Lead From Here

Anytime you are managing someone that hasn't had a job (or a professional job), it can be a unique kind of challenge. You aren't only teaching them how to do the tactical pieces of the job correctly, you are also teaching them how to behave in a workplace, expectations of how to grow in your career (you aren't just waiting for a year or two to get promoted) and how to carry themselves in a team se...

Leading by example is one of the easiest ways to build trust. If you don't ask your team to do anything you wouldn't do, they immediate respect and trust you more, knowing that you will sit in the mud with them when shit hits the fan. This doesn't have to be a complicated task either...most of the time, it's just showing up. If they are being asked to stay late, stay late with them, order them din...

Leading teams through good times is a topic that most people feel, probably doesn't need to be covered. Times are good, pipelines are full, budgets are solid, teams are probably at a good size, work is getting done...life is good right? So why do we need to focus so much on leadership? Good times can be a time of progress, innovation and growth...but only if we lead effectively through this time....

Whether you are a leader of teams, leader of a group or a leader of a project...title or no title, your To-Do list will never truly be done. Your new job as a leader, outside of taking care of your people, is understanding the context of the business/team/project/product current needs and prioritizing the work, your to-do list, etc to match that current need. Like it or not, your most technical ta...

Excutive Presence is a business term that is thrown around a lot. It sounds like a big deal, it sounds like something that is very ethereal...like you are either born with it or you aren't. The reality is, it's a very tactical, practical understanding of how you carry yourself, the words you choose, the speed at which you talk and efficiency of your communication. Anyone that has spent anytime aro...

Let's be honest, your words ALWAYS matter. As a leader, they matter just as much, but the impact can be exponentially greater than on an individual basis. The words you choose, can inpsire, electrify, motivate, tear down, build up, anger, calm, etc...it's up to you to decide how you want to show up for your people. We as leadersare responsible for the words of our voice and I promise you that your...

Managing up is an interesting topic. A lot of people don't realize they are doing it when they do it. Anytime you are taking information to your leader to help drive a project, topic or situation forward...you are managing up. Let's get this out of the way...this is not an opportunity to manipulate or be shady. This should be a mutually beneficial relationship between two people. Managing up, allo...

This topic is a fun one, because it will usually ruffle some feathers and it's USUALLY (not always) people, that don't value a healthy culture. They are more focused on bottom line, just getting the job done and the immediate outcomes. Those people won't be able to see the long term damage someone that is a poor culture fit, could actually overtime put the project/product/company at risk. Why woul...

The leadership table is the place where you grow leaders...both current and up and coming leaders! I learned about the leadership table while I was reading The Leaders Greatest Return, a book by John Maxwell! If you haven't read it, it's a GREAT read, I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone that is leadership and looking to grow as a leader and grow your leaders. The point of the leadership table is to g...

People are usually afraid of the word failure. We hear about failure a lot. We are taught at a very young age to not fail, whether that is homework, tests, sports or childhood responsibilities. It's no wonder that as adults we are so afraid of failure. As you become a leader, there are plenty of opportunities to fail. If you are a leader and you aren't at risk of failing SOMEWHERE in your professi...

The old adage "Perception is 9/10s reality" is spot on when it comes to life, but when you put it in the business scenario, it truly is the lens that you have to view things that involve your people. Whether it's rockstars being held back by their lack of interest in inner office politics or poor performers that have a great executive presence...the perception of you, your team or your people, dri...

Failure is a fun topic to talk about. Responses to failure can vary depending on the severity of the failure...but generally speaking, if your first thought is "They should be punished!" you probably need to adjust your thinking...but also, if your first thought is, "Ah, it's not a big deal.", you also need to pivot your thinking. Failure is a very natural and imporant part of the success cycle of...

Imposter syndrome is a term that is thrown around a great deal these days. It's important to understand that it's not ALL negative. Understand that if you got a promotion, you earned it, they don't just randomly promote people for no reason. You earned it. You deserve it. With that, it's important to understand what Imposter Syndrome does for you in the new role...it creates humility. Humility to...

Difficult time is such a vague term, it could be a market downturn, layoffs, loss of a large customer an acquistion or some national tragedy/health emergency. Whatever the reason for these bad times, it's impactful to your teams. Depending on how bad it gets, you have to really understand the impact of the words and the tone you use. Be as transparent as possible without getting yourself or your c...

This topic has a lot of nuance and it's important to understand as a leader. You can't be a good leader and constantly or regularly be worried about getting fired. It's impossible to live in that state and be effective at, taking appropriate risks, pushing for more accountability or taking blame and giving credit. There are countless things that you won't do as effectively in leadership (and life,...

This topic is a fun one because when people first hear it or read it...they think, must be nice to think about this, but in reality you can't say no very often. There is some truth to that, but I think people take the word or action of No to the extreme. In business scnearios, no isn't a discussion stopper, it's a discussion starter...so if you just say no and don't say anything else, you aren't d...

Disconnecting as a leader sounds super negative...but it's a necessary tool for sustainable effective leadership. Burnout is the fastest way to lose focus or control of a project, team or report. If you are constantly connected, not taking time for yourself and also pushing beyond your boundaries...you will find yourself in burnout town. With that, it's important for you to know when to disconnect...

Your leadership style is something that is really good to understand as early in your leadership career as possible. It's not easy, but it's important. If you don't understand how you lead, you will be inconsistent in your actions and emotions. Which can lead your people to feel frustrated, confused or simply lost on how to interact with you. It takes self relection and some research to understand...

Balance is a topic that I am sure you have heard a TON in your life. Work life balance, balanced mind, balanced workload...the word is very much a buzz word these days. Where it isn't discussed a bunch is in Leadership. As a leader your job is never done. While an individual contributor might have a specific deliverable and due date...a leader's success is driven by their teams overall ability to...

Setting boundaries is a topic that can tend to feel very emotionally charged and potentially point to weakness depending on who you are talking to. The reality is, setting boundaries can be a powerful tool that will not only make you a more effective leader, it will also protect you from burnout and frustration. The downside to setting boundaries...is knowing what your boundaries are. It take a GR...

The transition from technician (individual contributor) to leader can be a painful one. There is a lot of things to celebrate when you get promoted or get offered the job of a leader, you have made a great step in your career. Now what? Where do I start? What does success look like now? In my own transition from full time developer to full time people leader...I struggled to find my worth, not onl...

Chaos is a part of every successful company or career. That doesn't mean that is should be a way of life! If you or your team are in chaos, it's important to indentify where it's coming from. Then you need to eliminate it, ASAP. Chaos in short bursts can be managable and motivating if harnessed correctly. Overtime though, it can tear a team down. It's unavoidable in certain situations, but letting...

This topic is the worst thought process in life generally, but in business, it's a plague...avoid it at all costs. Not that change for change sake is a good thing, but you should constantly be evaluating if your systems, processes and norms are serving you and are effective as possible. If they aren't, you need to fix that or if it's not providing value, remove it! The number of times teams do thi...

This topic SEEMS really simple and straightforward, but in practice it isn't. There is a significant difference between parroting what your boss says in the plan...and truly understanding the plan. If you are just parroting the plan with no mastery, you aren't providing value to your team or your leader. Parroting means that you can't recognize issues or pivot when necessary. If you truly understa...

How you carry yourself is a very nuanced topic, so I am sure we will talk more about this from other angles. It's important to understand how your behavior impacts your team. Do you panic in times of stress? Are you pretty level regardless of the situation? There isn't anything wrong with any response, as long as your are supporting and not manipulating and driving through fear. Some people wear t...