It is staggering how many times we come across leaders who are avoiding performance issues on their teams.  They know someone isn’t cutting it, and yet they avoid having the crucial conversations.  They allow the sub-standard performance to continue under the guise of giving the person another (and another, and another) chance.

There comes a time when you know that there is a talent mismatch; that you’ve put a person in a role that does not play to their strengths, or that they simply cannot meet expectations.  This person is a liability to you and the organization, and you are doing them (and their colleagues) a disservice by refusing to address it head-on.  Everybody has their sweet spot: areas where they excel.  If someone is not excelling on your team, you need to help them move to a place where they can shine.

As a leader, surrounding yourself with top talent is job #1.  It is the crucial factor in accomplishing key organizational objectives and enabling you to enjoy greater work-life balance.  When you have mediocre talent on your team, you will have to work harder and longer (often shifting into micromanagement) to get the job done right. You will second-guess the output of the team, and often find yourself settling for okay when you know you could have great.

What are you waiting for?  Today, resolve to take action on that nagging performance issue that you know needs to be addressed.  You and your organization will be better for it.

Listening is one of the most essential practices of successful leaders.  In fact, it underpins all healthy relationships.  Messages, both direct and subtle, are coming at us all the time.  The question is whether we are paying close enough attention to truly hear them.  As a leader, a lack of active listening can have major impacts:  you can become disconnected from your customers and your employees, you can miss an idea for your next great innovation, lose touch with the political landscape of your organization, and the list goes on.

In an environment of “continuous partial attention” where multi-tasking is the norm, it’s hard to stay present when we are interacting with others.  How many times have we had a conversation and come away wondering if the person heard a word we said?  We feel deflated, minimized, even disrespected.  On the flip side, when we feel like we have truly been heard, we feel valued and energized.

To become a better listener, shift from passive to active engagement in your interactions.  Turn your phone face-down and turn away from your computer screen.  Make eye contact.  Take notes while the other person is talking.  Stop and summarize what you are hearing along the way.  Ask follow-up questions. At the end of the conversation, recap what you heard, and any next steps that will be taken.

Today, try these techniques with a colleague, friend or family member.  It’ll become one of your most helpful habits!

We all know how helpful technology is to our day-to-day life.  We are able to shoot out texts, instagrams, tweets and e-mails in mere seconds; have quick exchanges with colleagues and loved ones, then move on to the next thing.  When we are without our mobile devices, we feel like we have lost a limb.  Our lifeline is gone.

As much as technology can keep us connected 24/7, it can also disconnect and isolate us in significant and damaging ways.  Leaders often think that a quick text exchange is sufficient communication to manage their employees, some eliminating their regular face-to-face meetings or concalls in lieu of electronic media.  Others believe they can engage in critical interactions such as performance reviews via e-mail. 

The speed and ease of use of electronic media can seduce you into thinking it is an adequate (or even preferable) substitute for real, authentic communication.  Remember that vast majority of communication is nonverbal.  You can lose a lot of meaning, and misread your relationships, if you rely solely on brief texts and e-mails.

Further, there is increasing evidence that those who use electronic media as their predominant form of communication are less comfortable and skilled at having actual conversations.  As a leader and mentor of others (and for us parents!), remember that part of developing your people includes ensuring that they are proficient in all forms of interpersonal communication!  

Life – especially organizational life -- is filled with compromise and negotiation.  It is often the bedrock of successful collaboration.  You have to give up certain things in order to keep moving forward.

That said, when it comes to matters of principle and your personal values, please don’t settle!  When you start to compromise your values – your moral compass – you begin to disengage from your work.  Little by little, your passion, fulfillment and loyalty will wane.  Clients describe it as “dying inside.”

Have the courage to stand up for your convictions.  It’s not always easy, but it’s the ultimate test of your integrity and strength of character. Indeed, this is one of the most critical aspects of effective, authentic leadership.  See if you can come up with other solutions or approaches that help you get the job done while staying true to your convictions. There’s always another option if you dig deep enough.

If you find that you regularly face the dilemma of compromising your personal values in order to get your job done, it’s time to take a hard look at your situation and decide if it’s good for you long-term.  Is it time to make a new choice?

It’s widely understood that when raising children, positive reinforcement is an effective way to shape behavior.  It helps them understand what success looks like and experience the positive feelings of being recognized and appreciated.

This strategy is not just applicable to kids.  It is effective with all relationships, personal and professional.

We tend to get vocal when things aren’t going as well as we’d like.  We prepare for those tough conversations and highlight the weaknesses.  However, we usually don’t spend as much time and energy celebrating the good stuff – the behaviors and results that we want to see more of.  This is a missed opportunity to leverage the positives that are already happening; to recognize those around us for doing well and doing good.  By celebrating the positives, we not only encourage more of what we want to see, but also strengthen relationships.

“Celebrating” doesn’t have to be elaborate, time consuming or expensive. It can range from a quick private conversation to public recognition in a larger group setting. It can involve a reward of some sort, or a simple expression of gratitude.

Today, make a list of at least 5 things that people are doing that you want to see more of, and find a way to celebrate them!