6 Reasons NOT to Strive for Perfection

I used to get so frustrated as a recruiter when I asked the question “What are your weaknesses?” in an interview and I would get the response “I’m a perfectionist.” It seemed to me to be a way to state a “weakness” when in reality striving for perfection, I thought, was a characteristic that is desired in the working world and in fact classified as a strength. I’d turn around and probe the applicant in a way that made them tell me what bad behaviors or results arose because of their perfectionism. Most people just stared at me after asking

Birthing Babies and Running Races: Pushing Past Your Breaking Point with Positive Feedback

We were excited to be featured as guest blogger on the awesome Fistful of Talent this past weekend. Now, we’re sharing this blog with you!  — I’m in labor. One nurse is holding one foot; another is holding the other. There’s a doctor in-between my legs, and my husband is at my side. (He was instructed under no uncertain circumstances to go below my knees.) It’s time to push. I, of course, am drugged with an epidural. They have to tell me when to push because I luckily can’t feel a thing. I don’t know the results of my efforts,

Leaders Kill two Birds with One Stone through Delegation

Leaders constantly face demands on their time, and discerning what to do, how to do it and when can be a challenge. Delegation provides: An effective means for managing time wisely and An effective way to develop others. Leaders make more leaders, and are also good at killing two birds with one stone.   So how to delegate?   Delegation Steps and Levels: What needs to be delegated? All your responsibilities should be put in to one of three buckets: 1. Don’t do it- get rid of the task or responsibility 2. Do it yourself. 3. Delegate it. Take time

Want to be a millionaire? A Good Leader? Manage Your Time First

Want to be a good leader? How about a millionaire? Manage yourself and your time first. What does it take to think like a millionaire? In reading The Millionaire Mind, I was struck by what seemed to first be a contradiction. Based on the study of almost 1000 millionaires, it was obvious these individuals as a group managed their expenses just as wisely, if not more, than their revenue generation. Most bought at discount retailers and had very small or non-existent mortgages by buying older homes that retained or appreciated in value. Keeping costs low is a priority in the

All Leaders Need to Develop Others

Tactical leadership coaching should be customized based on the person being coached and his or her development needs. You waste your time trying to focus on areas that are not critical to the person’s success or aren’t about maximizing strengths or minimizing weaknesses when you cover the same topics for the same person regardless of the situation. This is why assessment and feedback seeking is so important, and it is also why, oftentimes, one-on-one coaching is more value-added than group training. All that being said, though, a leaders’ primary role is to make more leaders. It doesn’t matter what industry a