Physical conditioning for leadership under pressure

One of the most fundamental things that anyone can do for their leadership skills is basic: figure out how to feel great, day after day.

This is the stuff of peak performance athletes, and with books like The Corporate Athlete and The Power of Full Engagement these ideas are being used in companies, too.

It seems basic enough–eat well, exercise, recharge and (more…)

Experiment for Impact

Today it is critical that we talk about impact. I’ve introduced a number of ideas this week, and there are more coming this weekend. But let’s face it—reading about ideas never changed anything. The impact comes from taking an idea, testing it out, and seeing if there is a way to get value from it. And if it does go well—great. If not, throw it away.

I recently had dinner with a friend, Chuck, who runs an innovative education company. Chuck told me that one of

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Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers

We weren’t built for this. “This” being a life in which we are constantly in a stress response. That is my key take away from a fascinating book by MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Robert Sapolsky.

In Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers Sapolsky writes that we aren’t built to withstand constant, high levels of stress. And that our bodies break down over time because of it.

If you study animals in the wild, and look at how they use the (more…)

Levity in the face of pressure

Life has a funny way of working. Today I knew that I would be writing about a paradoxical way of leading under pressure. And sure enough, an opportunity arose this afternoon for me to apply this technique.

Here’s what happened. I am in a monthly professional development program with a class of 30 people. We are arranged in teams of six to do small group work. The most recent meeting was on Saturday, and our team was presenting. But at least one of my teammates was really unhappy with how the class was run, and how that impacted our presentation. I thought things went well in the end. Fine.

But here’s the twist. She wrote an angry e-mail to the
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Handling Pressure in the Moment

Ideally, before you find yourself in the hot seat, you’ll have had some time to prepare and condition. But what if you find yourself in a pressure situation, and aren’t prepared for it? Here are several things I’ve found that help.

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Leadership Under Pressure

What do you do to support yourself, to help you work well, be an effective leader, under pressure?

Being a leader can be stressful. Very stressful. There’s a lot going on, a lot of responsibility. Competitive threats. Murphy’s Law. Personal conflicts. This isn’t going to change, so the question is “what can I, as a leader, do to be effective in a high-pressure environment?”

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Catching People Doing Things Right

I had a stimulating discussion today with Travis, a friend and colleague about communication styles. It reminded me about the importance of catching people doing things right. Many managers and co-workers miss opportunities to congratulate or thank people who go above and beyond, but rarely miss an opportunity to criticize when mistakes are made.

Here are some guidelines I try to live by, and am very thankful to have been reminded of so I can re-focus:

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