Hurricane season has started, and their volatility is a metaphor for our business climate today. Exceptional times calls for exceptional leadership. Consider that: Gartner Research estimated that 75% of organizations would experience an event that would threaten that organization’s existence. In a rare occurrence, Gartner was wrong. 100% of companies experienced that event. It was COVID. Also, in 1958 S&P 500 Index companies survived on average 61 years. By 1980 that number w

How to build this trait

Ever feel excluded from a key meeting or social gathering? Feels pretty bad doesn’t it? It may bring back memories of what it felt like to be picked last on the playground team, or be excluded from the party. Nothing feels good about it. You may rationalize and tell yourself you had other things to do anyway, or don’t really care about “their silly game” or boring meeting, but in reality—being excluded sucks. Dr. Charles Pellerin, the creator of 4-D (Four-Dimensional) Systems

From the moment they’re hatched, sea turtles are hurled into the world to fend for themselves until they’re ready to fulfill their purpose. They go through countless obstacles, but those obstacles actually toughen them up for the massive journey ahead of them. Like the lifecycle of sea turtles, the life of each person is experienced through several stages of growth. And while some of those stages may be difficult (or seemingly impossible) at times, they have the fantastic abi

Now, if that highly technical person is given the opportunity to manage a project, work as a team leader or manager, a new way of problem solving must be learned.  It is called collaboration. That involves slowing down, asking for other team members’ input, weighing options, gaining buy-in, discovering that other stakeholders want to put their 2 cents in, and only days, weeks or months later can they finally “kill the problem.”  It can be really frustrating to have to s

I eagerly read it because some of my clients still feel compelled to vent to their managers and do not realize the potential danger they step into. What happens after venting? You feel better, yet the boss will tag you as a whiner, trouble maker, immature or get the impression that you are not up to the job. Worse yet, they will put you on the list to “manage out”. Think about how many times you bring problems to the boss without solutions, vs. opportunities, ideas and

Sometimes a slow pace can be downright infuriating. In our instant-solution, instant-communication society, many love to drive fast, walk fast, talk fast, and act fast. But as a leader, taking the time to proceed more slowly can sometimes be the secret to being more effective.  In any leadership role, there’s a choice to make: jump to the answer alone and save time (which may entail facing roadblocks in the future), or take the time and effort required to bring the team

Most managers fail to show appreciation for the work their teams deliver out of fear that it will come across wrong, or that it is not necessary. In a few chapters, Umlas shows how a heartfelt appeal really works to acknowledge others’ accomplishments, talents and wisdom continually, and how it  can transform lives and the workplace! When we get busy and fail to show appreciation and gratitude for what our teams do, we miss an opportunity to motivate them for even bett

Most of my clients realize that lack of delegation is killing them. They want time to build relationships, think, plan, work on strategic projects, yet can’t dig out from their huge workload. The answer is to delegate. Once you get better at delegating, small tasks stop falling through the cracks and things start getting done more efficiently. Here are the top 10 tips for successful delegation: Describe the outcome you desire – Speak in terms of the results you expect. Expl