Next Level Blog

AUGUST 28, 2014

As you take on more and more scope in your leadership role, you can’t continue to operate as the go-to person who acts as if you’re personally responsible for everything that happens. One of the biggest shifts that most rising leaders have to make is the shift from being the go-to person to someone who builds teams of go-to people.

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Delegation Team Building Leadership Development Operations 270

Next Level Blog

JULY 11, 2018

As I’ve written here before, because of the pressure of a seemingly 24/7 operating environment, too many leaders are living in a chronic state of fight or flight. If you’re not doing that well, you won’t be able to operate at your best in the other aspects of your leadership role. They’re known for getting things done.

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Leadership Execution Operations Learning-by-Doing 181

Next Level Blog

FEBRUARY 6, 2024

Pretty much every senior leader I work with has a plate that is overflowing with big issues – return to office initiatives, higher performance goals, huge investments, achieving operational excellence, you name it.

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Stress System Execution Efficiency 167

Next Level Blog

JUNE 15, 2021

These folks are actually team leaders with broad scopes of responsibility so they have the platform to operate as a leader across their enterprise but they haven’t let go of the superstar, go-to person modus operandi that got them noticed in the first place. It’s actually pretty simple and not that complex to operate that way.

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Long-term How To Short-term Tactics 131

Next Level Blog

MARCH 17, 2020

Ideally, awareness operates in two domains – external and internal. Working the list – The need for social distancing creates a ginormous change in all of our operating rhythms. It’s kind of awe-inspiring to think about what we might accomplish if we adjust our operating rhythm and use this time well.

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Productivity Products Video Simon 135

Next Level Blog

FEBRUARY 5, 2020

The benefits of operating from these “best of” lists for accessibility and availability are pretty clear. (This is especially true for regularly scheduled team meetings or team one on one’s.) Make good use of technology – particularly video conferencing – to be available virtually when they can’t be physically.

Leadership 184

Leadership Policies Executive Coaching Team 184

Next Level Blog

APRIL 4, 2023

That’s a starting point for senior leaders, but, for them, leading like an ambassador is much more like operating as if they were an actual ambassador to another country. I first started thinking about this when I helped run a leadership development program for country general managers of a global company.

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Strategic Planning Storytelling Planning Marketing 176

Next Level Blog

NOVEMBER 2, 2020

First, there’s awareness which operates in two dimensions – external and internal. Check out the video in this post for my tips on how to get the most from your breathing. Practice Awareness and Intention – Those two words – awareness and intention – are how I define mindfulness. External awareness is focused on what’s going on around you.

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Stress How To Construction Engineering 246

Next Level Blog

MAY 11, 2021

This is especially important in a hybrid environment in which people may not physically see each other regularly. They’re all essential roles and the people in them all need regular connection with each other to stay productive, engaged and healthy.

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How To Participative Content Creativity 130

Next Level Blog

MARCH 12, 2019

So a senior director in operations might hang out with the company CFO for the day or a VP in IT might sit in with the CEO. It’s a great opportunity for the rising leaders to broaden their perspective and observe what it’s like to operate as a senior executive.

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How To CFO Teamwork Learning-by-Doing 157

Next Level Blog

JANUARY 5, 2021

These are the qualities that represent you when you’re operating in the sweet spot that leads to positive outcomes. Words that might come to mind could include qualities like supportive, encouraging, clear, calm, inspiring, directive, engaged, open, generous or any number of others that fit their needs.

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Quality Open-book Follow-up Positioning 219

Next Level Blog

MAY 26, 2020

What changes would we have to make or could we make to sustain and grow our business in a socially distant operating environment? questions along with some follow-ups you could pose for yourself and your team to work through: What if we have to remain socially distant for another couple of years, how would we do business? What would they be?

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Disruptive Innovation Christensen Innovation Globalization 244

Next Level Blog

MAY 4, 2011

As the reporting on the operation against Osama bin Laden unfolds, a good bit has been made of the poker face aspect of President Obama artfully delivering one liners at the White House. Please click the headline to read the whole story.

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Operations Report 178

Next Level Blog

OCTOBER 12, 2015

As I’ve gotten older, my operating theory has been that each passing year feels shorter because it’s a smaller percentage of my overall life. (I I was so excited to see that idea visually represented in a cool article in the Washington Post this year.)

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Operations Books Article 100

Next Level Blog

SEPTEMBER 14, 2021

Here’s what Cara Streb, Chief Operating Officer of Take 2 Consulting has learned about how to do that: “Coach your team, trust they are doing their best, and support their failures. One of the challenges of making the shift from go-to person to the leader of a go-to team is being patient while your team gets up to speed. Teach them to fish.

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Advice Execution Team Chief Operating Officer 238

Next Level Blog

NOVEMBER 6, 2019

Learn all you can about your operating environment. Here, then, are three ways to build your confidence in making timely decisions. First, prep and learn. What I mean by that is start doing the homework you need to do to prepare yourself for decision making. To do that, conduct discovery conversations with knowledgeable colleagues.

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Case Study Learning-by-Doing Definition Environment 147

Next Level Blog

FEBRUARY 8, 2019

Most people are operating with positive intent. When you engage in virtual communications, make an effort to be really present and watch for the gaps in understanding and circle back to fill in the gaps. And, when all else fails, don’t assume the worst.

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Conference Video Advice Information 180

Next Level Blog

AUGUST 23, 2012

His company has grown a lot through acquisitions and his CEO always says to his execs “Don’t break it,” when they’re folding the acquired company into their operations. He’s a business unit leader who has integrated an acquired company into his organization over the past year.

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Review CEO Operations Report 188

Next Level Blog

MAY 7, 2019

An easy way to check is to step back and look at how the people in your team or organization are operating. From there, your rocks keep on rolling with impacts on the health of your people and their families and the quality of their connections to the broader community. Wondering if any of that applies to you and your team?

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Stress Review Teamwork Workshop 188

Next Level Blog

OCTOBER 9, 2019

To name a few, there’s financial risk, operational risk and reputational risk. Third , step back and consider the risk to reward ratio as you decide what has to be perfect and what can be good enough. As you do, recognize that there are different kinds of risk.

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Team Learning-by-Doing Reputation Morale 146

Next Level Blog

OCTOBER 26, 2017

They need an operating rhythm that ensures that they can stay well informed and in sync with each other. – To do their best work, most people need some amount of predictability. They need to know what’s expected of them, what others are working on and how it all hangs together. This is especially true for leadership teams.

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Information CEO Operations Team 200

Next Level Blog

OCTOBER 5, 2015

He explained the process he used to make sure that everything was in its place and how important it was to ensuring a safe and reliable operating environment for everyone involved. Another was when our group was on the bridge watching night flight operations. It was an impressive display of awareness and intention.

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Conference Operations Blog Follow-up 100

Next Level Blog

FEBRUARY 1, 2022

The authors argued that companies had to pick between one of three paths to value creation and success in the market – operational excellence, customer intimacy or product leadership. Back in my own days as an executive, I was hugely influenced by a book called The Discipline of Market Leaders.

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Company Customer Intimacy Schein Long-term 246

Next Level Blog

MAY 1, 2019

Because your operating environment, opportunities and challenges are always changing, you should always be assessing your next move to invest in the success of your team. In the long run, it’s not in anyone’s best interest – the employee, the team, you or the organization – to keep people on board who aren’t a good fit.

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Real Estate Development Team How To 129

Next Level Blog

JANUARY 11, 2019

Just about every leader I work with is operating in an environment where they and their teams have more to accomplish than the time available to do it all. The patients who are literally knocking on death’s door are going to be seen before you. I’ve been thinking about triage lately as I’ve been working with my executive coaching clients.

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Engineering Executive Coaching Team Goal 146

Next Level Blog

AUGUST 4, 2020

It was when I asked, “What if we had to operate this way for another year or two?” Around that same time, I was leading an online conversation with a group of senior leaders in a global corporation and asked them to consider a number of “What if?” that they kind of threw up on me. The question was too painful to consider.

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Positioning Short-term Globalization Information 246

Next Level Blog

JULY 14, 2020

On the other hand, while the weeks seem to go by fast, any given day can feel slow as I operate in a constrained physical domain while connecting with others through technology in the (what is it now?) 18 th week of working from home. It can all leave you feeling a little disconnected.

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Stress Film Definition Objective 246

Next Level Blog

OCTOBER 12, 2021

He told me that earlier in his career when he was at Pepsi that the best way to get promoted to vice president there was to operate as if you were already a VP. What he meant by that was to emulate the behaviors of the most respected VPs in terms of things like collaboration, initiative, credibility, and accountability.

How To 130

How To Committee Human Resources Executive Coaching 130

Next Level Blog

NOVEMBER 2, 2021

Leaders will need to be thoughtful and strategic in establishing operating rhythms that leverage the sweet spot of the right balance between working together remotely and working together in person. That doesn’t mean, though, that we need to go back to spending 100 percent of our time in in-person meetings.

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Travel Bottom-up Productivity Products 196

Next Level Blog

MARCH 30, 2021

Start the Week with Planning Time : A chief operating officer I’m working with has staked out Monday morning as personal planning time for herself. A proactive way to start the day! She uses the time for both longer term and short-term thinking.

Management 166

Management Chief Operating Officer Short-term Report 166

Next Level Blog

JANUARY 19, 2017

Operating Rhythm – Great leaders know and leverage their operating rhythm. They move beyond transactional listening and regularly practice transformational listening. They often listen with no other agenda than to deepen their connection with someone else.

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Self-aware Leadership Learning-by-Doing Operations 100

Next Level Blog

JUNE 24, 2020

With thanks to Tom Rath for the simple organizational framework he offered in his 2013 book, Eat, Move, Sleep , here are some best practices in each of those categories that I learned in doing the research for my own book, Overworked and Overwhelmed and how you can leverage them in our current operating environment.

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Stress Management Succession Short-term 246

Next Level Blog

DECEMBER 22, 2020

They immediately cited the challenge of feeding as many people as they are for the foreseeable future and the operational costs and food supply issues that come with that. Especially in high stress times, the organization and your family and friends need you to stay healthy.

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Banking Rogers Leadership Tourism 246

Next Level Blog

MARCH 19, 2020

I practice what I preach with those routines but, like everyone who is reading this, have had to learn over the past couple of weeks how to adapt those routines to the new realities of social distancing and life and business operating rhythms that are radically different than what they were pre-pandemic.

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Crisis Leadership Maslow Short-term 188

Next Level Blog

APRIL 14, 2017

Systems Matter – Both the yoga pants and the passenger bumping episodes were the results of operating processes and systems that, when followed to their extremes, led people to make poor decisions. They clearly could have influence over the procedures of the Aviation Department.

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System CEO Follow-up Training 133

Next Level Blog

FEBRUARY 8, 2016

Whether you’re closing a chapter in your career or not, it’s always a good idea to operate with the grace that Manning has shown. No, none of us are but the self-awareness, acceptance and gratitude he’s demonstrated over the past few weeks are qualities that would serve just about anyone well.

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Self-aware Sports Learning-by-Doing Career 100

Next Level Blog

OCTOBER 14, 2010

Accept Help:   The rescue operation appears to have been a model of private and public sector cooperation and coordination. Put Yourself in Their Shoes:  One of the most impressive aspects of the rescue operation is how much attention was paid to the overall health and well being of the miners and their families.

Leadership 184

Leadership Executive Coaching Blog Open-book 184