Category Archives: Articles

Leadership in Action Series: Part 5

The Nerve to Serve By Daniel Robin This article calls into question some of the basic assumptions of conventional leadership:  the myths that the hero leader is compatible with the modern workplace, that leaders should motivate and empower others, and that leaders are born, not made.  These assumptions are simply mistakes – not in the sense that they are inconsistent with “truth” or reality Continue Reading ...

Leadership in Action Series: Part 4

Fix Systems, Not People By Daniel Robin When problems arise, how you respond makes a world of difference.  If I automatically see a breakdown as somebody’s fault (even if is) this frame or way of thinking may make for a bumpy road to resolution. Even though it’s much more fun to blame people, pin them down, and make them admit their mistakes, that approach isn’t likely to lead to a fast Continue Reading ...

Leadership in Action Series: Part 3

False Responsibility and Its Remedies By Daniel Robin This installment looks at the pattern of "false responsibility" – when we take charge of things that don’t belong to us, such as other people’s feelings, mistaken assumptions about who is responsible for shared outcomes, or when circumstances change but we don’t. Most adults have a natural ability to decide what’s in and what’s Continue Reading ...

Leadership in Action Series: Part 2

The Quest for Making High-Quality Mistakes By Daniel Robin A friend recently reminded me that it isn’t our mistakes that define our character, pilule it’s what we do in response to them that matters. A so-called "high-quality" mistake is one that leads to new awareness, ampoule an important discovery, or increased resolve to do better from this moment forward. Take no prisoners on island "oops, Continue Reading ...

Leadership in Action Series: Part 1

Fail Often to Succeed Sooner By Daniel Robin "The Mistakes are all there, waiting to be made." - S. A. Tartakower, Russian Chess Master, before a game This is the first installment of a multi-part series on dynamic leadership at work – each article brings you powerful strategies for leading change, reaching toward peak performance, building a better workplace. Join me now as we spy on Bob, the Continue Reading ...

Closing the Gap between Management and Worker through Coaching

By Daniel Robin There is an age-old gap between management and those managed. Employees often suspect management’s motives and resent having authority imposed on them. Simultaneously, managers are … only human. Some try to delegate responsibility without authority (let go into structure and it works better). Others resist change or get side-tracked by office politics and unintentionally take Continue Reading ...

The Eight Essential Skills Of Coaching

How to bring out the best in others By Daniel Robin Previous article talked about the cultural revolution taking place in most work environments. Hierarchical "command and control" management practices are giving way to more collaborative, fluid and dynamic structures. Why? People naturally perform better when their work environment matches how they like being treated. The challenge of letting Continue Reading ...

The Benefits and Advantages of Coaching

Still not clear on what coaching is?  Here's a definition For the Coach You don’t have to have all the answers Unleashed creativity ... more options and choices open up ... less a sense of limitation or stuckness. Fewer barriers to innovation, ... solutions arrive rather than continued head-banging Agreements upheld more often Shared responsibility frees you up to innovate, focus Continue Reading ...

Seven Attitudes to Dissolve Conflicts

By Daniel Robin If you notice yourself getting dug in or angry in the face of differing views, ailment ask for a time out and step out of the content for a moment and notice if you are presently moving toward your true goal. If not, sovaldi or if the situation is just getting too uncomfortable, check to see which of the seven strategies shown below would be most helpful Continue Reading ...

Seven Steps to Handling Interpersonal Differences

Keys to Negotiating with Power and Grace By Daniel Robin Make no mistake: resolving differences through negotiation is not a logical, linear process. However, this model can serve as a framework for staying on track and learning how and where things go wrong. These seven steps progress from how you might want to begin an effort to resolve differences to how you'd want to complete that effort. Continue Reading ...

The Dynamics of Non-Adversarial Negotiation

By Daniel Robin Joe had done his homework: "I propose that we put 25% of our training budget to work on giving people listening skills and that we postpone the management training course we've been considering." Joe had worked out a detailed set of arguments about why his was the right direction. As usual, his manager saw it differently: truth was, everyone knew how Continue Reading ...