Leading with a clear purpose really does start with us, and coming to grips with how we’re wired can make an immediate difference in developing the kind of emotional intelligence that allows us to be so much more effective in how we do that. At the risk of being overly redundant (see what I...

While doing all I could to fulfill my responsibility in the Lean Manufacturing process rollout, I stayed very involved in the behavior-based safety process I was a part of while I was still operating a press. In this role though, I was able to be more hands-on in supporting the new process...

In a lesson I wrote several years ago, I referenced something I had first read in The Servant by James Hunter, suggesting that servant leadership requires the individual leading to determine what they’re team members truly need in order to best serve them. This falls right in line with what...

A year or so before I left the manufacturing company I had worked with for nearly my entire adult life, the corporate office launched a campaign that segmented the organization into two distinct business units. Truth be told, this wasn’t anything new; it’s more about branding than...

Earlier, we looked at how important it is for anyone in a leadership role to paint a clear picture of the organizational purpose they’re working toward so each member of their teams could have something tangible to connect with. While that was a broad reference that I only touched on in...

Once we’ve been intentional about adjusting the pace we use to help each of our team members latch onto a purpose that drives them and yields engagement, we can shift our attention to the second piece of the pattern that Marston identified; is our team member more focused on the task at...

As we work to verbalize a purpose each of our team members find fulfillment in and connect with, something they can rally around as a genuine purpose in their life, it won’t be as simple as throwing the proverbial mud against the wall and hoping something sticks. This will require us to be...

If we’re interested in attracting the best of the best to be part of (and stick with) our team, it will most certainly not be (just) about the pay - regardless of what any internet troll says, who’d rather whine about what he’s owed instead earning it for himself. Just like you...

One of the things that Cindy and I enjoy most about customizing our Emerging Leader Development course for many of the bigger clients we work with has been providing them with the tools to communicate more effectively with each individual on their team. As we teach them how to quickly recognize...

I remember the first time an engineer showed up at the press I was operating to perform a time study. I was terrified! I hadn’t been with the organization very long and had to work as hard as I possibly could just to hit my daily efficiency numbers. I was convinced that this spelled the end...

I hope I’ve done a reasonable job of making a case for why it ain’t (just) about the pay and how important it is for all of us to be a part of something that matters. A strong purpose is absolutely critical; for our organizations, for us as leaders, and for each member of our teams!...

After a lengthy conversation with a friend who produces high end marketing videos, and procrastinating much longer than I should have, I finally gave in and had some snippets cut from a few professionally produced videos of me and Cindy speaking and began posting them as “shorts” on...