If you ask someone at Alcoholics Anonymous how they are doing, they say, “I’m in recovery;” meaning they know they are not perfect, but they are working on it. That desire to improve is what moves us through life: the potential of being better. The four stages of the Mastery Learning Sequence outlined below provide […]

Leaders are running into a growing problem with followers, who will not accept ownership when a job is done poorly, but instead pile on the excuses and float the whole mess back up the chain of command. This phenomenon is called “upward delegation.” One example is when a follower pesters you with questions about how […]

The speed of innovation is accelerating and embracing the future is the way to stay competitive, but there is more to it than simply jumping from one short-term fix to another. Followers expect a future-focused strategy to have a marked beginning and a measurable ending and when these factors are not present; they eventually lose […]

One of the first things new employees encounter when they enter the workplace is an intensive effort by other employees to recruit them into a clique. Those who hold a negative view of the organization will pull the new people aside to warm them about whom they can trust and whom they should watch out […]

The value of a metaphor is that it provides a safe way for coworkers to discuss the undiscussable. Individuals do not have to accept the whole metaphor as truth. Each person can accept those parts that have meaning for her or him. For most people, getting the story straight does not matter. What does matter […]

Research shows that the primary reason a manager is likely to fail is not from a lack of skills and abilities, but rather from not being aware of or not having access to critical information that could negatively impact his or her decisions. Management needs to hear the voice of truth from those who are […]

When organizations send leaders to training with the intention of improving performance and productivity, they often neglect to raise consciousness among the followers. They fail to see that leaders will be picking up a new language expressed in words and concepts incomprehensible to anyone not included in the training program. Companies mistakenly assume that when […]

What is truly puzzling in this age of mass communication is the increasing number of people who are unable to make any connection between the results of their efforts and their company’s future. When their employer suffers from a sudden market shift and the profit picture starts to dim, these people not only disconnect from […]

Leaders get together frequently to exchange ideas and share information. They network for career opportunities, speculate on projects, and commiserate over troublesome employees. Why is it, then, followers are not afforded this same opportunity to gather with their counterparts? Employers seldom set aside the time and space for followers to compare notes and share their […]

Doers occupy positions at all levels from the boardroom to the break room. Although they typically do their thing without calling attention to themselves or to their achievements, Doers are easy to recognize once you know to look for these attributes: Each of the tendencies listed below has the potential for an undesirable consequence for […]