Search Results for: leadership skills

Leadership, Influence, and Selling Skills

“A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” John Quincy Adams

“It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.” Nelson Mandela ...  read more

Good Leadership vs Bad Leadership – Can You Tell the Difference?

A senior leader once told me – A leader’s every action is an example! I looked at her puzzled. She clarified and said, “Every action a leader takes is an example of good leadership or bad leadership.”

Why is This Important

Being able to tell the difference is key for those who work for leaders as well of those who are leaders. For those who work for leaders today, being able to distinguish good leadership from bad leadership can determine your work happiness, your potential to learn from that leader, and your career trajectory in the current company. If you work for a bad leader and don’t know it, you can be unhappy at work and not realize that it may not be your fault but that of your leader who had set a toxic culture. You can develop bad habits early thinking your leader is a good example and perpetuate that example when you become a leader later.  ...  read more

3 Soft Skills Lessons from Watching “Trolls”

soft skills lessons from Trolls

I didn’t think this movie, Trolls, was going to be any good.  Both of my kids love the music in it.   Finally, we watched it last weekend.  I was only half watching it for the first 20 minutes.  It seemed like just a silly, happy cartoon, with lots of bright colors and singing.   My kids were glued to the TV.

When I was done with work, I thought I just watch it with them to unwind. Within 10 minutes, I was glued too.  Here is why:

“You have eat a Troll to be happy” – What?  What a silly concept!  Why would the Bergens believe such a thing?  Then it dawned on me the metaphor and parallel to our lives.  We all grew up with a lot of concept about happiness, such as

  • We need to make a lot of money to be happy
  • We need to be married to be happy
  • We need to own a house to be happy
  • We need to be promoted to be happy

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    Bad Leadership: 5 Warning Signs and 2 Simple Solutions

    bad leadership

    There can be many bad leaders in one organization.  Why?  Ironically, it’s because bad leadership creates a vicious cycle.  Bad leaders promote other bad leaders, either because they don’t know any better or they don’t want to be found out.  If you’re a kick-ass doer in an organization full of bad leaders, you won’t get promoted for one of two reasons.

    1. They don’t know how to replace you!  You continue making them look good in your current role, so they continue taking the credit.  If they promote you, they’ll either have to find someone just as good, start looking bad, or have to do some work themselves.
    2. They worry you’ll threaten their position.  Bad leaders usually feel insecure and inadequate.  The more senior you get, the more you’ll expose their ineptness (even if you don’t plan on it).

    Working for a bad leader is a nightmare for your career and health. The earlier you identify them, the sooner you can plan your next career move.

    Recognizing Bad Leadership

    Many infographics illustrate the difference between a boss (a.k.a bad leaders) and a true leader.  A popular one is shown above, and you can find another one here.  These graphics are helpful, but either too vague or have too much information.  Let’s make it more practical with 5 early signs of bad leadership.

    Sign #1: They don’t walk the walk.   

    I used to work for someone that loved to talk about leadership and mentoring others.  She knew all the buzzwords and knew how to describe a good mentor.  However, she never did anything.  She just wanted to be known as a good mentor without actually mentoring anyone.

    Bad leaders always say one thing but do another.  If someone does this once, maybe it’s a misunderstanding.  If you can identify three occasions where this person said one thing but did another, you have a bad leader.

    Sign #2: They use subtly belittling language.

    Good leaders appreciate your strengths and help you improve on your weaknesses.  Bad leaders highlight your weaknesses frequently so they can feel superior.  This sign isn’t always obvious, so trust your gut.  If you often feel demotivated after meeting with your boss, he or she is a bad leader.

    Sign #3: They’re a sensitive know-it-all. ...  read more

    3 Leadership Lessons from KungFu Panda 3

    leadership lessons from kungfu panda 3

    This weekend, our family went to see KungFu Panda 3 and loved it.   It was both entertaining for the kids and educational for us all.   I was amazed at how well the story line conveyed some fundamental leadership lessons while being utterly adorable at the same time.  If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend it.

    Here are 3 leadership lessons I learned.

    Leadership lesson 1: Step outside your comfort zone

    Shifu (Panda’s master): If you only do what you can do, you’ll never be better than what you are.
    Po (Panda): But I like who I am!
    Shifu: You don’t even know who you are!

    This was one of my favorite quotes in the movie.  We all love our comfort zones, but that’s not where we will develop our leadership skills.  Leadership requires challenging ourselves and be willing to raise our hand for a new role even if we are not sure we can do it.   The more we step outside our comfort zone, the more we can learn about ourselves.  Great leaders are humble and self-aware.

    Ask yourself two questions:

  • Are you doing what you can do today?  If the answer is yes for more than 50% of your job, perhaps it’s time to look for new opportunities to challenge yourself in your current job or find a new role
  • Do you know what kind of a leader you are?  If you quickly said yes.  I would say – reevaluate.   Most great leaders have a growth mindset.  They are constantly learning about themselves and how to become better.    You may already be a good leader, but there is always room to evolve into an even better one.

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