Sunday Six Pack 10-4-09

This week we’ve got some celebrations, some feedback, and more! So much to share and read this week, it was REALLY hard to just pick 6 of the best.

I hope you enjoy them, and that you’ll share YOUR favorites in the comments!

Kevin Eikenberry is celebrating 16 years of running his own consulting practice with 16 things he’s learned in 16 years. One of his recent learnings is a leadership primer on celebrations.

In talking with leaders over the years, I’ve noticed that most seem to struggle with celebrations.

Some struggle with when to celebrate. Some struggle with why they should. And some don’t have a struggle because they don’t celebrate at all. (Here the struggle is for those they lead!)

Unlike many other leadership topics, there doesn’t seem to be much of a consensus on the topic. People range from one end of the spectrum to the other – from we don’t need a reason to celebrate to we don’t have time to celebrate.

David Zinger is celebrating his 55th birthday (and 5 years of blogging) in grand style. This week’s 22 Awful Employee Engagement Mistakes is a great primer on what NOT to do.

Embracing our humanness. Engagement is a human endeavor. Humans are fallible. Let’s openly and honestly see our mistakes, do what we can to correct them, and learn from them as we move forward into new richer and healthier mistakes.

Dan McCarthy offers the 10/10 Technique for gathering feedback and improvement ideas.

A colleague of mine loves to teach managers a simple, yet effective way of gathering feedback and ideas for improvement. It’s so simple it only takes about two minutes to explain it to someone. Yet it’s so effective, it’s led to dramatic improvements in leadership capability. Really, I have the testimonials to prove it.

Once someone learns it, they become evangelists for it and can’t wait to share it with others.

Art Petty shares Leading in the Trenches: How Well Do You Know Your Customers?

Leadership is about driving the right results in the right way.  We often focus on the interpersonal dynamics of leadership and the characteristics and behaviors of effective leaders.  And while those issues are critically important to a firm’s success, so is ensuring that everyone is  focused on the activities that create value.  This inaugural “Leading in the Trenches” post will introduce an on-going series focused on applying effective leadership practices to improving critical organizational practices.

Jane Perdue brings it home with Lead Change with Grace and Compassion:

Hal is a senior executive at a struggling mid-size manufacturing firm. The company has a long and proud history of financial success, so poor business results are troubling at many levels. Staying in business requires multiple changes in how their business is run and staffed, with the expected turbulence in employee reaction and morale.

To halt the slide in employee confidence, Hal and his management team crafted leadership norms. These norms became their lighthouse for communicating and presenting a cohesive approach to managing the business:

Now it’s YOUR turn!

Did you read or write a great post this week? Please share it below.

Do you know someone who needs a little management boost? Share these links with them.

Photo Credit: Six ! by boklm

Post from: Slacker Manager

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