Mark Miller's Blog, page 9

Today’s Challenge: Passion

During 2013, I had the privilege of speaking to a lot of groups in a live setting. My favorite part of those sessions was always the question and answer segment. Today, I’ll address a question that surfaced at more than one event: Can you instill passion in an employee?

The question behind the question has to do with the nature of motivation. Certainly, you can motivate someone externally – it was Al Capone, the noted gangster, who once said, “You can get much farther with a kind word and a gu...

One Word… Diversity

This is the next in a series of posts on words that matter to leaders. So far, we’ve looked at Vision, Data, and most recently, Why? Today, I want to share a few thoughts on a term that is often charged with emotion and sometimes carries a lot of baggage: Diversity.

Honestly, diversity is not something I’ve ever thought much about… let me explain. Diversity makes so much sense to me I don’t have to “decide” what I think about it. A lack of diversity impedes my leadership effectiveness – end of...

De-Clutter Your Leadership

I’ll admit it, ever since I started writing this blog, I’ve been much more aware of potential leadership lessons lurking in the mundane circumstances of life. I discovered another one this past week.

We’re moving. As we began packing the boxes, it was obvious to me how much we’d accumulated since our last move. This realization led to a fascinating conversation with my wife about de-cluttering our lives. My mind immediately went to my leadership. What is the clutter I’ve accumulated as a leade...

Just Like Magic… A New Year!

January 1st is one of my favorite days every year. I know it doesn’t make sense at a rational level – it’s just another day, right? Yes and no. There is something quite powerful about a fresh start. A new year provides that chance.

When I was a kid, I had a toy called an Etch a Sketch. I know that was a long time ago, but here’s how it worked. You could draw anything you wanted by turning the knobs on the front of the device. And, here’s the best part – whenever you wanted to start over, all y...

10 Favorite Posts from 2013

As you wind down the year, I thought a recap of some of the favorite posts from 2013 might be helpful. Maybe you’ll find a post you missed or perhaps one of them will serve as a needed reminder as you enter 2014. Below, you’ll find a quick summary of each post along with a link.

10 New Year’s Resolutions for the Servant Leader – What will you attempt to do differently in 2014? For many leaders, thoughtful reflection yields new levels of resolve and results. Resolutions can give voice to our in...

Leaders Go First – Free ebook!

Last week, I wrote about the importance of a leader showing others the way in my post entitled, Don’t Throw Away that Cup! That wasn’t the first time I’ve written about the principle: People always watch the leader.

Leaders Go Firstis a compilation of some of my previous articles on this critical topic. Take a look – if you like what you see, please pass the link to others.

I’d also love your feedback. As my first ebook, I want to know if you find this format helpful. You can leave your comment...

One Word…Why?

This is the next installment in a series in which I explore some key words in a leader’s world. So far, we covered Data and Vision. Today, another simple word that doubles as a powerful question: Why?

I’ve written numerous times over the last two years about my fascination with questions. I believe they are among the most under-rated tools at a leaders’ disposal. “Why?” is an amazing word and the beginning of countless outstanding questions.

Most of us started asking “Why?” as a small child. We...

Don’t Throw Away That Cup!

Two years ago, I wrote about one of the core principles you and I need to understand as leaders: People Always Watch the Leader – whether we want them to or not. I was reminded of that again last week. Here’s the story…

I had just finished lunch with a friend and colleague in our cafeteria. We were headed out of the cafe when I decided I didn’t want to carry my almost empty drink cup with me. We had already walked past the recycling bin, and we were trying to finish a conversation. So, as we a...

Today’s Challenge: My Boss is Not Engaged

This is the next installment in the weekly series on questions and issues you send my way. Today’s question is one I’m thankful to say, I’ve never personally experienced. However, I know the situation well. Today’s Challenge: What do I do when my boss is disengaged?

I want to begin with a distinction. I’ve written previously about how to respond if you don’t have senior leadership support for your ideas. Based on the email I received, this is a different issue. What I’m responding to is a situ...

Nice vs. Right – How Do You Decide?

Last week, I wrote about the challenge of doing the right things vs. the nice things. As simple as the idea is, it can be far more complicated in real life. Sometimes it’s hard to discern – which is the right choice?

This question of right things vs. nice things is not an esoteric discussion. The ability to do the right things is predicated on our ability to discern the right things. Leaders who consistently do the right things will separate themselves from other leaders.

Here are a few conside...