4 Ways to Be a Better Communicator and More Present in Conversations—Hayden Field Specificity is the key to unlock effective communication. The problem: Finding the right balance can be tricky. Too few specifics can mean sacrificing clarity, while too many can be seen as condescending. If you lean towards over-explaining, instead of assuming the other…
Urgency
3 Reasons Cuckoo Clock Leadership Is Ridiculous
You have likely seen a cuckoo clock. Every hour a wooden bird emerges and cuckoos to signify a new hour has begun. The bird then quickly retreats to his home and remains unseen until he emerges once again to announce a new time. Some leaders attempt to lead in such a fashion. They emerge at…
Two Ways to Create Urgency
John Kotter, Harvard Business School professor, has written extensively about the need for leaders to first create a sense of urgency when attempting to implement change or launch a new initiative. Kotter has stressed that most change efforts fail because leaders are unable to create sufficient urgency. Urgency helps foster both focus and action. Without…
Three Reasons Urgency Must Precede Vision
In his highly regarded book Leading Change, John Kotter articulates that establishing urgency must always precede communicating vision. Before attempting to implement change, leaders must create dissatisfaction with an ineffective status quo. They must help others develop a sense of angst over the brokenness around them. Without urgency, a vision will not take root in…
Three Differences Between Busyness and Productivity
There is a mammoth difference between teams and leaders who run around being busy and those that are truly productive. Busyness can give the allusion of productivity as people are doing things, as meetings are happening, and as emails are being sent and read. But not all busyness is valuable. In fact, busyness can mask…