Have you ever seen someone who seemed to become an entirely different person after getting a new management title? You may know someone who is struggling to adjust to a new role, but don't know exactly what has to change. Managers sometimes feel isolated when they believe that they can no longer be friends with former colleagues who they now supervise. They may see the need to play the role of the "bad guy" or the "heavy" and fear that personal feeling […]

A sometimes brilliant response to a question beginning with "Why" is: "Why not?" If that is your answer to: "Why lead?," you may want to rethink your response. I found rare wisdom in a fortune cookie once. It said something along the lines that a leader is someone who takes people to places they don't want to go themselves.  Taking a leadership role requires courage. Courageous action without awareness of the consequences is […]

Many managers are able to communicate quite effectively with certain types of people -- typically those whose personalities are similar to their own -- but may struggle to be clearly understood by everyone on their team. For example, a no-nonsense sales manager may have a very direct approach that works with the top performers but rubs some of the more junior members the wrong way.  As a result, the manager's message may not get through to everyone as intended. C […]

Many sales managers have assumed their current role after being a top performer in sales and receiving a “battlefield promotion.” In other words, they are chosen for the role mainly due to their sales ability, not because they have gone through management training or demonstrated leadership abilities in other areas. Some find that they are able to thrive in their new leadership role. Many find it difficult to develop new skill sets and struggle with their n […]

When clients talk to us about making big changes within their organization, it always comes down to leadership. In fact, if we don't have leadership onboard, we find that it's a nonstarter. People choose to be leaders. They have the ability to look at the system and also look outside of it. Without leadership, change does not happen in an organization. Leadership provides leverage to make things happen. Without it, very little moves.