If there is one competency that separates a leader from a manager, it is this one: the ability to maintain a forward focus and organize change to facilitate it. There are a thousand things that compete for our attention (well, maybe not a thousand but it can seem like it). And there are a thousand...
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6 principles of effectiveness
If efficiency is the economic use of human, psychological, and material resources, what is effectiveness? Go ahead. Think about it. I’ll wait… Like many of you, I find the Business Dictionary online to be a useful and oft utilized resource. Here’s how they define effectiveness: The degree to which objectives are achieved and the extent...
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competence competencies vision Effective Leadership Efficiency vision Effective Leadership Leadership management planning productivity strategy tactics vision
Is doing what you do getting you what you really want?
Start-ups are, in many ways, a lot easier than leading a seasoned company or organization. Once systems, methods, and procedures are in place they can become part of the corporate identity. Indeed, they become you and you become identified as them. If they work, okay. If they move your department, company, or organization toward your...
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competence competencies vision Effective Leadership Efficiency vision Effective Leadership Leadership management planning productivity strategy tactics vision planning strategy tactics vision
7 ways to know the difference between strategies and tactics
The vision: Liberate Europe, defeat Germany and Italy, then establish a new world order The strategy: A cross-channel invasion followed by succeeding maneuvers to push the enemy back, destroy their ability and resolve to wage war, bring about their defeat. The strategy was called Operation Overlord. The tactics: pre-assault aerial bombardment, land troops, fight the...
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competence competencies vision Effective Leadership Efficiency vision Effective Leadership Leadership management planning productivity strategy tactics vision planning strategy tactics vision Effective Leadership organizing planning vision
Seeing over the top of the hill and around the corners – why leaders understand the principle of line of sight
Two of my employees were working out of the shop installing components we had made in the shop. Theirs was not a particularly complicated or difficult job, removing old pieces, installing hardware on the new components, reinstalling them, and painting. They were competent, responsible, and hardworking guys. They made my life much easier and my...
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competence competencies vision Effective Leadership Efficiency vision Effective Leadership Leadership management planning productivity strategy tactics vision planning strategy tactics vision Effective Leadership organizing planning vision Effective Leadership employees Leadership Motivation strategy vision
9 things your associates and team absolutely need to make the journey towards vision. What Lewis and Clark shows us about effective leadership and the pursuit of vision.
Undaunted Courage is one of the great stories in American history. When Merriweather Lewis and William Clark departed St. Louis in May, 1804 on what was then called the Corps of Discovery Expedition, they actually failed in their stated purpose. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to find “the most direct and practicable water communication across...
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competence competencies vision Effective Leadership Efficiency vision Effective Leadership Leadership management planning productivity strategy tactics vision planning strategy tactics vision Effective Leadership organizing planning vision Effective Leadership employees Leadership Motivation strategy vision planning vision
Mapquest for your company – the best strategic planning tool around
Yesterday I had to keep an appointment at an office across town. Since I needed to know approximately how long it would take to get there, I logged in to Mapquest. After entering the address of the destination and the origin, it prepared a route map with directions, told me what I would find along...
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competence competencies vision Effective Leadership Efficiency vision Effective Leadership Leadership management planning productivity strategy tactics vision planning strategy tactics vision Effective Leadership organizing planning vision Effective Leadership employees Leadership Motivation strategy vision planning vision delegation Effective Leadership management organizing planning productivity vision
7 traits of a great planner
It’s time to become small minded. Visionaries are big thinkers. Planners may make big plans but they think small. They take the grand scheme of things and turn it into smaller steps. Planners are comprehensive thinkers whose skillset includes the ability to break things up into increments and whose experience has shown them the necessity...
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competence competencies vision Effective Leadership Efficiency vision Effective Leadership Leadership management planning productivity strategy tactics vision planning strategy tactics vision Effective Leadership organizing planning vision Effective Leadership employees Leadership Motivation strategy vision planning vision delegation Effective Leadership management organizing planning productivity vision planning vision
6 benefits of strategic planning
I just came from my monthly SCORE meeting. In case you are unfamiliar with SCORE, it is the Service Corps Of Retired Executives, a volunteer division of the Small Business Administration. Some of us aren’t quite retired in the do little else but play golf sense, but it is made up of business men and...
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competence competencies vision Effective Leadership Efficiency vision Effective Leadership Leadership management planning productivity strategy tactics vision planning strategy tactics vision Effective Leadership organizing planning vision Effective Leadership employees Leadership Motivation strategy vision planning vision delegation Effective Leadership management organizing planning productivity vision planning vision Effective Leadership Leadership management organization planning strategy tactics vision
The magic word – planning
What’s the magic word? The guest speaker was seated on the stage, ready to deliver his keynote address. On his right sat the coordinator of the event, the person responsible for pulling all the many strands together to create a worthwhile encounter for speakers and participants alike. On his left sat one of the other...
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