Nathan Magnuson

JUNE 2, 2014

'“How do you get someone to push you?” I was taking a wrestling class as a kid and that was the question the coach posed as he demonstrated a new move. “You push him first. Then he’ll want to push back and you can use his momentum to your advantage.” That may have been the first practical lesson I was given in the art of influence.

Influence 191

Influence eBook Follow-up Morale 191

Nathan Magnuson

APRIL 21, 2014

'Most organizations have core values. Somewhere anyway. They’re usually posted on the website and probably printed on a brochure somewhere. But do people talk about them individually? Does anyone know them? Are they specific and meaningful enough to make a difference? At the end of the day, the organization is going to do what it’s going to do, right?

Construction 189

Construction Follow-up Organization Consultative 189

Nathan Magnuson

APRIL 7, 2014

'Truth: Leadership is about influence, not position. Leadership is about one thing and one thing only: influence. Leaders use the influence they have to create positive change. The more positive change, the more influence. Go into any corporate boardroom, military garrison or government building and you’re bound to find someone who has a title and a position, but lacks the influence he or she needs to get the job done.

Influence 189

Influence Leadership Positioning Consultative 189

Nathan Magnuson

JULY 7, 2014

'I’m afraid I’ve come to recognize a serious leadership deficit today in America. It’s probably nothing new. It’s what I call “the fear of the finger.” Not the middle finger, mind you. I’m talking about the index finger. Precious few individuals are willing to risk being on the other end of a finger that could end up being pointed at them.

Contingency Plans 186

Contingency Plans Uncertainty Cooper Proposal 186

Nathan Magnuson

SEPTEMBER 1, 2014

'Today''s guest post comes courtesy of Mark Miller, Vice President of Organizational Effectiveness at Chick-fil-A and bestselling author. Receive his updates by visiting his website Great Leaders Serve or following him on Twitter. Success is a lousy teacher. The best leaders know this and are always on guard against complacency. I recently received a question from a leader who has just completed a season of success.

Succession 183

Succession After Action Review Energy Goal 183

Nathan Magnuson

FEBRUARY 17, 2014

'When was the last time your face was the unfamiliar one? You may have gotten a new job or joined a new team. Maybe you moved to a new area, joined a new network or gave a presentation to a new group. How did it go? If you had anything to say, share or contribute, chances are at some point you found yourself wondering, “how can I make myself credible to these people?

Audience 183

Audience Influence Sample Letter 183

Nathan Magnuson

MARCH 3, 2014

'Where do you send your employees to learn something new? Where do you go yourself? There a lots of options out there. The best strategy is to take a integrated approach to learning across five broad categories. Here they are. On-the-Job Experience. The majority of employee learning comes from on-the-job experience. That is where the most time is spent.

Library 180

Library Mentor Learning-by-Doing Consultative 180

Nathan Magnuson

OCTOBER 20, 2014

'I’ll admit I’ve made a lot of mistakes over the years when it comes to identifying leadership ability in others. Some I’ve thought would be great weren’t – and others I didn’t give much consideration turned out to be amazing. It’d be a lot easier if there was a scientific method to show who could get the job done.

How To 178

How To Influence Follow-up Examples 178

Nathan Magnuson

AUGUST 4, 2014

'As an individual, it doesn’t take long to realize Alexander Pope’s timeless line “to err is human.” As a leader, it can be downright frustrating dealing with the errors of those we lead. But it’s how we respond to those mistakes that sets great leaders apart. If someone on your team has fouled things up, why don’t you try some of these responses?

How To 178

How To Construction Energy Follow-up 178

Nathan Magnuson

JANUARY 6, 2014

'Have you ever taken a personality assessment? What were your results? Were you an INFP? A “high D and low I?” A fire with a bit of earth mixed in? An eagle or an otter? If you spend much time on social networks, you’ve probably even seen personality quizzes that blend with pop culture. Which Lord of the Rings character are you? Or Disney character.

Human Resources 174

Human Resources Follow-up Consultative Construction 174

Nathan Magnuson

NOVEMBER 3, 2014

'One of the things that disappoints me the most is hearing someone tell me they don’t want to be a leader. It’s unfortunate because I believe that everyone not only has the ability to be leader but also the responsibility to make a leadership contribution in the role they are in. But in this context, they usually associate leadership with a management-type position.

Leadership 173

Leadership Welch Bureaucracy Influence 173

Nathan Magnuson

MAY 19, 2014

'For the third year in a row I had the pleasure of attending the Leadercast leadership seminar at a local simulcast location. This year I attended in Daytona Beach, FL with about 80 other local leaders. The event was fantastic, as usual. I don’t get to attend as many leadership events as I’d like to, but I always take something away from the ones I do.

Seminar 171

Seminar Simon Influence Budgeting 171

Nathan Magnuson

MAY 5, 2014

'Feedback is everywhere. We get feedback from our bosses in our performance reviews. We ask our customers for their feedback on our service. We collect engagement feedback from our employees. We send a work project around the team for peer feedback before submitting our deliverables. In all of these cases, the difference between good feedback and poor feedback can easily be the difference between success and failure.

How To 171

How To Audience Performance Review Tips 171

Nathan Magnuson

JULY 21, 2014

'I had the chance to travel to Greece and Bulgaria recently and give a series of leadership presentations to several university groups with a small team of business professionals. The sights, food and people were reward enough, but getting to share our leadership presentations with the future leaders of two countries added a special sense of purpose to the trip.

Blanchard 154

Blanchard Construction Travel Influence 154

Nathan Magnuson

NOVEMBER 17, 2014

'I’ve written before about generosity. It’s one of the greatest antidotes to selfishness there is. Obviously there is no shortage of needs both locally and globally. I’m also convinced that it has never been easier for the everyday leader to get involved. But the potency of individual generosity is far surpassed by the momentum organizational generosity can build.

How To 151

How To Conflict of Interest eBook Consultative 151

Nathan Magnuson

AUGUST 18, 2014

'What if I told you you don’t need to have a great solution for every single problem that comes your way in order to be a competent and mature leader? Well that’s exactly what I’m about to propose. Hopefully it’s as refreshing to you as it is to me. And the best part about it is that it can dramatically improve your leadership influence as well.

How To 241

How To Advice Proposal Follow-up 241

Nathan Magnuson

JANUARY 20, 2014

'Adversity is no respecter of persons. Our experiences are usually different, but each of us gets our turn. Our organizations do too, for that matter. So what happens when adversity strikes? How can we climb our way our of it? This isn’t an exhaustive list, but here are some thinking patterns that have helped me maintain a sense of sanity and clarity over the years.

How To 186

How To Sports Class Planning 186

Nathan Magnuson

FEBRUARY 3, 2014

'I took a college class one semester from a guest instructor who had recently been the president of a large and influential organization. His presidency had lasted over twenty years and he had overseen numerous high-profile change initiatives. I enjoyed the class immensely and was really challenged in my leadership thinking. I even remember staying after class to share some theories I was working on and get his input.

Leadership 176

Leadership Class Follow-up Consultative 176