-By Adam Witmer-
Over the years, I have worked with quite a few detail people. These employees are great with systems, operations, and "back room" functions; functions that are essential to every business, but require a certain personality type to complete. While these employees excel with crossing every "t" and dotting every "I", however, they often struggle with relational skills such as sales and communication. They struggle to understand the importance of building relationships in business.
Read MoreLeading difficult people can be like herding cats. No matter what you do, they won't follow you. You have goals to accomplish but certain people just aren't interested in what you are trying to achieve. They want to do things their own way and often seem to just ignore you. We have all experienced this. The good news, however, is that people aren't cats. And, we don't have to just force people to comply with our wishes. There is an easier way. Casting a clear vision as leaders helps us facilitate team progress in the most challenging of circumstances.
Read MoreVision casting is often viewed as the job of the CEO. Like a head coach, the CEO sets the direction of an organization and then spends a great amount of energy ensuring that their team also understands and works for the vision. Vision casting, however, isn't limited to CEOs. Great leadership, regardless of a title or position, involves effective vision casting.
I once heard an author talking about all of the ideas he gets pitched by non-authors who want him
Read MoreRadical leaders understand that change isn't important for getting ahead, it's important for maintaining where we are at. There is often a hidden dilemma behind change; we have to get out of our comfort zone and immerse ourselves into uncertainty. Uncertainty that we will be able to get to the same comfort level that we just gave up. Uncertainty that the change will not be as effective as the method we just left. Uncertainty that we will be as competent in a new method as we previously were. Without change, however, one thing is certain; we will be left behind.
Here are some ways to ensure we are not left behind:
Read MoreEverywhere we go, we hear the message that to get ahead in life, we need to have a formal education. The more formal education we receive, the more we will excel in our professional careers. Unfortunately, this has become true in many industries that once allowed you to start a career and enter a new profession, regardless of your formal education.
With the costs of higher education spiraling out of control, many young adults are now finding that advanced education is not an option. The good news is that pursuing formal education is not the only thing that can get you ahead in a career.
Read MoreThe corporate culture of an organization is the difference between a great place to work and one that is constantly working to retain good talent. While the culture of an organization is something that is talked about quite a bit, I am always surprised how many organizations are not pro-actively creating a great culture that cultivates the type of employees they desire. While corporate culture is usually thought of as a top down initiative, it can be cultivated from within by middle management or even general employees. The challenge that businesses face is to ensure that the culture being created corresponds to the mission, vision, and strategic direction of the company.
I was recently talking to a friend that works in a call center environment and we were discussing the rigidness of expectations management has on employees. Call centers face some unique challenges in that employees must constantly be available to handle the never ending feed of incoming calls. Therefore, many call centers around the world have a set of defined rules their employees must stay within.
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