Seven Differences Between Motivating and Manipulating
Some have articulated that leaders need to motivate employees differently because of the infusion of millennials into the workforce. But that is only true if a leader has relied primarily on extrinsic motivation—on putting carrots or rewards in front of followers. Carrots work less and less because millennials are more intrinsically motivated than preceding generations. […]
The Power of a “Cheating” Community
How many cheating friends does it take to ensure you cheat? Rick Grannis, a sociologist, tracked thousands of UCLA students over multiple years and discovered that those who are friends with people who cheat are much more likely to cheat themselves. He summarized, “If five people encourage you to cheat, welcome to the club, you […]
Three Ways a Disorganized Leader Holds Back a Team
One does not need to be overly gifted in administration to be a leader. Many have made the case that leadership and management are different from one another. Joseph Rost, in his work Leadership for the 21st Century, argues that both leadership and management are essential but distinct from one another. In his view, management […]
“Mean Tweets” Video Shows Us How Messed Up We Are
Last week a video of guys reading mean tweets to female sportscasters went viral. [Caution: the language is offensive] The women had read the tweets beforehand, as they likely saw them in their twitter feed in real time. The guys had not read the tweets and were recruited to read them to the women as […]
Three Reasons You Should Care for Your Team’s Self-Leadership
Dee Hock is the founder and former CEO of Visa International and has been an advocate of leaders investing significant time and energy in self-leadership. He has advised: If you seek to lead, invest at least 50% of your time leading yourself—your own purpose, ethics, principles, motivation, conduct. Invest at least 20% leading those with […]
Two Leadership Insights from Two Theologians
I recently was honored to facilitate a discussion on Theology and Leadership at a Southern Seminary alumni luncheon with two seminary professors and theologians: Dr. Bruce Ware and Dr. Tom Schreiner. As facilitator, I chose a few doctrines and asked Dr. Ware and Dr. Schreiner how a proper understanding of these doctrines should impact how […]
Coach Popovich and Three Types of Distractions Focused Leaders Abhor
Gregg Popovich is an incredible basketball coach. Year after year, under his leadership, the San Antonio Spurs compete for championships. NBA fans enjoy watching his in-game interviews because of his sarcasm and unpredictable responses. Here are some of Coach Popovich’s best in-game interviews. The reason for his short responses is, as you may have assumed, […]
Three Warning Signs Your Team Is Attuned But Not Aligned
Healthy teams are both aligned and attuned. Alignment refers to the commitment to the mission and identity of the organization. Attunement refers to the relational care and concern that the team exhibits for one another. Both are essential. Last week I wrote about warning signs your team is aligned but not attuned. Today I want […]
Three Temptations Leaders Must Fight Daily
John Owen strongly challenged: “Be killing sin or sin will be killing you.” Overcoming temptation is active, not passive. Defeating sin requires grace-driven effort. D.A. Carson said, “Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness.” With that in mind, here are three temptations leaders must fight against daily: 1. The temptation to speak […]
Three Warning Signs Your Team Is Aligned But Not Attuned
Roger Harrison has articulated that healthy organizations display both alignment and attunement. Alignment refers to the commitment to the mission and identity of the organization. Attunement refers to the relational care and concern that the team exhibits for one another. Both are essential. A team that is aligned but not attuned feels very focused, but […]