CHOW #314: Tips for speaking up in the presence of senior management
A manager, who has recently been promoted to that role, had difficulty speaking up in the presence of senior management. She confessed to her mentor that she tended to escape into active listening mode instead of speaking up. She pointed three kinds of interaction opportunities with senior management: She sought practical tips from her mentor […]
Speaking ‘Up’
Introduction Many managers and emerging leaders have trouble with speaking up – may be expressing their opinion in a peer forum, speaking in the presence of senior leaders within the organization, expressing their views with customer leaders, etc. They then worry about lack of visibility. This problem reminds me of the story of the beautiful […]
Speak Up
Vishu is a mid-level Manager in a large multi-national company in India. He is one of the 20 participants in the current cohort for Leadership Development & Coaching, where we do several Workshops spread over a few months, interspersed with one-on-one (1:1) Coaching. During the first workshop I noticed that Vishu was very quiet, not […]
Why Intrinsic Motivation is so crucial for an effective leader in an organizational context
When you talk about how effective you are as a leader or how leadership is measured, the almost immediate answer from most experts is that leadership is measured by followership. When a leader’s followership is high – as with the greatest international leaders during the last century such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King or […]
Leading Teams: Balancing 1:1 Meetings and Daily Interaction for success
Quite a few leaders, who have individual contributors reporting to them, tend to think that they are well connected with their team members. The daily interactions the leaders have with their team members creates this impression. Often there are surprises for the leaders, when they get down to performance reviews with their team members. This […]
Principles and Practice
Three decades ago, inspired by Lego™️, we founded a software company with a strong business case for developing integrable application components for custom software applications. We had a solid technology foundation and a clear vision. Over time, we navigated various hurdles, capitalized on tactical opportunities, and maintained our focus on core technology, finding challenging work […]
Dealing with Fear@Work
In our Full Stack Leadership program and Leadership Coaching engagements, one of the common challenges we come across is about dealing with Fear. People are afraid to bring this up initially. But as we establish trust and confidentiality, being external to the organization, people open up on their vulnerabilities and personal-professional issues, beyond just the […]
CHOW # 309: Taking responsibility for one’s feelings
In Nonviolent Communication, Dr Rosenberg recommends that “We take responsibility for our feelings, rather than blame other people, by acknowledging our own needs, desires, expectations, values, or thoughts”. In the following sentences, select the sentences where the speaker is acknowledging responsibility for his or her feelings: (Yes or No) <scroll down for solution> Suggested Solution:
Language that shapes compassionate communication
Introduction Have you ever wondered at times why you said what you said? It happened to me a couple of days back: I said something cheeky to my mother during a normal conversation in the evening and her facial reaction revealed ‘mild hurt’, but she quickly recovered and moved on! ‘Mild’ is my interpretation. I […]
Navigating Career Paths as a Scrum Master
In recent times, I’ve received numerous inquiries from Scrum Masters about potential career paths. This concern is highly relevant given the current uncertainties surrounding agile roles, with some companies even reducing the number of dedicated agile positions. Many organizations are now prioritizing roles that contribute directly to product development or business operations, moving away from […]
