A Great Top Ten Tips Article

A friend who reads my blog sent this to me. It’s a great article by Fay Vincent, who was the president and CEO of Columbia Pictures and was a commissioner of Major League Baseball. One quote I like from his article:

“Be careful about the use of the word ‘average’ – one can drown in a river the average depth of which is six inches.”

Leadership: Power vs Attractiveness

I attended a fantastic seminar, and learned a lot. Here’s something that I found interesting. Leadership is along a continuum of power on one side and attractiveness on another.

Power is about authority, influence, and resources. Attractiveness is about likeability. You need to have both. Why?

You need enough power to be taken seriously.

You need enough attractiveness so others want to help you.

Many of us naturally fall somewhere along that line: the extremes are strong power – people who can execute, but can be viewed as rude, intimidating or abrupt. Others are strong attractive- well liked but viewed as soft, weak, or ineffective.  The goal is to be blended.

Where do you naturally fall? What actions can you take to be more balanced?

Your Personal Board of Directors

I was part of a panel when someone brought this up. And then I saw it on one of my favorite blogs – Sallie Krawcheck’s article about having a personal board of directors.  I like the idea of a personal board of directors, because it gives you a way of thinking about how different people in your life play a role in your decision making.  So who would make a great personal board of director? Here’s what I think: Continue reading →

Sisterhood

 

I have no sisters. But lately, I’m realizing that women in my life are becoming more and more important to me. Other women are becoming sources of strength, inspiration, and just making me feel better about myself. This comes as a surprise to me, because I have often looked at other women as competition (for men, popularity, attractiveness benchmarks), or threats (the mean girls).

But I have changed my mind because of the following thing that happened to me recently. Continue reading →

Feedback

I find feedback hard. I discount the positive, and I overreact to the negative.

Someone I trust said something interesting to me: “You don’t have to take all the feedback as true. But pay attention to the feedback that really bothers you.”

I thought that was a great comment to keep in mind when you receive feedback. My other observation? How seriously I take the feedback is proportionate to how much I respect the person.

If there are people who respect you, take a moment. Give them some real feedback about what they do well, and suggest some actionable items on how to work on their weaknesses. You’d be surprised on your impact.

A great article on someone’s approach to feedback: read about a high school valedictorian’s effort that will blow you away.