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My dear Nephew Simon, Your most recent letter put a big smile and a good laugh into the heart of an old man, as you described your current organizational culture as a bitter, lukewarm cup of yesterday’s coffee. Yes, it can be that bad! You will soon discover, regretfully, that this is the new norm for...
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My dear nephew Simon, Thank you for your kind response to my last letter. From what you tell me, it sounds like you are already beginning to taste some of the saltwater sprays of management-life crashing over the sides of the leader-ship. Don’t worry; you will find your sea legs soon. The splashing may...
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I can honestly say I don’t know how these letters ended up on the front doorstep of my home that snowy winter morning. But there they were. To be more precise, there IT was; that antique-looking leather hat box staring up from my front step, lightly covered with about an inch of the first cold …...
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Disappointment at work is inevitable. You’ve felt it. So have I. For example, you didn’t get that promotion you worked hard for and deserved. Or your suggestion was voted down or simply ignored (that hurt). Or maybe someone failed to follow through (why do they always do that?). Your boss let you...
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We’ve all heard the term “work-life balance.” Personally, I don’t like it. The phrase suggests a way of looking at things that, in my opinion, isn’t helpful. It creates the image of a scale where “work” sits on one side, and “life” on the other. Your...
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Do you have a personal mission statement? Self-development experts, coaches and inspirational leaders have long encouraged the practice of hammering out a few sentences that summarize your overarching goal in life. My own experience would tend to commend the exercise as well. However, taking the time and...
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I am convinced that one of the reasons why so many healthcare professionals struggle when transitioning to management roles is the sheer messiness of it all. Medical folks are trained to insist upon good order, and rightly so. Chaos is the enemy of workplace safety and patient care. Doctors, nurses, and...
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It is my conviction that managers really do make all the difference in the world. Great managers get great results and build great teams. Bad managers don’t. But it is also my conviction that managers generally mirror the leadership culture created by those they report to. There is, if you will, a...
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I don’t always do it perfectly, or even very well. Every day I want to get better. But I am 100% convinced that being a successful manager, director, VP, or C-suite executive means putting people first. It means my direct reports are more important than my email. It means my team is more important than...
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Motivation, like any resource, needs replenishment. If you manage a pharmacy you likely have some sort of inventory replenishment system. Without this, your stock would disappear and your whole business would come to a grinding halt. We all keep an eye on our gas tank. For me, anything below half a tank...
