by Allen Leigh Admin | Jun 30, 2020 | Leadership, Productivity
Leader-managers face the question, “should I delegate this?” daily. Whether it be a simple task, work project or request from the top, leader-managers must decide what tasks they can accomplish and which need to be delegated. At its core delegation is shifting work...
by Allen Leigh Admin | Jun 23, 2020 | Leadership
Lewis Jaques sought to define levels within organizational leadership, so he dug deep into over 40 years of business research to identify important milestones and common hierarchies within organizations. Lewis found that there was a common thread in the research and...
by Allen Leigh Admin | Jun 23, 2020 | Leadership, Productivity
Getting Leaders Out of the Weeds and Focusing on What Matters Most A simple method for evaluating whether you are using your time most effectively in advancing your level of thinking is looking at how you are spending your time in 4 core managerial areas. We call this...
by Allen Leigh Admin | Jun 23, 2020 | Company Culture, Leadership
Do you know your team’s Winning Culture Formula? Organizational Culture Every organization has a company culture that influences employees’ habits and forms the unwritten rules guiding group behaviour. Business theorists see workplace culture as one of the most...
by Allen Leigh Admin | Jun 23, 2020 | Leadership, Meetings, Productivity
Although it’s not completely clear where the Fist-to-Five originated, many attribute it to the American Youth Foundation who began using it in 2004. This team exercise is a simple time saver as it’s a quick, effective way to check-in with the group, learn what people...
by Allen Leigh Admin | Jun 23, 2020 | Leadership, Productivity
There are many project management tools available to leader-managers that provide a framework for developing concepts, thinking and the ideas that drive projects. These in-depth project planning tools flush out potential challenges and cast a vision of how the project...
by Allen Leigh Admin | Jun 16, 2020 | Leadership
When asked “would you rather be a good leader or a good manager” nine out of ten of our workshop participants say “leader.” We exist in an era of business where the act of leadership is often more celebrated than the practice of management. In reality, it is rare for...
by Allen Leigh Admin | Jun 16, 2020 | Leadership
Getting others to do what you need them to do in a defined timeline can be challenging. Many in organizations are responsible for delivering on key tasks while lacking the formal authority to get things done. In these cases, it is the softer side of leadership that is...
by Allen Leigh Admin | Jun 16, 2020 | Leadership
Most of us have never really thought about the science behind the routine practices of day-to-day management. We all know that setting a vision is good for pointing teams in the right direction, regular one-on-ones help with communication flow and performance reviews...
by Allen Leigh Admin | Jun 16, 2020 | Leadership
Achieving Results Through Others The Leader-Manager’s core role in an organization is to achieve results through others. Where early career professionals are focused on individual efforts and results, the leader-manager is tasked with combining individual efforts and...
I once coached a CEO when one of their VPs interrupted to ask what colour the boss wanted the office painted. The CEO offered their opinion and then refocused on our conversation. I responded, “Do you really feel that picking out paint colours is a wise use of your mental energy as CEO?” Their counter was, “I don’t stop to think about it much. If someone asks me for my opinion, then I give it to them.” Oh, the double-edged sword of leadership. Senior leaders must become exceptionally good at making decisions with limited data and be comfortable just making the call. Overusing this style can create a check-in culture where the team becomes overly reliant on the boss’s opinion and hesitates to move without consultation.
