Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak

Have you ever asked yourself where common sense comes from? Are we born with it? If we are born with it, how do we get it? Why do some people seem to have more of it than others? If something makes perfect sense to you, shouldn't it make perfect sense to everyone else? Common sense is defined as sound prudent judgement based on a simple perception of the situation or facts. Common sense suggests an average degree of ability without sophistication or special knowledge. A shout out to all supervisors, managers and business leaders - it's time to revisit common sense.

Attitude - your attitude is an organic state of readiness to respond characteristically to a stimulus, an object, a concept or a situation. Your attitude is 100 percent in your control. It's a choice you get to make 100 percent of the time. You can look at the bad things that will happen to you negatively, or as an opportunity to grow - a chance to learn the lesson it is trying to teach you and try again. This time, a little more informed. You have a choice. Everything in life is a choice. You get to decide if your cup is half-full or half-empty. Bad things happen to good people. That's a given. How you react is optional. Listen to my latest podcast and discover what you can do to help you decide if your cup is half-full or half-empty.

When I was first promoted to manager, I thought that being a good manager meant having all the answers. I thought it meant I had to be an expert at doing everything. Being a good manager meant that, since I would be held accountable for the results, I might as well make all the decisions. After all, isn't that what good managers and leaders do? Isn't that why I was promoted in the first place? Thank goodness it didn't take me too long to realize that that was the farthest thing from the truth. It didn't take me too long to realize that I was only as good as the people on my team. Listen to my latest podcast and discover the difference between being smart and being street smart. Successful managers and leaders know the difference between the two.

Making tough decisions carries risks, and inevitably, not everyone will agree with the decisions you have to make. Managing and leading others is not a popularity contest. Handling uncomfortable situations can be difficult, but if you have built a relationship based on trust and mutual respect with those you work with and interact with, chances are they will take a leap of faith knowing that you have their best interests in mind. They will understand that we can agree to disagree. Disagreements need not be adversarial. There is a more intelligent way to disagree. Listen to my latest podcast and discover ten things that you can do to disagree without being disagreeable.

If you look up the meaning of empathy in the dictionary, it means being aware of and sharing another person's feelings, experiences, and emotions. Empathy is the action of understanding. Why is trying to see things from another person's point of view considered taboo? When did empathy become a bad thing? Listening - really listening to someone is as essential to communication as speaking. You will never learn a thing if you keep talking. We are not wired to be good listeners, but we can learn how. Listen to my latest Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak Podcast and discover the three key listener skills you need to master to become a really great listener.

The world of work is constantly changing. What are you doing to help yourself and your management team to keep pace with those changes. Are the leadership skills that got you here the same skills that will get you and your management team to where you need to go to lead in these uncertain times? Listen to my latest Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak Podcast and discover the four key leadership skills that will distinguish you from a so-so leader to an exceptional one.

True leaders develop more leaders, not grow more followers. True leaders understand that their role is to bring people together with different skill sets, teach them what they need to know and do, and then get out of their way and let them do it. Are you leading or just managing? Listen to this Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak Podcast and discover the four skills that you need to master to become a true leader.

Henry Mintzberg, Cleghorn Professor of Management at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, and author of nearly two dozen books on management, first coined that phrase - 'Management is Leadership Practiced Well' in his groundbreaking book - 'Managers NOT MBAs - A Hard Look at the Soft Practice of Managing and Management Development.' When you get right down to it, whether you hold the title of manager or leader, the common denominator is people. Soft skills are essential skills. A manager or leader must excel at these three skills to manage or lead others. Listen to my podcast and find out.

This is not the time to rest on your laurels. The workplace is evolving, and you need to adapt to these changes. The way you managed and led others got you to where you are, but that approach may not take you and your team to where you need to go. It's becoming increasingly evident that soft skills—your ability to communicate and interact more effectively with others—are essential leadership skills. Next-level leadership is possible, but only if you focus on your people. Listen to my latest Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak Podcast to find out how.

Motivation is defined as the reason or reasons one has for acting and behaving in a certain way to achieve a specific result. Motivation is inside out - never outside in. Everyone is self-motivated. You can't make someone do something that they don't want to do unless you have something they want. If you know their WIIFM - What's In It For Me - and you have the authority to grant it, you can use that understanding to get them to do what you want. Offering the carrot while showing the stick always yields better results. Listen to my latest Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak Podcast to learn more about motivation.