Dave Anderson | Leadership Training and Consultation
Do you want a “me first” team? Do you want a team filled with politics and positioning? Do you want a team that does the minimum necessary? Few of us want a work culture like this.
The word culture is derived from the middle English word cultivation. When I work with teams, I see the results of a leader’s cultivation efforts. The good and the bad cultures are a direct result of the efforts or lack of effort from the leader. Continue Reading…
Ask a veteran why they served and you will likely hear the word Duty in the explanation. The concept of Duty still runs deep in military circles.
Many people use the word Duty to describe the list of tasks in a job description. But the idea of Duty goes well beyond a “to do list.” Duty seems to be a forgotten principle outside the military. The concept of Duty needs a revival. Continue Reading…
“Sorry. It’s policy.” This comment may be true, but it can also be a sign of a weak leader. Policies are not perfect – especially personnel policies. Leaders need to be willing to stand up and fight when needed.
Most companies have personnel policies, and the larger the company the more rigid the policies usually are. But, the rigidity of the policy does not always make it right. Continue Reading…
Be careful following a leader just because he has gray hair. The tenure or the age of a leader does not always signal wisdom. Here is the question:
Is the leader growing in wisdom or growing in fear?
A lot of people let the past keep them from moving forward. But when a leader is dominated by fear, everyone they lead focuses on the past and becomes stuck in the present as well. Continue Reading…
It had been 12 months since I hired Tracy. During the interview process she wowed me with her passion and drive to succeed. I wasn’t just moderately hopeful for her. I thought she would be doing my job some day!
But 12 months later, that person was nowhere to be found. Tracy turned out to be very average – average work ethic, average skills, and average results. She did her job and that was about it. I rarely saw the passion and drive that made me hire her. Continue Reading…
They were in their robes and ready to be done with high school. I was the only thing between them and graduation and the family celebrations to follow.
As the keynote speaker, I knew I better keep it short and do everything I could to make it memorable. I spoke about the choices they all had. As I spoke and watched the parents sitting in the audience, I realized these choices belong to all of us.
We all control the choices we make no matter our circumstance. Those choices often determine our success in life, our impact on others and our impact on the world around us. Continue Reading…
Business magazines publish article after article discussing a company’s culture. The articles often focus on perks, the color of the office walls, or the fact there is a ping pong table where the conference table used to be.
Who cares! I don’t care that I get to play ping pong at work if I can’t trust the guy I just beat to be honest with me later. A pig with lipstick on is still a pig. Continue Reading…
When meat is marinated, it is soaked in a marinade for an extended period of time. The marinade sauce penetrates into the meat and not only keeps the meat moist and edible when it is placed over a fire, but it also changes the flavor of the meat. That flavor is maintained during the cooking process.
When I forget to marinate the meat and just place the sauce on the outside right before hitting the flames, the heat of the fire often burns the sauce. There is a charred flavor on the outside, while on the inside the meat is dry and flavorless. The fire damages the meat instead of adding to its flavor.
A Low Maintenance Team (LMT) has a culture developed by the leader actively marinating the people in the principles the leader wants the LMT to embrace and emulate. This is how a LMT Culture is created and maintained. Continue Reading…
“Tell me about yourself.” “What is your definition of teamwork?” “What’s your biggest weakness?” These are old interview questions that rarely improve an interviewer’s chance of finding the best candidate.
Some interviewers have not changed their interview questions for years, or they are using the questions they were asked when they interviewed years ago.
It is time for a change!
Continue Reading…
The Zone, Body For Life, Atkins, South Beach, and Vegan are all different eating plans I have employed to lose weight. They all worked too. That is, they worked as long as I executed the plan!
I’ve spent many hours in conference rooms developing business plans. Some companies will take three months out of 2014 to plan for 2015. Very few businesses or business people ignore planning.
But, some businesses thrive and some just survive. Was it truly a better strategy that made the difference or just better execution? Continue Reading…