The Thoughtful Leaders™ Blog
Posted by Robyn McLeod on May 9, 2013
You work hard and get good results from your team, yet the vibe of the office is not very positive and upbeat. You wish you had the kind of team that your colleague, Stacey, has. Her team seems to genuinely enjoy working together, raves about her style of managing, and is consistently recognized for their stellar work. “She really lucked out with the folks she inherited and hired,” you think to yourself. But in reality, it may not be luck at all. Stacey may understand the importance of likability in leadership.
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Posted by Lisa Kohn on May 2, 2013
From the moment we wake up, we can be – and often are – in conflict with others. With our family members over how the day will go, with team members about the best next step on a project, with our manager over how to implement a new process, with colleagues about budget issues, with the person on line in front of you who is taking too long to order…the list goes on. Conflict is unavoidable and generally unenjoyable. And if mishandled it can negatively impact the results we’re trying to achieve and ruin our day…or our week.
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Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on April 29, 2013

“Genuine listening means suspending memory, desire and judgment – and, for a moment at least, existing for the other person.” Michael P. Nichols
The other day I was ‘listening‘ to my colleague. We were in the midst of a heated discussion, and it was her turn to share. I knew how to listen – I teach listening skills after all. I kept my mouth shut and allowed her to speak her piece…biding my time until I could jump in with my retort or, in my mind at least, my incredibly stronger argument.
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Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on April 8, 2013

“If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” Thomas A. Edison
There’s a theme running through nearly all of my coaching relationships right now. Nearly every client is, in some way, owning how spectacular they are – what great leaders, how much they have to contribute, how successfully they can manage their teams, the contributions they’re making at work and in their lives. It’s amazing to witness.
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Posted by Robyn McLeod on March 28, 2013
I am a big proponent of 360-degree feedback – gathering the perspectives of your direct reports and staff, your peers, and your higher-ups to become more aware of how your behaviors, attitudes, and actions impact those around you. My own experience with receiving 360 feedback helped me to appreciate the value of this process and revealed that some of the very things that were my strengths were also the things that were getting in my way of being more effective.
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Posted by Robyn McLeod on March 14, 2013
As parents we can be very focused on teaching our children manners and appropriate behaviors – choosing the right words, using our “inside” voices, sharing, being kind to others. But somewhere along the way we forget that those very behaviors we are instilling in our children are ones that we should remember for ourselves.
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Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on March 11, 2013

“Expect nothing. Live frugally on surprise.” Alice Walker
Years ago I read an article. They asked couples who were married for longer periods of time to share their secrets for success. “Lowered expectations” was the most common response.
I can’t say I always like the idea of lowering my expectations. I believe (and teach) that clarifying and sharing mutual expectations is a first step to effectively communicating and working (and living) with others. That being said, there’s something in what the long-time married couples shared, and what Alice Walker’s quote highlights.
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Posted by Robyn McLeod on February 14, 2013
Recently I was running on one of my favorite trails, maintaining a great pace. There are a few short stairs on the trail and as I approached the first of stairs I said to myself, “Be careful on the stairs and don’t trip. Watch your footing, Robyn.” Of course, you know what happened. I tripped, took a hard fall, and banged up my knee and elbow. “How stupid can you be?” I thought. “I warned you,” said my inner critic. “I said, ‘don’t trip,’ yet that’s exactly what you did!”
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Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on February 11, 2013

“The key to leadership is influence not authority.” Kenneth Blanchard
There is a leadership fact that I always share with clients. The higher up the food chain you go in an organization, the more your job is not about doing specific tasks. In fact, at times it’s not about “doing” anything. It’s about influencing. Influence is the key to getting things done, getting your ideas across, and honestly, getting ahead.
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Posted by Robyn McLeod on January 31, 2013

Often we assume poor leaders and bad bosses are hopelessly stuck in their worst behaviors. Yet a recent post, Bad Leaders Can Change Their Spots, at HBR.org shares research that shows that, with clear developmental focus, the lowest-rated leaders can show significant improvement in key leadership dimensions. So much so that they are able to move from worst among their peers to above average within two years.
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[...] Conflict is Good – So Let’s Fight! Only kidding. Finally, I ran across an article this morning about how effective teams actually encourage a degree of conflict. They reach higher levels of interaction by letting things flare up a little from time to time. [...]
Thanks Steve. We agree (and teach) that conflict is good and necessary. It often brings out the best ideas and strongest results – when its managed effectively. Thanks for sharing!!