doug smith training

Do you ever let your power go to your head?  Here's a sure sign that the answer is yes: if under pressure you invoke your job title. "Well, I'm the boss and here's what you need to do." Yes, it is sometimes necessary to invoke authority, but it always comes with side-effects. One of those side-effects is the habit of relying on that authority. It's fast, but builds shallow relationships. It's expedient, but what about those times that you are wrong? It's faster to force your views and authority on someone but sure to create resistance. What is better? It's better to pause, talk it through, find the mutually shared value, and focus on collaboration, rather than agitation. You'll enjoy the good results much, much longer. -- doug smith

Have you ever wished for a better boss? Have you ever wanted someone as a leader who made your job better just because of the kind of leader they were? What would that be like? What would that kind of boss say? How would that kind of leader act? What would people say about that kind of supervisor? You could be that kind of boss. You could be the kind of boss people always wanted to have. Be the kind of leader you'd like to have as a leader. It's probably what your team members want from you. -- doug smith

How much time do you spend managing your own boss? Front line leaders can spend so much time leading their own people that it's easy to forget how important it is to develop your relationship with your own boss. You do need your boss's support for any plans, discipline, or development you have for your people. You do need your boss's cooperation when your team members go over your head about an issue and go directly to your boss. And, you'd like your boss's help in developing your career. But your boss is busy. Your boss has personal tasks to take care of. Your boss has a challenging boss to keep happy. It's easy for you and your boss to drift apart as you both work hard to accomplish your goals. But still you've got to find a way. The toughest task for any boss is managing their own boss. Although it may be tough, your future could depend on it. Without your boss's help, everything is harder. With it, almost anything is possible. Here are

The boss gave goals. Lots of goals. The strategy was to stretch everyone on the team beyond their capacity, beyond their expectations. And, sometimes it worked. Until it didn't. People do need to stretch. People do need to grow. But high performance leaders don't break them. One goal too many could result in none achieved. -- doug smith