Management Archives

The Consequences of a Lack of Accountability at Work

Does your team have accountability issues? How can a lack of accountability harm your business in the long run? Not every leader understands nor is willing to hold their people accountable for their actions or lack thereof. As a result, many organizations run into harmful issues which require time, resources, and change to resolve—but to leave them unresolved is to ensure that your company never achieves its full potential. There are three issues that stem from a lack of accountability: employee development, communication, and individual motivation. Learn more about each one below.

A Leader’s Guide to Challenging the Status Quo

Why is it important to challenge the status quo? What can you, as a leader, do to make sure your organization is keeping up with the times and always improving? People in organizations get used to doing things a certain way and are often reluctant to change their habits, defaulting to the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. Even if they know a procedure could be better, they’ll often resist changing it simply because it’s easier to carry on as usual. However, challenging the status quo is your job, as a leader. To challenge the status quo, always stay

Adopt a Supportive Leadership Style: Ask This Question

How to Embrace Vulnerability in Leadership

What is a supportive leadership style? What difference can it make for your team? Too often, managers control, micromanage, or rescue their employees. In contrast, a supportive leadership style wins your team members’ trust and respect—and it allows them to grow. The Coaching Habit recommends making a habit of asking one particular question. Read more to learn the question at the heart of a supportive leadership style.

Leadership and Self-Deception: Book Overview

What is Arbinger Institute’s book Leadership and Self-Deception about? What can this book teach you about being a better leader at work and at home? The Leadership and Self-Deception book is a fable about realizing your flaws, learning to get along better with others, and leading “outside the box.” The fable is told from the point of view of a manager who is having trouble getting along with his employees and with his wife and son at home. Here is a brief overview of the lessons from the story.

The Focus Question: How to Identify the Real Problem

What is the focus question that all coaches, managers, and leaders should ask? How can they help their team get to the heart of the issue? When you’re coaching, you want to start by asking fairly open-ended questions to get the conversation flowing. However, there comes a time when you need to hone in and identify the heart of the matter. That’s when it’s time to ask the focus question. Continue reading to learn the focus question that all coaches should ask.

Attributes of a Great Leader: Would You Make the Cut?

What makes a great leader? What qualities would you ascribe to a leader you’d be willing to follow? Since the mid-1980s, Barry Posner and James Kouzes, the authors of The Leadership Challenge, have been conducting studies asking people in both business and government what qualities they value in a leader. They’ve found that consistently people want the same qualities in a leader whose leadership they would be willing to follow. Here are the four attributes of a great leader, according to Posner and Kouzes.

How Listening Improves Your Leadership Skills

Why is listening an important leadership skill? What question should you ask to get your team members to open up and dig deep? Listening is good leadership. Not only do your team members feel more cared about and supported, you learn vital information that helps you lead even better. Keep reading to learn one simple question to ask when you practice listening in leadership.

Why Happy Employees Are More Productive at Work

Do you want to know why happy employees are more productive? What can you do to increase happiness in the workplace? Being happy has many benefits, including improved creativity, stronger relationships, and better health—but it can also have incredible benefits for your career. Happy employees are more productive, and there are a few reasons why this is the case. Here’s why happy employees are more productive.

How to Kickstart a Great Coaching Conversation

How should a coaching conversation begin? How can you start a session on the right foot? The Coaching Habit by Michael Stanier discusses seven questions that all coaches should ask. The first question sets the stage for the coaching conversation, so it is crucial. It fits well with the book’s underlying principle to say less and ask more. Keep reading to learn how to kickstart an effective coaching conversation.

How to Build a Habit: The 3 Steps to Do Something New

Do you want to know how to build a habit? What practical steps can you take? The book The Coaching Habit discusses how to build a habit in three steps. Whether it’s a coaching habit or any other habit, this practical system can help you do new and different things to move forward personally and professionally. Keep reading to learn how to build a habit.