Like Combat – Leading Well in COVID-19
“It’s going to feel like a combat deployment.”
We were talking about medical leaders and the strain of the COVID-19 crisis. My friend observed that a year’s worth of daily life-and-death crisis at the hospital – with people you may-or-may-not get along with – will feel like a 12-month deployment to a war zone.
Punched in the Face
Feedback is great. But when it comes out of nowhere, it can feel like a punch in the face.
If you haven’t had the experience, Mike Tyson summarized it well before his 2nd bout with Evander Holyfield, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” (Incidentally, Tyson lost the match, Holyfield part of an ear.) It goes like this:
Translation – An Essential Leader Competency
I used to work for a company that hired a lot of translators. But they weren’t linguists.
The role was one of “forward support representative.” A former soldier would serve as liaison between the engineers designing new technology and the soldiers using it.
Why was this job even created? Because engineers and soldiers do not speak the same language. Sure, in the U.S. they’re all speaking English, but they are not speaking the same language.
Trophies or Harsh Debriefs – Who Needs What Feedback?
“Just tell me how I can improve – I don’t need hugs or campfire songs to do my job!”
Ever hear a seasoned team member say something like that? Or said it yourself?
I’ve seen the value of both critique and encouragement. But what’s the right balance?
Delegate Your Way to Productivity
Are you a good delegator?
As leaders, our tasks are endless – and range from crucial to trivial. A few are things only we can do. What if we delegated the rest?
Here’s 6 helpful actions:
"I’m Glad You’re Here" – Beyond a Performance Lens
Are you glad your employees work for you?
It’s easy to get caught up in the performance or development of team members. But what communicates the message, “I’m glad you’re here. You add value to this team”?
Building Your Dream TEAM – Overcoming the All-Star Fallacy
I’m reading a great book on ethics and enjoyed its chapter on common logical fallacies. We’re all quite prone to some of them, and “You do it Too!” seems to sum up contemporary political “dialogue.” One fallacy in particular caught my eye – the Composition Fallacy: “Assuming that a group possesses the characteristics of its individual members.”
Or, “My All Star Team will be awesome because it has awesome players.”
Sorting Your Hats
My psychologist once told me to make an org chart for my business. I might have laughed out loud, since there’s one full-time employee.
But the exercise was profound. Like many small business owners, I wear a lot of hats. CEO, Travel Agent, Writer, and Marketing Director are just a few. I often jam several on my head at once, forgetting that they fit best one at a time. Such hat confusion can lead to wasted time, lack of focus, and mis-allocated resources.
Slowing Your Time
Time is relentless!
It moves events from future to past in the momentary blink of the present. It’s a universal fixed cost, resisting every attempt to budget it. Sometimes an asset, time is usually a liability.