Susan found that leaders who believe in you don’t just bring out the best in you, they help develop the creative aspect of you. In the early part of her career, she worked in a command/control style environment in a consulting company. She found that approach was effective for dealing with a known type of … Read more
Sandra learned from one of her influential mentors that outstanding leaders connect with people on their teams. Her mentor called people at random to check in with them to see how they were going and what they needed. She also followed up and addressed their concerns if possible. They appreciated her commitment to them and, … Read more
As the only woman on the executive leadership team, Heather was often reluctant to speak. She replayed the team meetings and asked herself why she did not offer the gold of her insights, particularly in her area of expertise. Instead, she kept her thoughts to herself. If only she could be like the men around … Read more
Frances finds that having fun is a big part of building greater engagement with her team. She challenges them to come up with innovative ways to enjoy themselves as a team and learn something new. For example, they chose an art class that included wine and cocktails for the team end-of-year function. Everyone received lessons … Read more
James wanted exceptional people around him to create a culture that was client and quality focused for his new venture. He did not want to be an expert at everything. In fact, he preferred people who knew their area of expertise better than he did. He never felt threatened by hiring people who were smarter … Read more