IntenseDebate - Ben Lichtenwalner

12 years ago @ Ron Edmondson - Have You Ever Been Pla... · 0 replies · +1 points

Yep. Been there. Experienced that. Glad to see I'm not alone. One perspective to add:

The Technology-Enabled Leadership Timeout:
You may be speaking to them or presenting on a topic and the leader is disinterested or objects, so they....
A. Turn to their computer and begin typing
B. Begin reading messages on their Blackberry
C. All of the above

Yeah, that was my favorite. Had one leader who was famous for this. You knew the person did not like your idea if the Blackberry came out...

12 years ago @ SmartBlog on Workforce - Make your workplace on... · 0 replies · +3 points

Companies like Kahler Slater and those listed by the Great Place to Work Institute, understand how to be effective in the information era. We should never treat employees like cogs in a machine, yet how many proliferate this thinking from the Industrial era? Many companies claim to foster a great workplace, but their actions speak otherwise. As I once wrote: " We say, 'people are our most important asset'. We reflect, 'people are less important than everything I have going on.'" These 7 tips, as core values, will ensure companies avoid falling into that trap.

As information and creativity become increasingly more important, more companies will understand the role of their leaders is to serve their employees.

An excellent post. Thank you for sharing, Jill, and for introducing me to Smart Brief and Kahler Slater through this great content.

12 years ago @ Ron Edmondson - When I Say I and When ... · 1 reply · +1 points

Yes, it felt as though my jaw had dropped to the floor in shock of the narcissism displayed by that executive. One wonders if anyone from the company's PR or HR departments had to do damage control after the presentation.

12 years ago @ Ron Edmondson - When I Say I and When ... · 0 replies · +1 points

Thank you Jon. I actually think we more-or-less agree. You make a great example of occasions when you clearly do not own the item / team (such as "my church" being used by members - I do that, but I am not the pastor either). I still think when you are the recognized leader, such the manager of a team, and refer to it in a possessive manner - or worse, the results of that team - you can offend the team and impact morale. I mention a couple examples below.Regardless of whether or not we agree on that detail, I thank you for highlighting some examples where it is more-or-less acceptable.

12 years ago @ Ron Edmondson - When I Say I and When ... · 5 replies · +1 points

I agree and would only add that whether intentional or not, if the leader is perceived as self-centered through their messaging, that narcissism kills morale. At that link, there is an example of an almost unbelievable incident in which an executive screamed narcissism during a huge conference. I also wrote a post on the use of "I vs. We" in which there is a suggestion that self-centered messaging also proliferates a culture that is counter to team-building.

Great post Ron. As you can tell, this is a point I am very passionate about. Thank you for sharing!

12 years ago @ Ron Edmondson - When I Say I and When ... · 4 replies · +1 points

Jon, I think it is a matter of sensitivity to this issue. To be sure, there are plenty of people that do not care whether a leader, who has perceived control of a situation, uses the "I, Me, My, Mine" terminology. At the same time, there are plenty of - and I am of the mindset more - people that do care. Therefore, I feel it is important that organizational leaders are sensitive to this matter and reflect as much in their communications. After all, those that do not care if they use the singular possessive terminology, certainly do not care if they share the ownership either.

Thanks for sharing!

12 years ago @ The Modern Servant Leader - Primus Inter Pares or ... · 0 replies · +1 points

I like that - "Once we gel, the decision making process becomes easier." How true! Your approach with boundaries sounds excellent. Thank you for sharing.

12 years ago @ The Modern Servant Leader - Virtual Mentors · 0 replies · +1 points

Thank you for that excellent contribution, Sage. I think you summed it all up so well at the end:
"Long gone are the days of having only one academic advisor or boss as a mentor."

12 years ago @ The Modern Servant Leader - Virtual Mentors · 1 reply · +1 points

Thank you for contributing April. I also found your blog through Michael Hyatt - you have a beautiful site with great content. I'll have to check out the other virtual mentors you suggest here.

12 years ago @ The Modern Servant Leader - Virtual Mentors · 0 replies · +1 points

Excellent point, Matt. The Networks, forums and blog comments definitely provide great, bi-directional relationships and mentoring opportunities.

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