Brenda’s Blog
Explore Brenda’s latest thinking on leadership, coaching, and branding. Each post offers practical insights and immediately usable tools to help you succeed — both as a leader and in life.
Powerful Questions
The best way to develop your team is by asking powerful questions. Yes, it’s true that this can take slightly more time than immediately telling employees what to do. But, if you don’t make the time to ask questions of your team members, you will end up being the one answering all of the questions […]
Soaring vs. Swooping
Successful leaders spend more time “soaring” than “swooping.” What does this mean? Their job is to focus on the vision for where the company is going and on planning through others the “how” of achieving that vision. On occasion, however, a leader may need to swoop down and check out the details of a particular […]
Development is an Ongoing Task
In my recently released book – “Would You Want to Work For You?” How to Build an Executive Leadership Brand that Inspires Loyalty and Drives Employee Performance – I argue that building people is simply part of your job as a leader, and I offer strategies for developing your employees on a day-to-day basis.
Where do you place your focus as a leader?
The focus of your attention affects everything you do as a leader. Where you choose to place your focus and how you choose to use your time says as much about you as a leader as any other indicator. A model called the “Five Levels of Focus” gives you a simple but powerful framework for […]
Would you rather be liked or respected?
As leaders, we want to be liked, but we also want to be respected. Can we be both? Not only do I believe it’s possible, but I’ve personally witnessed many leaders walking a beautifully balanced line between the two. Accomplishing both isn’t always easy, though. What happens when the balance tips too far in one […]
Quiz: What is the #1 cause of employee turnover?
To answer this question, take a moment to reflect on the best and the worst jobs you’ve ever had. What role did your boss play in how you felt about those positions? If you’re like a large number of the leaders I’ve worked with, the best jobs you’ve had involved a great boss who […]
Put an Employee in Your Shoes
In my upcoming book – Would You Want to Work For You? – I discuss employee development strategies and how to build your people without losing precious time. I also talk about the importance of receiving feedback from your team.
Does your company “get” you?
Communication is everything, so if people aren’t understanding your message, you may as well be speaking to the wall. This recent Forbes.com article, “When CEOs Talk Strategy, 70% of the Company Doesn’t Get it” outlines the issues that cause miscommunication and misalignment and ways to make sure your people “get” you and your message.
Are you a good listener?
As leaders, we often overlook listening skills. After all, aren’t leaders supposed to tell people what to do instead of listening? Aren’t great leaders supposed to be heard instead of hearing what others have to say?
What makes a leader inspirational and motivational?
I explore this topic in my upcoming book- Would You Want to Work For You? Meanwhile, Forbes.com has a great article on the subject to give you a primer on the traits that inspirational and motivational leaders tend to have in common. How would you rate yourself on these attributes?
How “likable” are you as a leader?
Being “liked” isn’t everything when it comes to leadership, but it definitely matters – especially if you want to be the kind of boss others want to work for. It isn’t about being popular, though. It’s about retaining the best employees, inspiring others to better productivity and creativity, and getting the kind of results that […]
Developing people isn’t a task you do “on the side”
In my upcoming book – Would You Want to Work For YOU? – I argue that building people is an integral, day-to-day part of your job as a leader, and I offer strategies for developing your team members on a moment-by-moment basis.
Family Brands: Is Yours like the Kardashians, the Trumps, or the Osbornes?
For many people living in the northern hemisphere, this time of the year brings with it good, old-fashioned, picnic-in the-park family reunions. In fact, I recently received an email announcing a big family reunion that will take place in August in my hometown in Nebraska. And, my – how our family has grown! I was […]
Authentic Leadership: Are You For Real?
A while ago, I coached a senior-level executive at a multinational corporation who had a bad reputation within his company. How bad? Well, when I interviewed his coworkers and his subordinates, the most consistent word used to describe him was “jerk.” He was getting business results and hitting the numbers, but those results were […]
Take a Brand Inventory Self-Check
Coming to the beginning of August means that there are only five months left in the year – indeed, 60% of 2013 is already history! Whether you are working on your personal brand or your company’s brand, it’s a good time of the year to take an inventory to self-check your progress and ask yourself: […]
