We return to the series, Your Greatest Leadership Challenge: A Look in the Mirror at Self-Leadership. Visit my blog to read previous articles in the series.

Knowing your strengths and struggles is essential to leading yourself and others well. Self-awareness about your unique design leads to greater effectiveness and, at the same time, lessens the risk of derailing yourself as a leader.

The strengths movement has gained momentum since the release of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Now-Discover-Your-Strengths-2001/dp/B004C79CY2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1495306295&sr=8-3&keywords=now+...

This is the second of a two-part series of articles. Visit my blog to read the first article, Jump Start Q2 with a Personal Quarterly Offsite Meeting.

As highlighted in my previous article, I recommend the QWD Planning Cycle to coaching clients as a way to better establish and achieve their most important goals. It consists of a series of meetings with oneself to ensure follow-through on good intentions. These meetings include the following:

• Quarterly Offsite
• Weekly Planning
• Daily Tactical

After you complete th...

How was your first quarter? Did you achieve your goals? Whether you had your best quarter ever or fell flat on your face, now is the time to lay the groundwork for a successful second quarter.

To increase your effectiveness in Q2, implement The QWD Planning Cycle. I often recommend this approach to my coaching clients to better establish and achieve their most important goals. It involves a series of meetings with oneself throughout the quarter to ensure follow-through on good intentions. These meetings include the following:

·      Quarterly Offsite

·      Weekly Planning

·      Daily Tactical

This framework is influenced by Patrick Lencioni’s classic book, <a...

What if your understanding of motivation is faulty? What if that misunderstanding has caused you to frustrate, rather than encourage and inspire, your employees? Or even your kids? What if traditional carrot and stick methods are only temporarily effective at best, and perhaps counterproductive in the long run?

Those are Susan Fowler’s conclusions in her newly updated book, Why Motivating People Doesn’t Work…and What Does. Fowler suggests that when we ask why someone isn’t motivated, we’re asking the wrong question.

Why are people motivated?

This is the third article in the series, Your Greatest Leadership Challenge: A Look in the Mirror at Self-Leadership. Visit my blog to read previous articles in the series.

An elite athlete’s inner core is a critical driver of his or her strength, power, speed, and agility. That’s equally true for an effective leader. And to lead others well, you must first lead yourself well. Healthy, confident leadership comes from a strong personal foundation.

As I wrote last week, building a strong inner core comes from clarity on these four key elements:

Vis...

That’s fine if you’re getting the results you want. Then keep doing what you’re doing.

If, on the other hand, you’re stuck in a frustrating time loop like the weatherman played by Bill Murray in the 1993 classic, Groundhog Day, it’s time to make some changes. Hopefully, it won’t take the same extreme measures Murray’s character experienced to get you to re-think your priorities and behaviors.

To achieve new levels of effectiveness as a leader, you need to enact new habits and behaviors. Whether Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow today, you can get unstuck and move faster and further toward your goals. Even if there are six more weeks of winter (can you tell I’m from Minnesota?).

Consider these three new approaches to...

This is the second article in the series, Your Greatest Leadership Challenge: A Look in the Mirror at Self-Leadership. Visit my blog to read previous articles in the series.

Strengthening your core is as important to your leadership success as it is to your physical well-being. Healthy, confident leadership is born out of a solid personal foundation. Without a strong inner core, your leadership will be weak and wobbly, just like a human body without core strength.

Building a strong inner core comes from clarity on four key elements:

Vision:                Where are you going?

Purpose:             ...