ITLP Tuesday Readings

Today's Tuesday Reading is John Baldoni's column "Why Leaders Need People Skills". This is a familiar topic to alumni of the IT Leaders Program but I thought that we could all benefit from Baldoni's point of view. He notes: "Top executives [and I would say leaders at all levels] are ... returning to a most fundamental tenet of leadership: the ability to connect with others in order to build trust and effectively lead in times of great challenge and change. Call it the people-skills revolution."

He ends his column: "To lead, an ability to communicate as well as understand, support, and develop people is essential. Business is tough, yes, but a little warmth around the edges sure helps people get through the day."

Find your takeaway from the piece and work to make it a practice this week.

. . . . . jim

Posted by Jim Hall at 10:03 AM | Permalink

For this week's Tuesday Reading, we turn again to Dan and Chip Heath and their piece "Analysis of Paralysis" from the November issue of Fast Company.

This piece is an essay built around the theme "If your strategy doesn't help employees act, it's not a strategy." Their argument boils down to the fundamental statement: "Simplicity allows people to act."

I urge you to take the time to read the piece and ask whether the decision space you give employees, and for that matter clients, is so complex that it precludes action. If so, it might be time for some simplification.

Posted by Jim Hall at 10:01 AM | Permalink

This week's Tuesday Reading is "Six Tips for Fessing Up to Your Mistakes" by Deborah Brown-Volkman, president of Surpass Your Dreams, a career, life, and mentor coaching company.

If you haven't made a mistake you can pass this week's reading. But, somehow, I think you may find the column interesting. We all mistakes and it is supremely important that we take responsibility for the mistakes we make. Deborah suggests that fessing up involves six steps:

1. Preparation - Why did you make the mistake? What went wrong and why? What is your game plan for fixing the mistake?

2. Explain what happened to your manager. Be professional; take constructive criticism. This is not a place where you put blame on anyone. Your conversation will demonstrate your character.

3. What did you learn from your mistake?

4. Explain why you are better because of what happened. What are you going to do with what you learned from the mistake?

5. Be gracious. Thank your manager for taking the time for the conversation with you. This is a way of closing the issue.

6. Move on. Once the issue has been discussed and resolved, it is time to put it behind you.

We all mistakes and need a process for resolution and moving on. This one strikes me as a good one to put into practice.

Posted by Jim Hall at 10:00 AM | Permalink

A number of you are fans of David Allen and follow many of the recommendations in his book, "Getting Things Done." Our reading this week is "The Curse Of The Eternally Urgent".

In this piece Allen argues that many of the fires and crises that we find on our desk on a day after day basis come from the not-so-urgent things that we have ignored because we are distracted by the crises of the moment. After reading the piece, I think that I agree with him.

His recommendations: Keep a total To Do list covering all aspects of your life so you can easily identify important, short tasks to fit into the spaces in your day, and follow "the two minute rule" (if the action on something takes less than two minutes, do it when you first encounter it).

Posted by Jim Hall at 9:59 AM | Permalink