Category Blogs

Performance Feedback Empowers Doers

Doers expect their leaders to form teams and to act in a team-like fashion. If they do not see teamwork modeled from above, there is no inspiration for them to make the necessary compromises to work with their peers cooperatively. Organizations without teamwork at the upper levels develop a reputation for dissent, not cooperation. Doers […]

Doers Strive To Do Better

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 Doers through life: the potential of being better. The four stages of the Mastery Learning Sequence outlined below provide […]

Responsibility Charting Encourages Doers

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 pass 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 […]

Communicating Intent Is A Doer Trait

Doers prefer to tell the truth and expect others to be honest with them in return. More importantly, Doers expect coworkers to communicate bad news graciously and to offer criticism objectively. Timeliness is also a key factor. Waiting for the right moment, or putting it off until the recipient is in a good mood, just […]

Doers Look Beyond The Quick Fix

Personality clashes, unmet expectations and resistive coworkers are among the primary causes of behavioral-based conflict in the workplace. Without an effective resolution process, no work unit can continue to function effectively. When evaluating the need for a conflict management program, be aware that unresolved conflict is directly related to job satisfaction – as job satisfaction […]

Doers Expect A Future-Focused Strategy

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. Doers expect a future-focused strategy to have a marked beginning and a measurable ending and when these factors are not present; they eventually lose […]

Doers Derive Purpose From Metaphors

The value of a metaphor is that it provides a purposeful way for Doers 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 Doers, getting the story straight does not matter. What does matter […]

How Leadership Development Fosters Discontent

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

This Is What Doers Do

Doers are those disruptive game-changers in every organization who are simultaneously envied by coworkers and feared by competitors. They provide the initiative for new ideas and the energy that drives productivity. Result oriented, they work diligently and attract the attention of their superiors, subordinates, and co-workers alike with their awesome outcomes. These under-appreciated producers occupy […]

Empowering Doers Restores Functionality

Much of what is wrong in most companies stems from the way programs and projects are communicated. The announcement of a well-intended idea, solution or proposal is more likely to incite protest than it is to garner support. Most of the negative reactions are the result of too few people getting a chance to “see” […]