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Holistic Junction's Featured School of the Week: Louisville School of Massage
This week, Holistic Junction is proud to present Louisville School of Massage. Situated in historically-rich Louisville, Kentucky, Louisville School of Massage is approved by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. (NCBTMB) ...
Photography Schools May Be Unnecessary
What I learned from a mentor that enabled me to go from an amateur photographer to a professional portrait photographer in very specific steps is something I like to pass on. Rather than spending countless hours in classes learning every possible detail ...
Voom Factor
“He has something called a voom. Voom is so hard to get, You never saw anything Like it, I bet." Dr. Seuss When Dr. Seuss wrote these quotes in his fantastic children’s books he probably did not know how germane and relevant his quotes would be to the ...
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Question: I own and run a company, but my leadership skills are sometimes lacking. My Senior Team refers to me as “Mr. Softy,” because I fail to discipline those who breach company policies. I am having particular difficulty with my VP of Sales. While he does bring in new accounts, he consistently enters them incorrectly and causes all sorts of problems for production staff. My team keeps telling me to “let him have it,” but I am not sure what to say. How do I make him accountable without simply firing or threatening to fire him?
Answer: Congratulations! You are already demonstrating great leadership wisdom by seeking solutions aside from threatening job loss. The accountability you want would never develop from firing or threatening to fire, anyway. Exceptional leaders build accountability and empower their employees by asking them questions. My philosophy of leadership is “ask, don’t tell.” Although you have identified the VP of Sales as causing the current problems, make sure you have all the facts. This could be a great opportunity for you to build accountability – not just in this employee, but in all your employees.
I suggest holding a company-wide meeting, focused on the big picture of how sales orders are processed. Use the situation with the VP of Sales as an example, and ask, “Is this order representative of how this company functions?” Either everyone will agree, or an interesting discussion will ensue between the disagreeing parties. Sometimes, your role as a leader is to stay out of the middle and simply facilitate. The managers of your various departments likely understand the facts better than you do, and it is perfectly ok to admit this. Enter the meeting with an open mind. Even if your employees begin by arguing and finger-pointing, they will eventually work through to the facts. You may need to pepper the
conversation with questions, but try not to give answers.
Once the group has pinpointed the actual problem and the individual(s) involved, begin discussing solutions. Ask simply, “How would you like to solve this?” Even if you have solutions in mind, great leadership requires you to trust others to develop their own answers. Given this is the first time you have undergone this process, I suggest you stay in the meeting. Continue to only ask questions, and if asked your opinion, refrain from giving it. Remind your managers that you trust them to run their departments and make money for your company, so surely you trust them to solve issues, such as this one. Initially, this entire process may be extremely time-consuming and frustrating for everyone involved. Be confident that you are moving in the right direction! Your employees will soon become more energized as they feel empowered, and the time will prove well worthwhile. By the end of this process, you too will find your power and realize you built accountability by merely asking questions. Remember: Ask, don’t tell.
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New York Times (blog) |
Living in the Material WorldNew York Times (blog)The entire history of philosophy, in fact, was portrayed in Soviet historiography as a series of matches between the materialist home-team and its “idealist” opponents, beginning roughly with Democritus (good) and Plato (bad), and culminating in the ...and more » |
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CUMMINS: How to develop a philosophy of lifeEvening News and TribuneFortunately, we've had dreamers and philosophers to think for us. In “A Brief History of Thought,” Luc Ferry presents an overview of deep thought tracing it back to the Greeks and other philosophers such as Nietzsche, Rousseau and Kant. |
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Philosophy: An unexamined scienceDrury MirrorAt first glance, philosophy doesn't seem to be a "marketable" major. Questions such as, "What can I do with that degree?" or "How will I make money?" are quite understandable, but if you probe more deeply into a philosophical education, you will find ...and more » |
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Does Confucianism have a place in modern Korea?The Korea HeraldIt is also one of the most important and significant rational ways of learning to be human among all Axial-Age Civilizations, namely Greek philosophy, Judaism -- by implication Christianity and Islam -- Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism.and more » |
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