The Lead Yourself First Blog

As leaders, you already know the importance of not only managing change, but embracing it as well. I want you to consider how you can celebrate the opportunity that change represents. Think about it, you used to wait hours or maybe even days for information to be transmitted and printed on a scroll of thermal […]

It’s interesting how people will often use the term disruption, and the term change interchangeably. I do believe however that there are some subtle differences. Disruption is defined as a disturbance or problem that interrupts an event, an activity, or a process. It often necessitates change. Let’s outline the process of disruption. If you think […]

One of the biggest issues that leaders constantly ask me about is, how do I get my team to buy into change? And this is really important, because you need their support. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself at a standstill. And even worse, people will feel that the change is being imposed on them. To prevent […]

When it comes to the status quo, you’ve got three choices. Accept, leave, or change. Let’s look at each one of these. Acceptance. Acceptance isn’t acquiescence. Acceptance is when you say to yourself, “This is okay with me, I can live with it.” Or, you may decide to leave. Some of us have had to […]

The famous poet Anonymous once said, “Nothing changes if nothing changes.” Reacting to and resisting change initiatives is nothing new. Most of us are uncomfortable with change because it represents confronting the unknown, posing a threat, whether or not that threat is real or imagined. In business, anticipating change is essential for survival. New realities […]

Admit it. Your personal biases regarding the millennials have come up in professional conversations. You couldn’t help yourself. (Or, could you?) Perhaps you were triggered by a comment, behavior or situation at work. Or you may be oblivious to the fact that the disparaging lens you use to view them, or indeed any team member […]

“It’s not fun anymore”… words I was not expecting to hear from the CEO of a highly successful enterprise. Was he referencing the state of his industry or the workplace in general…or both? The CEO was lamenting the fact that everything has changed: Shareholder expectations, demanding clients and a new generation of employees. Sadly, he […]

How do you increase employee accountability? Despite the efforts of well-intended HR departments and leaders to create clearly defined job descriptions, confusion persists regarding specific roles and responsibilities in almost every industry, public sector, as well enterprises of all sizes and descriptions. When mistakes are made, deadlines are missed, or communication goes haywire, the blame […]

It’s no secret that Donald Trump’s reference to “locker room talk” during last year’s presidential campaign ignited a great deal of debate and social media frenzy. Not everyone agreed with the rationale that such talk was lewd or “typical”. Many athletes from an array of sports took offense; objecting to the negative characterization of their […]

How often does one hear a president of a company open an event for his leadership team with the words: “Mom and Dad, I want to thank you for all you do”. Not only were his Mom and Dad in the audience, they were interacting with everyone throughout the entire meeting, from start to finish. […]