So I recently met up with an old mentor….and he had in his wallet the top tips I gave him….a laminated card! I was really surprised and thought I’d share….this is more than 20 years ago!
Category Archives: Leadership
How To Get to the Truth
This sounds so basic….I mean, isn’t the truth about something self-evident? Often in business we have so many metrics, so many smart people’s opinions, so much expertise and openness….how can we not know the truth?
Well, the reality is that the truth isn’t always so obvious…. especially when things aren’t going well. It could be a project that’s falling behind, a surge in attrition…the problem is that there can be many reasons, but how do you actually get to the truth of the matter and what should be fixed first?
One technique I find myself using more and more is the following….
Executive Presence
Recently someone asked me about executive presence. We’ve all seen examples of people with amazing executive presence…..here are some of the things I’ve observed from people I think have great executive presence….
Continue reading
Performance Reviews
This is a really great article about performance reviews. The individual writing it talks about what not to do, and what you need to do in order to be a great manager. I’ve always said that the hardest part of my career was managing people….there is nothing harder. Difficult projects? Tough timeframes? Easy. Trying to manage groups of people without losing your mind? Not so easy.
Continue reading
Better: Permission or Forgiveness?
Has anyone noticed the new trend of what I call “apologetic” advertising? Wells Fargo, Facebook, Uber….all beautifully crafted, earnest, with a “we’re the good guys” narrative.
Here’s the problem…when widespread problems happen in a company, it’s because of culture. Yes, a leader can definitely promote a culture…but it also needs a lot of other forces at work. Here are the warning signs I’ve seen…. Continue reading
What Companies Get Wrong about Inclusion
The discussion of inclusion is now top of mind for many companies. It’s no longer a “tick the box exercise”….now managers are being held accountable for the culture and environments fostered in their companies. As an Asian female who worked in financial institutions, here is my take on what companies need to watch out for….
Use Your Power
I finally realized something late in my career: as you get more senior, influential, and are listened to….
You have power.
That concept was uncomfortable for me. It seemed presumptuous, egotistical. But, here’s what power can mean: the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events.
You don’t need to be the most senior person in the organization to have power. You can have power at any level. So how do you use it? Continue reading
Rocks vs. Logs
I am one of those people who like to divide the world into two groups. One analogy I find helpful (which I attribute to Sun Tzu in the Art of War) is the rock vs log designation. What does that mean?
Consistency
You’ve probably heard in terms of leadership, all it takes is one “questionable” action for people to lose faith. It could be an ill timed comment ” I just want my life back” (BP CEO during the worst spill in history), a company’s reaction (Equifax’s small print where you give up your right to sue if you want to know whether or you were hacked)…there are all sorts of behaviors that can put you in the penalty box. Continue reading
Below Your Pay Grade
Sometimes people talk to me about feeling down because they have “menial” work. So here’s the tough news about that.