The Team Leadership Report

Adding on to an earlier entry here are more body language acts leaders should avoid.  Resting Hands Behind the Head or on the Hips – This is usually interpreted as a sign of superiority or big-headedness.  Only use these gestures when you’re in the presence of close friends. Not Directly Facing the Person You’re Speaking To – This indicates a certain level of discomfort or a lack of interest.  When we’re happily engaged in a conversation we face the person we’re speaking to with our feet and torso facing directly forward. When we’re unsure of the other person, or not completely committed to the conversation, we tend to angle our feet and torso to the side.  Face directly forward during a conversation to give off the impression that you’re truly interested in what the other person is saying. Crossing Your Arms – This is a sign of defensive resistance.  Some people may also interpret it as a sign of egotism.  Always try to keep your arms open and at your sides. Displaying a

Baseball legend Tony La Russa announced his retirement as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011 just three days after the Cardinals won the World Series, La Russa’s retirement followed an impressive, 16-year career with the Cardinals and 33-season career in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was also the third winningest manager in MLB history—behind only Connie Mack and John McGraw. You don’t have to be a Cardinals fan (or even a baseball fan) to appreciate the success and longevity of La Russa’s career. He had what all leaders strive to and rarely attain—the perfect balance of “hard” and “soft” skills. Amid today’s fast-paced nature of business, it’s more common for leaders to focus on their “hard” skills—the level of education they’ve earned, the number of victories they’ve secured—than their “soft” skills, or people skills. It’s a trend that’s been emphasized repeatedly in media headlines—employees are experiencing less job satisfaction and engagement as their employers focu

Below are 20 bad habits of leaders identified by Marshal Goldsmith. Everyone has exhibited one or more of these behaviors at different times Review the list. Do you identify with any of these bad habits? If you are like the majority of people, the answer is yes. Winning too much: The need to win at all costs and in all situations—when it matters, when it doesn’t, and when it’s totally beside the point. Adding too much value: The desire to add our two cents to every discussion. Passing judgment: The need to rate others and impose our standards on them. Making destructive comments: The needless sarcasms and cutting remarks that we think make us sound witty. Starting with “No,” “But,” or “However”: The overuse of these negative qualifiers which secretly say to everyone, “I’m right. You’re wrong.” Telling the world how smart we are: The need to show people we’re smarter than they think we are. Speaking when angry: Using emotional volatility as a management tool. Negativit

Here is what the gym can teach you about life: There is all of the potential for greatness every day, again. If you endeavor to make a change in the physical form, you have that opportunity every day, no matter what happened the day before. If you determine to exceed a boundary, whatever the measure, you will. Knowing that you can recreate the opportunity to not only exceed a limit previously set, but to do so with magnificence is one of the key reasons to return to the gym every day. You should leave feeling the way you want to feel. In the moment of the greatest physical demand, there is a threshold for discomfort, one that’s built into our natural condition as humans, that seeks relief from pain. To endure beyond this discomfort, one must conjure something within. If you fold into the desire to be relieved of momentary discomfort, then folding becomes your point of internal reference. Conversely, if you push through, you see yourself as a person who does that, who pushes throu