http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com Turbocharged Leadership Blog Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:00:00 GMT http://www.turbochargedleadership.com/design/logo_feeds.jpg http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com We’ve all had to work with toxic team members—bosses, peers, and subordinates. I don’t know anyone who enjoys working with such individuals, however some of us are better able to handle them than others. Let’s break this issue down into several steps: why someone might be toxic, what you can do about the situation, and some useful tools. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=464 Wed, 24 Jul 2013 15:16:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=464 The removal of Mohamed Morsi as Egypt’s President is a poignant reminder of the difficulty in satisfying the myriad demands of disparate segments of a society or organization. While Mr. Morsi was a democratically elected leader of a country, his failure can provide many lessons for those of us who work in business and non-profit organizations. In a nutshell, Mr. Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood party put personal agendas before the common goal of repairing and building a flourishing Egyptian government and society. He failed to rebuild the Egyptian infrastructure, leaving the economy struggling with high prices for food, gasoline, and other commodities. He and others in his party grabbed power by ramming an unpopular religiously tainted constitution down the throat of the Egyptian people and appointing Islamist officials to as many posts as possible. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=453 Tue, 09 Jul 2013 14:19:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=453 This week I've observed how individuals and organizations have responded to the tragic loss of life at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. It began shortly thereafter with President Obama's remarks on Friday, "We've endured too many of these tragedies in the past few years… As a country we have been through this too many times. Whether it's an elementary school in Newtown, or a shopping mall in Oregon, or a temple in Wisconsin, or a movie theater in Aurora, or a street corner in Chicago, these neighborhoods are our neighborhoods and these children are our children and we're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics." As I heard the words my immediate thought was "gun control"—and that he's really sticking his neck out on this one. I hoped it wasn't just a knee-jerk reaction. And then my mind drifted to the topic of leadership, and that's where it stuck. Good leaders take a well-reasoned stand and act to make it happen. This takes courage, an essential leadership element. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=443 Thu, 20 Dec 2012 20:02:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=443 I am frequently asked about the optimal size for a team. Like many leadership and team issues the answer is "it depends." We can, however, look at some of the parameters regarding team size and gain a bit more awareness of the pertinent issues which will help us to develop higher performing teams. For starters, let's look at the earliest teams—foraging or raiding parties. Anthropologists have studied primitive tribes with an understanding that their behavior is most likely indicative of Paleolithic, that is pre-agricultural human behavior, and therefore a natural or instinctive team size. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=433 Wed, 24 Oct 2012 20:26:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=433 As a leader in a business organization we are often required to assess the performance of team members. When a someone has not performed up to our expectations one or more factors may be at play. An easy response may be to believe that the individual is not up to the task, but it may also be a case where external, or situational factors are creating headwinds too large to overcome. Perhaps the team member is in a role that is not a good match for his or her knowledge and skills, or that the task is ill-defined. I find the issue of external factors to be the most difficult to resolve. Let's look at a few examples. Suppose you were Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, and had to deal with a broken map application in the new iOS release. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=416 Tue, 02 Oct 2012 18:31:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=416 I've gotten a few questions over the week on last week's blog post and how to bring traumatic issues to closure and move forward. As I was driving one afternoon I began to imagine myself as a plant manager for a Japanese owned factory in China. Some of these factories have been shuttered due to the protests over the Diaoyudao islands in the East China Sea. I drafted a statement and have worked with Nancy Wiser of Wiser Strategies who advises clients on how to handle crises, to craft a message that would help in such a time of crisis. Here is the statement I would make... http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=406 Tue, 25 Sep 2012 13:04:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=406 Over the last week protests and riots have erupted in a swath across the globe from Tunisia to China. The two flash points have been the display of an Arabic version of a trailer for the movie Innocence of Muslims and the sale of the disputed Senkaku islands in the East China Sea. I find an analog for these global events to be situations where the entire team or organization is working from a morale deficit. These may be situations where massive layoffs or a traumatic incident has taken place. In such cases there are three things you can do—allow a period of grief and bring closure to the past, motivate the team toward the common goal, and keep the focus moving forward. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=398 Tue, 18 Sep 2012 22:17:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=398 I've been following the political conventions from a distance and one issue stood out for me—integrity. It seems that we hold our politicians to a much lower standard of integrity than we do leaders in the business world. My guess is that since almost all of the politicians lie, spin facts, or make outlandish unjustifiable claims we become numb to this subterfuge. I'm going to refrain from going into the details of the transgressions from both parties because the fact-checking sites perform a good service for us in this regard. I would like to analyze this situation in the context of how these incidents would appear coming from a business leader. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=387 Tue, 11 Sep 2012 10:43:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=387 Over the past several months I have had the opportunity to observe individual's behavior when I have told them that I was unable to do something for them or chose not to purchase their product or service. The responses have ranged from quiet anger to ignoring me to an attitude that continues to engage with me in hopes that we will be able to work together in the future. You may have had similar experiences when you have had to give a team member bad news. Their reaction tells you a lot about their personal beliefs, maturity, and ability to work through problems. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=379 Tue, 04 Sep 2012 13:01:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=379 Many Americans are weary of the partisan politics and unwillingness for each side to work together to solve critical problems in the United States. This week I'd like to highlight the value of collaboration with a project in Kentucky and challenge you to look for ways you can collaborate that will create innovative projects that you might not otherwise embark upon. Lexington and Louisville are the largest cities in Kentucky and in many ways have been bitter rivals, whether it is basketball, business, or horses. However, last year the mayors of Lexington and Louisville, Jim Gray and Greg Fischer, developed an outline for a joint economic development effort, called Bluegrass Economic Advancement Movement (BEAM). This endeavor is meant to put a spotlight on the corridor between Lexington and Louisville as a center for advanced manufacturing—the adoption of cutting edge manufacturing processes to produce innovative or technologically complex products. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=373 Tue, 21 Aug 2012 12:48:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=373 I frequently encounter leaders who simply tell their team members what to do and then expect them to do it and be happy. These aren't always older folks, either, and their comments are generally more negative than positive. Research has shown that the ratio of your positive versus negative comments has a profound effect on your team's performance. It's called the positivity ratio. Marcial Losada and Emily Heaphy reviewed data from comments made during meetings among 60 strategic business unit management teams in a major corporation. The comments were coded as either negative or positive. The high performing teams had a positivity ratio over ten times higher than the low performing teams. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=368 Tue, 31 Jul 2012 22:56:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=368 This blog post has been difficult for me to write given the despicable nature of the crimes committed by Gerald "Jerry" Sandusky at Pennsylvania State University. Most of you know that he was convicted on June 22, 2012 on 45 counts of criminal charges for his sexual exploitation of young men at Penn State. I feel there are valuable culture lessons for all leaders in the sordid action by Penn State administrators following each exposure of Sandusky's activities. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=356 Tue, 17 Jul 2012 14:52:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=356 Today I'd like to illustrate a few points with a story that plays out in many variations in countless organizations across the globe. Brad is a hard-working, creative project leader at Vector Software. He and his team have identified a new method of discovering devices on their networks, called NU for Network Ubiquity. This will greatly simplify and shorten their installation process. Unfortunately the state of the economy prevents them from fully developing and integrating the technology in their software product. The following year Andy, a peer project leader is able to make a case for a significant amount of funding for the next release of their software. He realizes the value of NU technology and instructs his team to develop and implement it... http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=347 Tue, 10 Jul 2012 11:48:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=347 Over the past several years Chinese construction companies have broadened their reach, aggressively pursuing projects in the West and Middle East. Unfortunately, several of these projects have run amok, falling prey to the ignorance of local regulations, insensitivity to culture, and importation of foreign workers. Notable examples are a section of highway in Poland and several projects in Saudi Arabia. In a similar fashion, when you are leading your team into new geographic markets it is important to immerse yourself into the fabric of the local culture. Remember that you will be viewed as an outsider and possibly a threat to local jobs. Hire native individuals for local management and listen to their opinions. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=339 Tue, 26 Jun 2012 10:32:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=339 Rita Hayan-Feruz Kleinstein, or just "Rita" as she is affectionately known, is considered by most people to be the top female singer in Israel today. Turns out she also happens to be extremely popular in the land of her country's archenemy—Iran. Jewish Rita was born and raised in Iran until the age of eight when she immigrated to Israel. Throughout her life she cherished the Persian folk songs passed on to her by her mother. Last year she chose to modernize and record them, producing her latest album, My Joys. Since Western music is banned in Iran, Iranians have purchased bootleg copies on the black market or discretely downloaded digital versions. And so Rita is building an enthusiastic bond between the people in the land of her birth and the land of her heritage. Such bonds can help your team perform better as well as maintain its viability over a long period of time. Research has shown that group performance is correlated with the individual team member's ability to work together toward a common goal. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=327 Wed, 13 Jun 2012 02:47:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=327 As I write this the SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies) Falcon 9 rocket has blasted into space, carrying the Dragon spacecraft toward the International Space Station (ISS) with a load of cargo. This milestone marks a new era in private as opposed to government space flight. While a significant portion of the program funding comes from NASA and therefore could be considered government funded, two important points would be missed if we apply such a broad brush. As a leader our ego sometimes gets the better of us. We begin to believe that we and our team can deliver new products or services without the help of others. Such an attitude frequently ends in failure and a veritable crawl back to those who offered help in the first place. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=304 Tue, 22 May 2012 13:26:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=304 The state of Michigan, long a manufacturing bastion of the United States, was on the skids in the heart of the recent recession. Unlikely gubernatorial candidate and self-proclaimed nerd Rick Snyder was swept into office on the heels of the recession. Willing to press forward and sometimes take an unpopular stand, Governor Snyder is leading the way to a better future. We can learn many lessons from him. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=291 Tue, 15 May 2012 21:12:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=291 Last week, on the one year anniversary of the fatal raid of Osama bin Laden's house, a set of documents was released providing us additional insight into the mind of this famed terrorist. While certainly a despicable character, I find his charisma and longevity remarkable. Let's take a look at his approach. From the beginning, Osama bin Laden felt that discipline and a code of conduct were necessary. The al Qaeda manual obtained in a raid on a Manchester, England house reveals a number of values and behaviors demanded from all members. These included patience, a calm personality, a commitment to the organization, and the Islamic faith. And so we can get a better picture of Osama bin Laden the leader. Far from a feckless leader, he developed a vision and remained steadfast in it. He adapted well to contrary events, trained his people, and demanded the best of his men. Osama bin Laden: loathsome—yes. A successful leader—yes, unfortunately. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=280 Tue, 08 May 2012 05:33:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=280 Last week I attended the Society for Industrial & Organizational Psychology (SIOP) conference, my favorite. For me, the resonant theme was achieving a balance—in many areas. It was particularly timely given my involvement with a client wrestling with a team of extraordinarily talented individuals who have difficulty working together. I want to focus on three qualities in leaders which may be assets or liabilities, depending on how they are utilized and how well they fit the situation. These three qualities are strengths, openness, and mental ability. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=272 Tue, 01 May 2012 23:38:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=272 In the past two weeks several scandals have surfaced. Individuals with the US General Services Administration (GSA) have been accused of spending lavishly on parties, conferences, travel, and gifts. Under the leadership of Jeff Neely, Public Buildings Commissioner for GSA Region 9, these activities continued for several years. Members of the US Secret Service were caught in Columbia hiring prostitutes and speaking openly of their mission in the country. Lastly, photos of US soldiers posing with body parts of suicide bombers in Afghanistan have come to light. All of these incidents have a common thread—individuals have exercised poor judgment. The workers went wild, or as some say, have gone rogue. While we, as leaders, never have control over our team members' behavior, we can build and maintain an environment that will go a long way to prevent such rogue behavior. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=253 Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:00:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=253 Over the past several months I have witnessed a fascinating diversity of leadership with respect to the polarities of fear and openness. One view of our world is that polarities exist for everything—black vs. white, hot vs. cold, up vs. down, and of course, fear vs. openness. You can take your leadership to the next level by learning to harness the power of fear and openness as well as respecting the dark side of these emotions. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=246 Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:48:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=246 Fred Smith, Chairman and CEO of FedEx Corporation, has recently been making the rounds promoting his vision of all electric and hybrid electric vehicles in addition to the promotion of favorable tax and regulation codes, training, education, and free trade. Smith has always been a visionary, from his days at Yale writing a business proposal to deliver packages quickly to his current political activity promoting positive change to help the US economy and his company. While other leaders sit back and point fingers or complain about problems, Fred Smith takes the time to discern the issues, dig deep into the heart of the matter, formulate a strategy, and then promote it both internally and externally. His energy is palpable. Upon hearing and reading his words I feel a profound energy moving all of us forward. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=237 Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:12:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=237 On March 26, 2012, US President Barack Obama was in South Korea and met with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. As they were preparing to give remarks to reporters President Obama leaned over to President Medvedev and stated that he would "have more flexibility" in missile defense negotiations after his election. This blunder is reminiscent of an off-the-cuff declaration by President Ronald Reagan on August 11, 1984 prior to his weekly radio address. Reagan announced, "My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes." These comments bring to mind the issue of what to communicate to your team. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=230 Tue, 03 Apr 2012 16:36:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=230 March 14, 2012 Greg Smith, a Vice President in the London office of Goldman Sachs, resigned from the firm. The same morning an op-ed piece from him with a public explanation for his resignation was posted on NYTimes.com. Mr. Smith stated that he could no longer work at Goldman given the shift, in his opinion, from a strong customer orientation to concern solely for Goldman's profit. Reflecting on how you might respond to a similar situation is a good leadership exercise. I believe there are two facets, or angles, from which to view this situation—internal and external to your organization. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=219 Tue, 27 Mar 2012 11:32:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=219 One of the angles from which I approach leadership and team development is that of energy. Viewing all interactions with others in an energetic sense is merely one of many views available. It is similar to wearing polarized sunglasses. When wearing glasses with polarized lenses, unless you turn your head at the right angle you cannot always see the electronic display on some instruments. In an analogous fashion, if you work to attune your awareness you can begin to follow the flow of energy between you and your team members. I believe that it is important to balance the flow of energy in both directions—away from you and toward you. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=211 Tue, 20 Mar 2012 10:57:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=211 Today's Blondie cartoon shows an example where the tyrannical boss, Mr. Dithers, tacks up a motivational poster and wonders if it will improve the performance of his workers. This cartoon, coupled with the anecdotal reports of companies raising pay to retain high performing workers, brings me to write this post explaining the relationship of three very important variables all leaders should understand. Looking at our first variable, most leaders want team members who consistently perform at a high level, that is, having high job performance. This begs the question of the second variable—how to motivate workers to perform at that level. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=202 Tue, 13 Mar 2012 14:17:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=202 Last week I was speaking at a women's leadership conference and enjoyed the keynote speech by Maggie Jackson, author of Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age. In her talk she related the story of a woman whose boss would never give her his full attention. He would continually look at a screen, whether a cell phone or computer monitor, while attempting to carry on a conversation with her. The pain in her face was obvious as she exclaimed to Maggie,"Five minutes. That's all I wanted—five minutes." As leaders, many of us feel compelled to remain as connected as possible to the network in cyberspace so that we can maintain a pulse on our team, our projects, and requests from superiors. This compulsion may be due to a self-imposed drive or from pressure above. Let's contrast this urge to stay connected with the network versus the need for a strong rapport with subordinates. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=195 Tue, 06 Mar 2012 14:14:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=195 In conversations with leaders and those who select them the topic of the Myers-Briggs type indicator (MBTI) occasionally arises. While the Myers-Briggs type may not be the best assessment of personality it is certainly the most well known. The Myers-Briggs type is an excellent model to describe behaviors, and is one I frequently use with my clients. As with all tools, use it wisely and within its limitations. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=182 Tue, 28 Feb 2012 13:37:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=182 I've been fascinated with the 2012 Republican primary process. A field of eight has narrowed to a field of four and of those only Ron Paul has had a steady following. After squeaking a win in the Iowa caucuses Santorum trailed significantly and many were wondering when he would follow his four compatriots in dropping out of the race. But Rick Santorum persisted and kept showing up. It paid off. On February 7 he won two caucuses and a primary, putting him firmly back in the race. Perseverance, or what some call grit, is an excellent leadership trait that is infrequently discussed. Research has shown it to have a measurable impact on success in education. Qualitative research reveals perseverance as a common thread among successful individuals. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=171 Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:41:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=171 A few weeks ago the 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer results were announced. It was a sad day for CEOs and government leaders. Trust that business, government, and NGOs (non-government organizations) will "do what is right" all declined. The credibility of CEOs took a hit, moving from 50% in 2011 to 38% in 2012. Government officials or regulators also declined in credibility from 43% to 29%. As you well know, trust is a big deal. Leaders frequently bemoan to me the lack of trust from their subordinates. I've had the conversation enough times that it has caused me ponder the notion of a "trust intelligence." We've got emotional intelligence, why not trust intelligence? It flows both ways, as well. Subordinates may not trust their superiors and superiors may not trust their subordinates. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=161 Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:18:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=161 When I explore great leaders I always find they have a vast depth of thought, an intensity—a soul. Those who lead from the depths are genuine individuals who strive to make profound changes in the lives of many. Let's explore two international leaders and how they might affect your leadership style. Mahatma (Great Soul) Gandhi and Nelson Mandela both sought and enabled profound social justice improvements in their respective countries. At their core, their depth, they valued the principle of social equality and for it were willing to give their lives. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=150 Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:22:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=150 On January 20th U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren and incumbent Scott Brown signed a pledge intending to stop all PAC (Political Action Committee) spending on their campaigns. The pledge states that for every dollar a PAC spends on TV or Internet advertisement for them or against their opponent they will donate half that amount of money to a charity of the opponent's choice. I find this agreement a breath of fresh air, setting an example of political bipartisan leadership as well as collaborative leadership. This model should serve as an example for all politicians to follow. Collaboration is about building something together. It is about remaining open to new possibilities. Collaborative leadership is both unifying and fluid. Think of an evolving organism, one that is highly dynamic as it adapts and wends its way toward its ever-changing goals. While this may seem amorphous, or even wishy-washy, it is the nature of the universe. Physicists speak of the dance when describing particle physics. Leadership and the nature of organizations is exactly the same. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=141 Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:50:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=141 Last Thursday was "comp day" at one of the premier investment banking firms, Goldman Sachs. This is the day when employees are handed their bonus for their previous year's performance. Unfortunately, some reportedly received nothing. If you've never received a bonus for your work, that's not a big deal. If you have, it is a big deal. Let's find out why. Imagine you're babysitting a friend's child, Jimmy, for the day and he's been happily playing in your yard. The day is growing long and you decide to reward Jimmy's good behavior. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=125 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:00:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=125 As I work with clients to hone their leadership skills the issue of motivation frequently arises. The prevailing view is that you must provide an incentive for your team members to work hard to meet their goals. However, such a view is fraught with peril. Research on motivation has shown us that individuals are generally motivated in one of two ways: intrinsically, with the satisfaction of having done a good job or completing a challenging assignment, and extrinsically, with external rewards such as a bonus, prize, or contest http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=116 Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:00:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=116 Caterpillar is an unlikely darling. We all know that technology is where it's at, not heavy industry. Don't tell that to Doug Oberhelman, CEO of Caterpillar. Under his leadership the company has thrived through the current recession. Doug led a team during a boom cycle in 2005 that put together a strategy on how to deal with a huge downturn in sales. While extremely unpopular at the time, it turned out to be exactly the right thing to do. In November 2008 sales plummeted and the strategy was quickly executed in order to stay ahead of the downturn. This prepared Caterpillar for the next up-cycle—one that is currently underway. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=111 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:00:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=111 Last week Sears reported that it will close up to 120 Sears and Kmart stores. I found it to be another sad chapter in the story of a fallen giant. For me, Sears is akin to a giant sequoia tree-a mammoth, standing stable generation after generation. Unfortunately the retailer continues to erode its foundation a bit almost every year. Let's travel back in time for a moment. Many of you may not be aware that in the late 1950s to early 1980s considerable work on employee selection took place, primarily at Standard Oil Company, AT&T, and Sears. These organizations spent considerable time and money to determine how to select individuals most likely to be successful in their organizations. V. J. Bentz and L. L. Thurstone pioneered the efforts at Sears. Those studies became the basis for today's selection instruments. Their efforts paid off. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=101 Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:00:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=101 Make a list of your team members in one column. To the right of that column make three more columns with the headings Creator, Consumer, and Other. Creators are individuals on your team who take minimal care and feeding, and they produce a steady stream of innovative results. Give them a direction and they're off. These individuals are generally bright, disciplined and passionate about their work. On the other hand, Consumers will take a disproportionate share of your time by asking questions, remain unsure how to proceed in most tasks, and continually check in to make sure they are on the right track. They will likely be more concerned about what they are getting out of their employment than what they can produce for your team and the organization. Others may be steady, heads-down workers or deadwood. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=96 Tue, 27 Dec 2011 15:00:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=96 The coincidental loss of two world leaders in as many days illuminates a stark contrast in leadership styles. It is difficult to find a greater difference in approach than that of Václav Havel of the Czech Republic and Kim Jong Il of North Korea. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=83 Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:00:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=83 As if unrolling a tapestry, last week President Obama laid out a remake of Teddy Roosevelt's New Nationalism speech from 1910. Some call the President's speech a populist appeal. I don't care so much if it is or isn't, but I do care to find out if we can sift through the speech to glean a few leadership tidbits. In the speech we see clear signs of charismatic leadership. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=73 Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:00:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=73 Republican hopeful Herman Cain enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity following the announcement of his bold 9-9-9 plan, but has recently endured painful missteps, an erosion of support back down to the single digits, and an exit from the race. Let's look at these missteps and what he could have done to prevent his loss. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=65 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:00:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=65 Congressional approval ratings have hit a new low with intractable parties at both ends of the spectrum and a chasm between. This is an excellent lesson in the need for leadership to build bonds, or what we call cohesion in the world of psychology. Let's reflect for a moment when an even greater fissure ran through our country, literally, during the American Civil war from 1861 to 1865. After six states joined in 1861 to form the Confederate States of America and secede from the Union, President Abraham Lincoln was forced to declare war in an attempt to reunite the country. In addition, Lincoln's presidential campaign was a struggle, winning the Republican nomination against bitter rivals William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, and Edward Bates. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=61 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:00:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=61 Yesterday I was reflecting on the loss of a friend whose life was tragically cut short. For me, this contemplation stirred up the duality and power of such an event—and how that power can be utilized in your leadership process. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=55 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:00:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=55 The global financial markets have been on a roller coaster ride for the last several months, primarily due to sovereign debt issues in Greece and Italy. Observations of the leaders and populace in these countries illustrate two important lessons. The first lesson is to have the courage to initiate the difficult conversations frequently required as a leader. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=48 Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:00:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=48 We often adore and reward the powerful, impressive leaders while those quietly toiling and continually producing solid results remain unnoticed. I'd like to highlight Ellen Kullman, CEO and Chair of the Board of DuPont as an excellent example of a wise leader who doesn't find it necessary to flaunt achievements on the media's center stage. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=39 Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:00:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=39 The Occupy movements have been out on the streets for a several months now yet their goals remain largely unknown to most of us. The reason for this is because they really don't have any goals beyond generating awareness, and have eschewed leaders and leadership. This is a good lesson for us in the value of leadership. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=33 Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:00:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=33 In early October, 2011, Herman Cain went from an also-ran in the U.S. Republican primary lineup to a front-runner. This was largely a result of one tactic—clear, bold leadership. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=26 Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:00:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=26 Many of us have mourned the loss of an American icon—Steve Jobs. He has been hailed as a technology visionary and wizard, cloaked in the ability and chutzpah to bring to market paradigm-shifting products that would annihilate his company's existing products. There is no doubt in Steve's ability to assimilate new technologies, mold them into cutting edge products with avant-garde design, and drive his development team to deliver the goods in a timely fashion. He was the master of focusing on a singular goal. However, that is not the most important leadership lesson we can learn from Steve. http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=17 Thu, 20 Oct 2011 15:00:00 GMT http://blog.turbochargedleadership.com/?p=17