Manager as Facilitator

November 21, 2010

In the book, The Orange Revolution: How One Great Team Can Transform and Entire Organization, coauthors Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton state that the primary role of a leader is that of a facilitator that “smoothes the path forward.” They point out that too many managers think of themselves as lead doers or as task masters. [...]

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You version X.0

November 17, 2010

The holidays are fast approaching, filled with angst at the thought of family gatherings, office parties and social get-togethers. In an effort to short-circuit the building tension, I offer you one of the cornerstones of my own philosophy; one I have shared successfully with hundreds of people over the years. Don’t judge who you were [...]

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Management’s Role as Human Shield

November 14, 2010

If you are a regular visitor to this site, you know that I have really enjoyed Robert Sutton’s book, Good Boss, Bad Boss. This is the third post in a row that I’ve referenced a topic from it. This one is all about protecting those on your team. Robert sums it up nicely with this [...]

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Doors and Opportunity

November 10, 2010

I’ve always thought of life as a corridor with dozens of doors opening, each one representing an opportunity. You may open one or pass it by—it’s your choice. Each time you do open a door and enter that door closes forever and you move down a new corridor full of doors to a whole different [...]

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Management and Taking Responsibility

November 7, 2010

Here’s another interesting topic from Robert Sutton’s book, Good Boss, Bad Boss… Robert talks about the importance of taking blame when things go badly. Even if something is not totally your fault, it’s best to accept the blame, learn from it, and do your best to improve the situation. There aren’t many high profile examples [...]

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