No-win situations feel like running on a hamster wheel. Running faster multiplies frustration.
Three things never go away in leadership: competing priorities, limited resources, and increasing expectations.
It doesn’t matter how fast you run. You must run faster tomorrow. You have to lay off people and still deliver results, for example.
You have choices.
Beliefs shape actions.
Leaders rise or fall on beliefs.
Misguided beliefs overpromise and underdeliver.
The worst mistake energizes quick wins and long-term defeat.
Smart teams outperform smart individuals.
3 Practices That Build Smart Teams
Use these practices to build one you’re proud to lead.
Smart teams are never an accident. They’re built, not born.
This post is loaded with practices you can implement today.
Democratic management sounds noble—shared voice, shared power, shared purpose. But done poorly, it becomes a swamp of indecision, unclear roles, and death by consensus.
Done well, democratic management energizes people, advances mission, and deepens ownership.
Here’s how to make democratic decisions and avoid death by consensus.
You can’t lift people while looking down on them.
Snobs wear many disguises—good intentions, strong work ethic, noble achievements.
Superiority thrives on comparison—finding someone “less” to feel like “more.”
“Better at” isn’t “better than.”
Spot the signs of snobbery.
Protect your teams from the danger.
E.B. White writes about his geese, “They badmouth everybody and everything. But they’re oddly companionable once you get used to their ingratitude and their false accusations.”
Negative people are like geese.
A goose may honk your ear off. It’s tempting to withdraw, stop trying, or retaliate. But teams are full of imperfect people.
