When facing a crisis, collaboration, flexibility, empathy, and resiliency are the hallmarks of leaders who successfully navigate turbulent waters. Today’s post is by Ron Schutz, author of American Fathers (CLICK HERE to get your copy). The true colors of leaders appear during a crisis and Hurricane Harvey was a shining example. From the Mayor and County Judge to the neighborhood volunteer, there are lessons to be learned on how to lead others when their world has turned upside-down. Decisiveness, collaboration, flexibility are all needed when lives matter and there’s no time for extended analysis. Leaders who can take time to show empathy to those affected instead of just barking directions or demanding results create a culture where every person, every home, and in this situation, every pet matters.  And, don’t forget the resiliency of Texans to survive this and come back stronger. Right leadership shines along with the true spirit of caring. I am writing this exactly 7 days after it started to rain in Houston. It’s a city prone to flash flooding and hurricanes and we made our preparations as if it were going to be a “normal” storm. We checked our batteries and water supplies. We started making extra ice. We filled the bathtub with water. We moved the lawn furniture and anything that could be a projectile. By Thursday night, there was no bottled water at the store and the eggs were sold out. The guy in front of us in line was stocking up on beer. Fortunately, I live at a higher elevation and I happen to have a new roof. I was dry and safe the whole time. But just down the street from where I live, the bayou was cresting its banks and flooding neighbors’ houses a few blocks away. I’ve had some time […]

Your core values define the behaviors you treasure and demand above all others. Investing time in defining them increases the likelihood they come to life and become part of everyone’s daily behaviors. Today’s post is by Trevor Throness, author of The Power of People Skills (CLICK HERE to get your copy). Lots of time is wasted by executives crafting bland, committee-driven ‘values statements.’ They hang in frames in beautiful calligraphy, and don’t mean a thing to employees. Real core values are best described by outlining three simple behaviors that define which behaviors are okay, and which are not. Assemble your executive team, and you’ll complete this exercise in about an hour. List the Traits of Your Best Employee Think of a real life employee. What is it about her that makes you and others love her performance? What are the qualities that make her so special? Is it her cleanliness or the way she treats her co-workers, or her productivity? Maybe it’s the passion she brings to her work or her accuracy and thoroughness. Write a list of these qualities, and be as specific as possible in your description. Now ask yourself if the things you love about this person have wider application to your workforce. Are these the attitudes that many or perhaps all of your most successful employees share? If so, you have found one of your company’s core values. Reflect on What Makes You Angry You’ll know you’ve hit on a core value when the thought of someone violating it makes you angry. Think back to the times that you’ve felt angry at work over the last six months. Was your anger sparked because a core value was being violated? If so, your anger can be a major clue to finding what your core values are. I learned this […]