Red Flag Alert
LEADER’S FIELD GUIDE
Red flags forewarn of prickly leaders focused on short-term advantage, single-factor decisions, and self-preservation causing eroding support.
Just like sea urchins, people can seem warm and fuzzy, until you get too close. Let me explain… Beachgoers are familiar with the meaning of Beach Warning Flags. Green flags mean conditions are calm and it is safe to swim. Yellow flags signal caution, and a red flag implies high hazard. If you see two red...
Who Has Time for Patience?
LEADER'S FIELD GUIDE
Goals are attained one "lick" at a time. One failure, one victory at a time! Let's persevere through the "not knowing", enjoying the "now", and focus.
As a kid, my young peers and I proudly accepted the challenge set forth by Tootsie Roll, Inc: “How many licks does it take to reach the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?” I could get to fifteen or twenty licks before I’d start crunching my way through the yummy cherry-flavored candy to get to the soft...
Livin’ for the Weekend
LEADER'S FIELD GUIDE
In 1975, The O'Jays sang about "Livin' for the Weekend" Sound familiar? Ironically, there IS a better way. Taking breaks allow for more productivity!
Is it you? Are you the one with hunched shoulders and drooped head? The one who mopes around every weekday until Friday around noon? Then, after confirming a clean getaway, and with more enthusiasm displayed all week, you stuff papers into a dogeared folder, jam your laptop into its bag, collect the four thermoses you...
Landscape of Office Politics
LEADER'S FIELD GUIDE
As an observer of vicious politics, I may need to be peeled off the ceiling. But, remember, office politics (born of scarcity) can be used for good!
First, let’s start with the premise that not all office politics are bad… Ok, if you are like me, you gonna want an explanation! In his Harvard Business Review article titled, The 4 Types of Organizational Politics, Michael Jarrett suggests that office politics, “when deployed effectively, can help...
2020Q2 REVIEW: Change
LEADER'S FIELD GUIDE
Let’s reflect on the Leader’s Field Guides from 2020Q2. As you focus on "change", what habits would help you develop more acceptance and adaptability?
It’s time for a review! Reflect on 2020Q2 and consider what you’ve incorporated into your leadership and what needs more attention. Think about how each topic challenges you to reflect on the change you, your teams, and your family members are experiencing. How can you enhance your...
Using a Different “Yes”
LEADER'S FIELD GUIDE
Ever feel a twinge in your gut in response to a request? Maybe it's time for a different "Yes"! Find out what "Nice Girls Don’t Get…" author suggests.
The customer is always right, right? Well, “Yes, and…” We’ve all been pressed at the last minute to move up a deadline or expand the scope of an effort, usually without additional payment or time. We want to be accommodating and perceived as cooperative, but that can come at...
Taskage™: Addressing the Difficult
LEADER'S FIELD GUIDE
When a project drags on, it may be too complex! What should leaders reassess, renegotiate, and reestablish to bring difficult efforts to a close?
Are you afraid you might be looking at the same mission critical projects next quarter? Trying to figure out why you or your team can’t get essential efforts accomplished? I wondered too, and coined the term Taskage™ to describe the negative associations professionals have with significant unfinished...
Pick Your Triangle
LEADER'S FIELD GUIDE
We play roles on a stage called "Workplace". What's your starring role? Are you enabling? Empowering? Pick a Triangle and start practicing your lines!
I love a good science-fiction movie! I would choose that or a thrilling mystery over a drama. And though we may not agree on the best film genre, we probably could agree that mystery and drama belong on the Silver Screen rather than in the workplace. I’m sure you’ve either observed or been caught up in the...
The Longest Day, Ever!
LEADER'S FIELD GUIDE
Quarantined families experience the longest Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work Day-- EVER, as sharing the workplace experience takes on new meaning.
In the US, the fourth Thursday of April marks Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work (TODASTW) Day. On this day, children of all ages are escorted by a parent or mentor for the purpose of sharing the workplace experience. Marie C. Wilson, Gloria Steinem, and Carolyn McKecuen, who created the concept in 1992, were...
Leading Teams Under Pressure
LEADER'S FIELD GUIDE
When stressed, it's tempting to change processes, lean on 'favorites', and focus on good news; instead, teams need preparation, experts, and reality.
Some people thrive under pressure and others thrive by avoiding pressure! Let’s face it, being under pressure rarely bring out our best, but practice, partnership, and planning improves our ability to lead teams through challenging experiences– expected and unexpected. For example, every three years, the...
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AUTHOR & COACH
Michelle Sugerman
Michelle Sugerman (PMP, PCC) is an author and leadership coach with Leading Synergies. She created Synergy Groups and TEAM Tenacity-- powerful online groups for Christian leaders seeking Community, Accountability, Transformation, and Leadership.
Michelle also partners with high-performers and heirs-apparent, especially in the STEM industries. Her formal background in technology, franchise, and project management gives her clients an edge for implementing best practices and scaling towards sustainable success.
Michelle lives in Colorado where she hikes fourteeners and enjoys gourmet meals with her loving husband and college sweetheart.
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