Help, I’ve Fallen and I Can’t…Nevermind
One of the attributes I have noticed in nearly every great leader that I’ve worked with is that they know how to get back up after they fall. I don’t think they fall any less than the rest of us,…
Your Business Plan is Only as Good as Your Personal Plan
I’ve had the good fortune throughout my career to work with some incredible leaders. But for every great leader I’ve been around there were dozens of individuals who could have been great leaders and never were. I’ve known many people…
Great Leaders Have Great Habits
Some of the best leaders I have met during the course of my work are brilliant people…most aren’t. Some of them possess an almost supernatural ability to connect or inspire…most don’t. What often sets them apart from the leaders who…
Developing Leaders: A Process That Works
I recently asked a leader what his process was for developing leaders in his hospital. That question was followed by some crickets and then, well, more crickets loosely disguised as an answer. It’s ironic that we have a process for…
What A Leadership Development Program Should Teach
I’ve had the opportunity to build leadership development programs for many different kinds of organizations. Occasionally people ask me about the most important things that a leadership development program should focus on to get results. Many programs feel good to…
How to Identify a Great Future Leader
Leading Through Influence In order for any practice to get stronger, it needs to continuously develop leaders. The future of the organization depends on its ability to either create or recruit leaders who can help it grow. The leaders in…
How to Make Your Leadership Intentional, Not Accidental
“What does the mentor get out of a mentoring relationship?” This question came up during a workshop I delivered once to a group of leaders. One of the leaders in the room said simply, “I get to give something back.”…
Are We Investing Our Time, or Spinning Our Wheels?
One of the most common questions I get when I am working with managers who are trying to make a shift in how they lead themselves and others, goes something like this: “How am I supposed to do all of…
Are You Accountable for Your Team’s Future?
I love college football and watch it every weekend during the season. One game in the past stood out in particular, not because of a crazy play or huge victory, instead I was struck by one of the comments from…
Are You Limiting Growth?
I worked with a practice manager once who would make her mind up and then spend lots of time and other people’s effort finding and creating data that would support her decision. She highlighted virtually any piece of information that…
Is Your Practice Ready To Be Better?
Will your practice be different this year than it was last year? Different this quarter than it was last quarter? People focus on the pace of change, but often the problem is actually driving change that lasts. If you want…
Future Thinking Can Change the Game
There is a scenario that happens fairly often in my work with veterinary practice owners and managers. I ask them to tell me about the past, where their practice has been, what has happened recently, and what their current challenges…