Our world continues to become more and more complex. We accept it. We expect it. We deal with it. Yet complexity bogs us down. It makes us slow. It makes us cautious. It causes all sorts of unintended consequences and fragility. Simultaneously, we applaud the simple. We embrace it. We yearn for it. We absolutely will pay more for it. Our primitive limbic system is hard-wired to conserve energy, and simple is a better use of our finite resources of…
It is that time of year when students get back into their classrooms and teachers resume their positions of prominent influence over students. Given our collective focus on “back to school,” I thought this would be good timing to discuss a leadership approach inspired by teachers. Before I get into that, I’d like to share that teaching is a large part of my identity and upbringing. My grandmother was a teacher in public schools. My father was a teacher at…
A few years ago, I borrowed my father-in-law’s fishing boat. Before I left, he showed me how to operate it and deal with any particulars. One piece of his instruction grabbed my attention: “After a few hours on the water, you’ll notice that it will start to fill up with water. When that happens, just bring it up to speed, pull the drain plug, and it will all drain out. Then put the plug back in before you slow down.”…
We’re going big on the cloud. All in. It’s exciting. It’s futuristic. However, it’s downright difficult. I talk with leaders at other large enterprise organizations, and everyone is grappling with the cloud. Some are grappling better than others. Our “why” is simple. We can be more efficient, secure, resilient, agile, and sustainable in the cloud. Our cloud technology platform is an enabler to just about every other strategic initiative at the company. The “how” is not simple. It’s taken a…
You may have started out your leadership journey as the go-to person for the team. That works for a while, but it’s not sustainable, nor does it scale. In my team, I’m the leader of last resort. That’s not because I’m reluctant to lead or don’t know how to lead, but I’ve found that the best results come from empowered leaders closest to the issues. Let me provide a few examples to illustrate. The Incident Manager of Last Resort When…
I had a great opportunity to speak on behalf of the CHS Foundation at the FFA State Officer Summit this week in Washington, DC. FFA stands for Future Farmers of America but has a broader mission to develop all kinds of future agriculture leaders, not just production farmers. The group I spoke with consisted of about 375 elected student leaders from each of the 50 states. It was an absolute privilege to speak with and meet these bright young agriculture…
Hello, Zach on Leadership readers! I took a few weeks off to enjoy some family time and new adventures, but now I’m back at it. Many have heard the leadership axiom, “Take all the blame. Share all the credit.” It’s good advice. It speaks to the importance of accountability, recognition, and humility. These leadership attributes are very visible. If you have work to do in these areas, everyone around you likely knows it. I’ve written previously on blame and accountability….
In 2022, most office professionals fit into one of three categories: Some work primarily on-site in an office building. Some split their time between home and the office building. Lastly, some work full-time remotely from their home offices or wherever they happen to be. The majority of my teams fit into the last category. They are fully remote. They are quite happy and productive doing so. As their leader, I’m quite content to offer as much flexibility as possible. I’ve…
Many of you have heard the term, Digital Native. It refers to the recent generations of people that have grown up in the digital era. They don’t know a world without the internet, social media, e-commerce, and other digital capabilities. For them, digital seems normal and the analog equivalents seem foreign. Technically, I’m too old to be a Digital Native. I’m a young Gen-Xer. I grew up in the era of VHS tapes and MTV. The internet as we know…
Everyone in a leadership position has been spending a lot of time in the last year hearing about the “Great Resignation.” Perhaps it’s just me, but most of the context around it is either defensiveness or acceptance. Here’s what I mean: Defensiveness: “Watch out for the Great Resignation. It’s going to get you! Here are the 37 steps that you should take to prevent the Great Resignation from hollowing out your team!” Acceptance: “Suzy just resigned. Oh well, I guess…