OUR Leadership BLOG

Dr. Fred Johnson | 8/17/2015

“Trust is like a forest.  It takes a long time to grow and can burn down with just a touch of carelessness.” – David Horsager

Dr. Paul Metler | 8/10/2015

Do you have a strong desire to learn?
 
It’s hard to imagine a context in which a leader would respond negatively to such a question. With all the deluge of content aimed at lifelong learning and learning organizations, it seems to be a given. Leaders are supposed to say, “Yes” to learning.

Dr. Fred Johnson | 8/5/2015

New leaders are often faced with unexpected challenges.  There are always tasks that a previous position did not prepare you for, or that the person who filled the role previously did not warn you about.
 
Being a leader is about helping those who you work with, to help make them as productive as possible.  Oftentimes leaders forget that one of their main goals is to make sure everyone else has as much, if not more, success than they have.  This is a challenge – the balance between improving oneself and improving others is difficult to find.

Dr. Paul Metler | 8/3/2015

When parents counsel their children about decision-making, they typically boil it down to three words, “Make good choices.” It’s a pretty good framework for developing decision-making at all levels of life and it sounds infinitely more positive than “Don’t do anything stupid.” However, sometimes it’s easier said than done.

Dr. Fred Johnson | 7/27/2015

At my college commencement ceremony, the speaker reminded us of something – that failure is inevitable.  It happens to everyone.  Everyone has to face it at some point in his or her life.  But eventually, failure is going to become a part of your success.
 
Marti Wronski reminded me and the rest of my graduating class that baseball players are considered great if they can bat .300 for a season or more – that means that they fail seven out of every ten times they are at bat.  Failure is going to happen throughout life, and especially throughout careers.

Dr. Fred Johnson | 7/13/2015

Developing relationships at work may seem like a skill leaders can put on the back burner, but developing relational skills can impact your employees’ productivity and your organization’s culture (and possibly even your boss’s opinion of you).
 
Relational skills are coming to the forefront of modern workplaces.  Patience, trustworthiness, empathy, and reliability are all key relational components to personally develop.  These abilities will impact your relationships both inside and outside of your organization.
 
“Relational skills are the most important abilities in leadership.” – John C. Maxwell, Developing the Leaders Around You

Dr. Paul Metler | 7/7/2015

I was in my mid twenties when I faced my first challenge as an agent of change. I was the architect of a bold new initiative. Perhaps you are imagining a merger of two global enterprises. Not quite. I was charged with a significant internal transition in the office. It was new furniture.
 
The “powers that be” had decreed that old was out and new was in. It was time to transform the space. We were making a change from the old desks to new modular furniture.

Dr. Paul Metler | 6/29/2015

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. It’s the tale of two meetings. Collaboration is rewarding. True synergy is exhilarating. A meeting of hearts and minds around a common purpose and a compelling vision is among the best of times for leaders. The other side of the coin is ugly. There’s nothing like an early afternoon meeting that siphons your day while your mind wanders and you nod off to sleep. Some meetings need a funeral and a proper burial. Some meetings can and should find new life with a few strategic moves. Before you kill your next meeting, try these three actions.
 
Stop the runaway train.

Dr. Paul Metler | 6/23/2015

It’s evident when the camera zooms in just after the putt drops into the cup. It’s that twinkle in the eye of the golfer. It’s a mixture of focus, confidence and execution. When a golfer is in the zone, the hole seems larger, the stroke seems smoother, and the path of the ball is true. That’s what it’s like for a professional to be in the zone. It’s not limited to golf.
 
Leaders can be in the zone too.
 
It begins with vision.

Melissa Rebek | 6/16/2015

InitiativeOne helps organizations breakthrough generational barriers in order to communicate effectively.
 
Millennials are changing workforce dynamics. They are different than the older generations – from technology use to communication to career goals – and many businesses struggle to integrate younger generations into their environment.
 
The struggle with Millennials entering the workplace is that there are a variety of myths about what they do and what they want. Older generations think the Millennials are incredibly different from themselves – causing issues among employees and for leaders.