as a leader, it stands to reason that giving feedback is an important part of your role. People want to know how they’re doing, and they want to hear…

How to Lead your Team Through Change
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How to Lead your Team Through Change

In today’s business world, not only is change the norm, but the speed of change continues to accelerate. Dealing with change and leading others through it can be challenging. No matter what business you’re in, your ability to lead your organization through change can make or break your success. Changes come in a variety of ways for a variety of reasons. The…

Strengthen Your Vision by Setting the Context
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Strengthen Your Vision by Setting the Context

As the leader of your organization, you understand the context behind your vision and your decisions. It’s part of the environmental considerations you need to understand. However, not everyone sees the context the same way you do, so it’s important to explain it. To really make your vision come to life, you need to create the whole picture for yourself and for…

Take Time to Express Your Intentions
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Take Time to Express Your Intentions

In any situation, where there’s a vacuum of information, people will make it up. This is especially true of leaders in organizations. People constantly interpret the motives of everything the leader says and does. So it’s best to express your intention, so no one wastes time trying to figure it out or make it up….

Successful Leaders Reinforce the Vision
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Successful Leaders Reinforce the Vision

To keep your team moving in the right direction, you need to reinforce the vision. That doesn’t mean you have to recite it like a parrot; it means getting your team engaged and keeping them engaged. Talk about possibilities in the context of your vision. Celebrate accomplishments in the context of your vision. Have fun…

Executive Leaders Learn to Expand Their Perspective
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Executive Leaders Learn to Expand Their Perspective

Some think you either focus on the vision or you focus on the practical, and that’s just how the world is. But great leaders know they must be able to see both the long-term vision and the next step, and you can learn how to do it. As a leader, your job is to lead…

How to Use the Power of Influence
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How to Use the Power of Influence

Ultimately, leadership is influence. We all influence each other, every day, one way or another. Great leaders influence the behavior of others ethically and intentionally to create value and make a contribution. They understand influence is at the core of all the work they do. At its essence, you want to influence others to create…

Executive Leaders Connect with Others
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Executive Leaders Connect with Others

The Wall Street Journal reported that the executives identified as “high achievers” cared about both people and profits. Average achievers focused on production, and low achievers were most concerned about themselves. Building relationships with people can also build success. Plus, having real relationships makes going to work every day far more enjoyable. You don’t have…

Why Executive Leaders Set Clear Objectives
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Why Executive Leaders Set Clear Objectives

Clarity is an important factor to the success of a leader, a team and an organization. If people aren’t clear about their role and what they’re supposed to be doing every day, they will swirl and become less and less effective. To progress toward your vision, you need a clear roadmap and that includes objectives….

Setting Priorities is Key to Leadership Success
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Setting Priorities is Key to Leadership Success

Distractions can tempt us every day. Other people have their own agendas for our time and attention. We might have the best intentions of working on our priorities, but other things get in the way. We may even become so ambitious that we create a long list of priorities, which means we don’t really have…