Trust Me: Communication Is KeyEffective communication involves much more than sharing information. It is about building trust. “To see real change and gain significant benefits from their strategies, leaders need to establish an environment of trust. Leaders who are trusted – even in times of great difficulty – are skilled communicators.” My experience suggests the following communications fundamentals when leading in times...

Most of us think that "character" is established by the time we reach adulthood — either you have it or you don't. I believe that character can be developed and strengthened over the course of a lifetime. In fact, one of the key responsibilities of leaders is to establish an effective process of character development — not only for themselves but also for their subordinates.How can leaders do this? Following the "Five E's"...

How does your organization establish a positive culture? In my experience, there are nine critical factors necessary for an organization to create and sustain a desired culture. These include:Create a shared vision. Ensure that senior leaders are committed to the process and model the agreed-upon behaviors. Define the guiding behaviors that support the organization’s values. Conduct a gap analysis via a cultural audit. Co...

In his classic book, "Think and Grow Rich", Napoleon Hill discussed the eleven secrets of leadership. Recently, as I was reading the book, it occurred to me that the attributes of strong leadership and effective selling have a tremendous amount in common. After all, to be really successful in sales, you need to be a leader, both within your own organization, as well as to your clients and customers.To paraphrase management...

So you've gone to significant expense to recruit some top talent. With recruiting expenses at about 35% or more of an employee's first year salary, any employer would want to recoup those expenses by retaining their top talent for at least a few years. How do you keep them once you've landed them? We'll look at seven reasons why employees leave, according to Leigh Brahnam who wrote the book, "The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees...