5 Top Leadership Articles for the Week of July 4, 2016

Happy Independence Day to my US readers!

Each week I read a number of leadership articles from various online resources and share them across social media. Here are the five articles readers found most valuable last week. I have added my comment about each article and would like to hear what you think, too.

4 Soft Skills You Need to Work On and Why by David Sturt & Todd Nordstrom

Would you rather have a co-worker or manager who’s a leader in your field, a true expert with great amounts of knowledge and experience—but isn’t much of a people person, and doesn’t get along with the team very well? Or would you rather work side by side with an inexperienced colleague or leader who’s collaborative, curious, friendly, and pleasant? For most people, the answer is a no-brainer: “Give me someone I can work with! The knowledge and skills will come.”

My Comment: I wish we could come up with some other language than “hard” and “soft” to describe skills. The very language itself undermines the perceived value of these vital characteristics. Your technical knowledge is leveraged and made even more valuable by your ability to communicate and collaborate. Sturt and Nordstrom briefly examine four valuable practices you’ll want to make sure you master.

Saving Superman by Alaina Love at SmartBrief on Leadership

Max was the corporate equivalent of a superhero.

While he didn’t don a mask and cape everyday, he did successfully establish new divisions of a multinational company in four different emerging-market countries during a frenzied 36-month period. He worked around the clock from his base in Asia, running on adrenaline and catching a few hours of sleep each night on the couch in his office. He often stayed at work into the wee hours so he could manage calls with US headquarters colleagues during their normal business day….

Fourteen months into his latest assignment, I received a call from his company’s HR vice president. She was beside herself with frustration and in a bit of a panic about what was happening with Max…

My Comment: This is a great look at what happens when you don’t understand a person’s internal motivations. In Winning Well we share the principle that when you ‘walk with them – they’ll walk with you.’ Love uses Max as a textbook example of how the leaders in this company didn’t understand what made Max tick and, consequently, gave him an assignment that would leach the energy out of him and ultimately drive him away. Remember: motivation always comes from inside a person. How can you cultivate an environment to release that passion?

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10 Common Excuses That Silently Damage Managers’ Careers by Karin Hurt & David Dye at Fast Company

You’re working hard to build a good reputation as a manager. So you’re taking on new projects and delegating certain tasks to others. You think you’re getting the hang of it, but then you make a remark that seems to rub someone the wrong way—and you aren’t sure why.

Being decisive and knowing how to say no are important leadership skills, but handled the wrong way, they can come off as excuses that can damage your career. Managers need to lead with confidence, humility, and a long-term focus on building relationships. That means being vigilant about avoiding these statements or anything that sounds like them.

My Comment: This week’s top articles featured a couple of Winning Well related items including this one in Fast Company. We’ve heard all of these (and said a few of them ourselves) – make sure you’re practicing real delegation and not shirking responsibility with these excuses.

A Broken Clock is Right Twice a Day: How to work with a coworker who always has to be right by Kevin Sheridan

Ever worked with a coworker who consistently needed to be right? Even when shown clear evidence to the contrary, some people cannot admit when they’re wrong. Simply put, working with that type of person is not fun.

Unfortunately, a stubborn attitude can create conflict in the workplace and threaten coworker comradery. Instead of letting yourself get pulled into an argument, try these 4 surefire strategies to successfully work with these know-it-alls…

My Comment: There are many reasons a person my ‘always have to be right.’ Sheridan offers four sound strategies for responding in these situations. I would add a fifth response: listen. When someone insists on their point of view it’s often the case that they don’t feel heard. A little reflective listening (eg: Bob, what I hear you saying is…) to ensure that you’ve fully heard the other person can help them feel understood. This increases the likelihood that you can share some alternate perspectives.

Winning Well Gamer Rap by David Dye

While technically not an article, this video did have a renaissance this week on social media – it’s a fun look at the ‘Gamer’ Manager – one of the four types you’ll find in Winning Well – along with useful tips to avoid becoming that manager and be a leader who gets results that last (and that people want to follow)!  This video and more like are available in the Winning Well eCourse – click here to find out more.

My Comment: Who knew, right?

David works with leaders to get results without losing their soul (or mind) in the process. Have David keynote your next event or deliver corporate training: Email today or call 303.898.7018!

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