“Most coaches study the films when they lose. I study them when we win—to see if I can figure out what I did right.”
—Paul “Bear” Bryant, University of Alabama Head Football Coach
Recent Posts
The Power of Positive Gossip: Building a Culture Defined by Successes
By Ken Wagner, Ph.D. posted in Leadership, Culture
Stop Feeling Like a Pinball: Four Foundations of Effective Performance Coaching That Take Just a Few Minutes a Day
By Ken Wagner, Ph.D. posted in Leadership, Communicating with Teams, Coaching
A new year brings the opportunity to apply learnings from the previous year and plan for areas where you want to improve. One thing I’ve seen over my years of coaching are leaders who go through their days bouncing from place-to-place and task-to-task, at the end of the day, feel as though they’ve not accomplished any of the work they planned.
Eight Steps For Maximizing Your Relationship With Your Manager
By Ken Wagner, Ph.D. posted in Behavior
Coauthored by: Ken Wagner, Ph.D. and Amy Durgin, Ph.D.
Leaders have long been encouraged to empower and engage the people around them. But usually it’s talked about as a one-way approach – the leader as the provider and the employee as the recipient. What if there was a reciprocal strategy on the part of the employee to further capitalize on the empowering approach the leader provides? In other words, what’s the analogous work-smarter-not-harder response for the employee in this situation?
Twelve Leadership Practices to Help Others Excel
By Ken Wagner, Ph.D. posted in Leadership, Operational Excellence
Leadership is all about helping others to excel. As a leader, how do you achieve that?
Looking Back Provides Understanding for Moving Forward
By Ken Wagner, Ph.D. posted in Leadership, Operational Excellence
In 1982, W. Edwards Deming published his 14 Points of Management and described what he called the System of Profound Knowledge. His ideas and writings continue to revolutionize manufacturing and organizational excellence by influencing innovators, thought leaders, and organizational teams throughout the world.
Trusting Your Remote Teams to Do the Right Things (Even When No One is Looking)
By Ken Wagner, Ph.D. posted in Leadership, Communicating with Teams, Working Remote, Leading Remote Teams, Managing Remotely
“How do I know my remote team is just as productive as when I was able to see them in the office?”
“How do I know they are doing the right things in the right way? Are there metrics I can use?”
“How can I be sure my remote employees are fully engaged, even though I’m not around?”
I’m hearing these questions a lot as remote work has become the “new way of work.” As a leader, what can you do? Do you use keystroke counters and always-on cameras to see them—because you can’t fully trust them? Or, maybe you should “trust but verify?” Or, “trust and hope for the best?”
How to Achieve a High-Performing Culture
By Ken Wagner, Ph.D. posted in Behavior, Leadership, Operational Excellence, Team Culture, Culture, Strategy Execution, Organizational Transformation
Successful organizations have a few things in common. They strive to do great work, delight customers, and provide a positive return for employees and shareholders.
In this two-minute video, Ken Wagner, Ph.D., identifies the one foundational truth that must be present; a cultural set up to help people be successful in their mission.
The Secret to Successful Leadership - Q4 Leadership Model
By Ken Wagner, Ph.D. posted in Behavior, Leadership, Operational Excellence, Team Culture, Culture
Join Ken Wagner, Ph.D. as he highlights traits and actions prevalent in Q4 LeadershipSM. These are leaders who achieve results by bringing out the best in others.
In this two-minute video, Ken will identify traits of Q4 Leadership, which can in turn help you identify Q4 leaders within your organization.
Business Leaders’ Communication Planning is Critical During Crisis
By Ken Wagner, Ph.D. posted in Team Building, Team Culture, Culture, Communicating with Teams, Working Remote, Leading Remote Teams, Work from Home, Managing Remotely
When a crisis hits, many companies turn their attention outwards. Understandably, business leaders spend time crafting external messages and planning for ongoing communication to clients, partners, and other external stakeholders. Equally important, business leaders need to craft plans for nurturing and strengthening internal relationships through ongoing communications.
Leading Virtual Teams: Strengthening Your Relationships
By Ken Wagner, Ph.D. posted in Communicating with Teams, Working Remote, Leading Remote Teams, Work from Home, Managing Remotely
In these uncertain times, your team members will have deep-seated concerns about their health, their families, and job security. It is critical that you recognize the value they bring to the continuity of your operations and to your organization’s culture. How you relate to your team during this worldwide pandemic will have lasting consequences.
It is critical to maintain solid relationships that demonstrate trust and respect, inspire, show empathy, and create positive accountability. Your primary role as a leader in these times is to ensure that people continue to feel valued, heard, and connected.