I have to admit that I wasn't a very effective manager when I was much younger.   I was more interested in the power or title of the position, and the control it provided me over others -- than in managing people to reach their full potential. At some point, though, I "flipped the switch" to became a more effective manager.  It happened when I was in my late 30s, after participating in a seminar on "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" and after becoming a father to two sons. No matter the

While sailing on Smith Mountain Lake this weekend, my wife and I encountered a few gusts that sent our 30-foot Catalina sailboat heeling over, nearly putting our ports (windows) in the water. My wife was a little frightened, as she is not yet accustomed to sailing with the "rails in the water."  Having sailed for many years now, I know that the boat won't merely tip over.  I know that as the boat heels, the sails become less efficient.  To ease her concern though, I simply steered the boat to

My father, who worked in the Laborer's Union, told me a story that has stuck with me my entire life. My dad was working on a hospital project and had a boss that would definitely be considered a "micro manager." My father said that he would be working and this much younger boss would come up to him several times each day and ask him a series of questions: "What are you doing?" "Why are you doing this now?" "Why don't you do this first?" "What are you going to do next?"  "Why are you doing it

Over the past 35 years, I have had the opportunity to manage and lead, work or consult with at least two dozen organizations all over America. These organizations ranged from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses, state government agencies and even a national non-profit. Looking back at this experience, I realize that the most successful organizations I have been engaged with during my career exhibited similar attributes -- attributes that clearly were the driving force behind their