Changing behavior and keeping resolutions can be hard. Watch David explain how using different words can help. Hey everybody! Hope you’re doing well. Happy New Year! I’ve got something to help you maintain a New Year’s resolution, or just be able to maintain your resolutions or change habits easier. And the trick is that when...
Leaders give control to their team. Instinctively, giving up control is uncomfortable and even scary. But we can practice giving up control in everyday life. Watch David explain. What additional ways can you practice giving up control? The biggest impediment to creating an empowered team is our own desire to want to be and feel...
Watch David explain what intent sounds like, and what intent doesn’t sound like, on a submarine. The ultimate goal is to stop giving orders. Hey, so there’s a nice documentary by Smarter Every Day of onboard a nuclear submarine up in the Arctic. This is very recent. And it’s got a great example of how...
To influence up the chain of command, make things safe for your boss. Use the Ladder of Leadership, step by step, to earn the right to be heard and the right to have influence over decisions. One of the most common questions I get is how do I move myself up with my boss, where...
In a meeting, if a leader expresses their opinion first, what they’re doing is anchoring the discussion to their own perspective. Instead, leaders speak last. They share their opinions once they’ve heard from other people to hear more diverse perspectives. I’m in Alloa in Scotland, where this anchor is a reminder of the history of...
Leaders help the team manage the rhythm on Redwork (doing) and Bluework (thinking). Make time to pause, evaluate production relative to your goal, make course correction as needed, and then continue working. Good morning! I’m here on beautiful Manasota Key beach (Florida) to talk about Redwork and Bluework, the rhythm of doing and thinking at work. When you...
An easy way to think about how to use the Ladder of Leadership is to imagine the steps as a way to Pause, Rewind and Fast Forward. Watch David explain in this week’s Nudge. The Ladder of Leadership with the seven steps is sometimes complicated and hard to remember. “Oh, is this step three or...
Use the Ladder of Leadership to both set and measure the level of empowerment in your team. It is both a thermometer and a thermostat for the language of empowerment. As many of you guys know, I was a math geek and an engineer. So there’s this geeky engineering-like substructure behind Intent-Based Leadership and the Ladder of...
Get better at making observations. Avoid statements that can be seen as blaming or shaming. Instead of “You never sent me the email” try “I missed the email.” Instead of “You’re not making sense” try “I’m having trouble understanding.” Learn more by reading this blog post: The Power of Observation Get better at making observations. For example,...
At Level 6 on the Ladder of Leadership decisions are made by the people doing the work without your involvement. Leaders put into place the structure that pushes authority for decisions to those with the information. Let the people doing the work make the decisions about the work. Learn more by reading this blog post: Use...
