Reading Time: < 1 minA common leadership adage is to say to staff “don’t bring me problems, bring me solutions”. At first glance, it’s a wise thing to request. Digging deeper, though, I’m not so sure. I see two ways this thinking doesn’t always work. Solve It Together First is the issue of trying to have one person come […]
Leadership
Don’t have all of the answers; have all of the questions
Reading Time: < 1 minAt the end of most episodes of Seth Godin’s Akimbo podcast, they run an ad for the altMBA that includes a great line from T.K. Coleman that includes the quip that “there is no great thought leader who can outthink the internet“. While I personally work hard to have many answers available in my head, […]
You don’t have to have all of the answers if you’re willing to learn
Reading Time: < 1 minIt’s tempting to try to have the answer for every question, and it’s admittedly something I fall into myself. It’s kind of like the idea of “proving versus improving“, and trying to be an expert on everything. You don’t need to try to do that. It can take a degree of humility to know you […]
Speed shouldn’t be a measure for untimed roles
Reading Time: < 1 minAt the time of this writing, we’re looking to hire a new Web Support Manager at GreenMellen. We’re taking candidates through a fairly typical interview process, but speed is not a major factor in this. We certainly want to respond quickly to our clients, but if someone doesn’t have an answer to a question right […]
What do you think?
Reading Time: < 1 minI’ve had a bad habit over the years that my team has rightfully called me out on, and it’s one that I’m trying to break. I’ll find an interesting article and send it to one of them and simply ask them “thoughts?”. That’s not helpful. Richard Millington recently had a great post where he unpacked […]
Don’t let the HiPPO have the final say
Reading Time: < 1 minWhen you’re in a meeting of any kind and you’re working to make a decision, one person often has the final say, even if they’re not the one that should really be providing the answer. Don’t necessarily listen to the HiPPO (“Highest Paid Person’s Opinion”). Great leaders surround themselves with people that are experts in […]
When to honk
Reading Time: < 1 minCar horns are a funny thing. At times they can be incredibly useful, like when someone is sleeping at a red light or (more importantly) if someone is backing up and doesn’t see you there. A quick “honk” solves it. On the other hand, the horn can be a way to vent frustration. They can […]
That’s not my job
Reading Time: 2 minA few weeks ago, we bought a Jeep Grand Cherokee for my wife. It’s an excellent vehicle, but I noticed something interesting during the sales process. At one point they made a small financial miscalculation, but the finance manager ate the difference to make sure they stood by their word, which was appreciated. That was […]
Obscurity is still your biggest threat
Reading Time: 2 minThere’s an old quote from Tim O’Reilly that I really love, and it seems to be getting better with age. Tim simply said: Obscurity is a far greater threat to authors and creative artists than piracy. While you can worry about people copying your content or stealing your ideas, your far bigger concern is having […]
Show people their super power
Reading Time: < 1 minIn his book “Nothing you don’t already know“, author Alexander den Heijer shares a simple but powerful statement: You don’t inspire people by revealing your super powers; you inspire people by helping them reveal their own super powers. This applies to inspiration, but I also think it can apply to your website and marketing. As […]