leadership

What is a professional, anyway? A professional is someone who can keep working at a high level of effort and ethics, no matter what is going on—for good or ill—around him or inside him. A professional shows up every day. A professional plays hurt. A professional takes neither success nor failure personally.

What they need from you is inspiration. They need energy, even if you’re not feeling energetic that day. They need guidance. They need information. They need you to behave like a leader.

This shows up in so many ways in our lives as we work to serve and lead others well: When your coworker drops the ball on the assignment, do you sweep it under the rug? When your client doesn’t uphold their end of the deal, do you say something? When you slack off on your own work, do you acknowledge or justify it? When you say you’ll help your fri

“How do you want to be perceived?” I asked Darla. “Do you want to be seen as someone who can be held hostage by the demands—the threats—they are making? Do you want to be seen as indecisive?” “No,” Darla said, flatly. “As a leader, you want to be seen—you need to be seen—as decisive, and willing to make tough choices. The outcome may be uncertain,

Leadership incudes telling. A neophyte-leader can tell. Exceptional leaders enable.

This locks perfectionists into an exhausting behavioral pattern of pleasing people, perfecting efforts, performing for others and proving themselves. People with a healthy drive for success, on the other hand, are much more self-focused and inspired by asking themselves how they can improve. It’s a stark contrast with perfectionists, who ask ‘what

As a professional, you are being judged not only on your performance but also on your presence. People form an impression of others within seconds of meeting them. The real question, then, is not whether you’ll create an impression, but rather, will you create the one that you want?

Rely on feedback: Actively solicit feedback on your presence from y

7 questions to ask before you challenge people:

What do you want for yourself? If you achieved that, what would be true for you?

What are you good at? What makes you say that?

Why did we hire you?

Where would you like to be next year at this time? Why is that important to you?

When you’re working, what gives you energy? How might that energy take you to