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Articles from Angie Thompson | Selfgrowth.com
- What Leaders Can Learn From Walt Disney - by Submitted on Dec 16, 2014 from Angie ThompsonOn December 15, 1966 Walt Disney died. His legacy and vision have lived on and expanded in amazing ways in the 48 years since his death. Walt has long been one of my business heroes – after all, look at what he created, and all done with the fabulous outcome of helping people smile, laugh and ...
Views: 863 - Seven Ways to Productively Learn From the Past - by Submitted on Dec 08, 2014 from Angie ThompsonNot everyone values history or the past in the same way. In the quotation books on my book shelves, for every quote that echoes “history is bunk” (from Henry Ford), I can find a “those who cannot learn from history are bound to repeat it” (from George Santayana). I don’t know if you liked U.S. ...
Views: 841 - 9 Reasons Organizations Don’t Train Their Leaders - by Submitted on Dec 01, 2014 from Angie ThompsonThere are hundreds of companies large and small that offer services to help leaders grow and get greater results, ours included. This means there is a large market of organizations that look for, secure and use these services to equip their leaders to become more effective. There are many more ...
Views: 866 - Five Ways Gratitude Will Change Your Life - by Submitted on Nov 24, 2014 from Angie Thompson"Thank you" Saying "thank you" is something most of us learn at a young age. It's also something we teach to our children . We all know that gratitude is important, which is why, in many parts of the world, we have a day called Thanksgiving to remind us to be thankful. It is unfortunate in ...
Views: 771 - What Leaders Can Learn From Homemade Bread? - by Submitted on Nov 17, 2014 from Angie ThompsonThis post is written to celebrate Homemade Bread Day, and while it may seem strange to connect homemade bread and leadership, please get past the quirkiness and follow along. I believe there are powerful points that follow, even if you aren’t (gasp!) a fan of homemade bread. As I made notes to ...
Views: 766 - Five Powers of Encouragement - by Submitted on Nov 03, 2014 from Angie ThompsonI spent most of last week coaching leaders on their skills, abilities and results through the use of 360 assessments. While the experience, scope and overall skill of these leaders varied widely, one of the lessons I received from this process was a reminder of and deepening appreciation for the ...
Views: 902 - Five Things That Matter More When Leading Other Leaders - by Submitted on Oct 27, 2014 from Angie ThompsonYou may be thinking “I don’t lead leaders; I don’t need to read this.” Even if you don’t (yet), there are three important reasons why you need to keep reading: • Some day you might lead leaders – and thinking about these ideas now is worth the minimal effort required. • You may want to share ...
Views: 922 - Six Reasons Why Boundaries Help Everyone Be More Successful - by Submitted on Oct 20, 2014 from Angie ThompsonThere are all sorts of boundaries in our lives. Boundaries define the playing field for most sports. Fences provide boundaries for homes and farms. Walls keep people in, or out. These are obvious and clear boundaries. There are others that while we know they exist, there isn’t a physical ...
Views: 861 - Making Metrics Matter - by Submitted on Oct 06, 2014 from Angie ThompsonWhen I talk to many leaders, the term “metrics” seems to cause one of two responses: a gleam in the eye of those leaders who love the numbers...or a blank stare from the rest who know that measures and metrics are important, but will say they “aren’t numbers people.” You are likely one of those ...
Views: 798 - How to Keep the Negative Attitudes of Others From Impacting You - by Submitted on Sep 29, 2014 from Angie ThompsonIt is a proven fact – the attitude of those around you is contagious. This fact is great, when the attitude we are infected with is a positive one, but that isn’t the purpose of this article. Since negative attitudes are just as contagious as positive ones, you’d like to guard yourself from ...
Views: 816 - What to Look For In Future Leaders - by Submitted on Sep 22, 2014 from Angie ThompsonIt is a fundamental quandary in any organization. Someday, the current leaders won’t be there and someone else will need to fill their shoes. It might not be soon, or it might be very urgent due to demographics, turnover or organizational growth. Whatever the reason, the question needs to be ...
Views: 905 - Seven Great Questions to Ask Others - by Submitted on Sep 15, 2014 from Angie ThompsonSeven Great Questions to Ask OthersJust this morning, in a coaching conversation, I asked a question that, as stated by the other person, was exactly what would help them past their obstacle. I’m gratified that I could help. The same question, without trust between the other person and me, ...
Views: 840 - Three Types of Forgiveness and Why They Matter to Us as Leaders - by Submitted on Sep 08, 2014 from Angie ThompsonForgiveness. We see it in public gestures like Nelson Mandela forgiving his captors after his long imprisonment or when President Ford pardoned President Nixon. And we often see the results when there is no forgiveness. Like in the news every day – from revenge violence to road rage to people ...
Views: 843 - The Keys to Successful Performance Conversations - by Submitted on Sep 02, 2014 from Angie ThompsonIt is likely you have had an experience like this in your past: You are 8 or 10 or 12 years old. You’ve done something wrong, whether you know it yet or not. You certainly know it after you have been told to “stay after class”, “go to the Principal’s office” or “wait until your Father gets ...
Views: 888 - How to Make Every Performance Review More Effective - by Submitted on Aug 25, 2014 from Angie ThompsonWhen you think about performance reviews, what do you think? Chances are, your first thoughts aren't positive, and the day of your performance review isn't a day you circle with positive anticipation. The fact is that . . . Most performance reviews . . . aren't very effective. Most ...
Views: 734 - What Every Leader Can Learn from the TSA - by Submitted on Aug 18, 2014 from Angie ThompsonThere is a phrase that TSA uses over the speakers at airports, in public service advertisements and on billboards like the one I recently saw in a baggage claim area. If you see something, say something. TSA is wisely using this catchy phrase for several reasons: • They want to reinforce the ...
Views: 743 - Seven Ways to Support and Grow Your Top Performers - by Submitted on Aug 11, 2014 from Angie ThompsonRecently I wrote about why as leaders and coaches we mess up when we focus all (or far too much) of our coaching time on lower performers. In that piece, I made the argument for spending at least 50% of your energy, focus and time on coaching and further developing your top or best ...
Views: 791 - Where the Best Coaches Focus Their Efforts - by Submitted on Aug 04, 2014 from Angie ThompsonWhere the Best Coaches Focus Their Efforts I have the good fortune of working with lots of leaders, and often have the chance to talk with, teach or consult with them on a variety of issues including their role as a coach. The vast majority of those I work with truly want to be more effective ...
Views: 849 - 10 Questions to Make You a Better Listener - by Submitted on Jul 28, 2014 from Angie ThompsonListening is a skill we’d all like to get better at – I can’t think of a time when I asked someone or a group if they wanted to be a better listener and someone said, “no”. It is a life skill that impacts our ability to communicate, build relationships and get things done. It helps us learn. ...
Views: 795(1 vote) - Your Success Depends on This Skill - by Submitted on Jul 21, 2014 from Angie ThompsonMy hope is that this headline makes you wonder. Perhaps you are guessing what the skill is. Perhaps you are thinking I am pretty presumptuous to suggest I know the most important skill you need, after all, I don’t know you, your experience or what you do for a living. This skill is so ...
Views: 754(1 vote) - Six Ways Leaders Can Help Others Measure Success - by Submitted on Jul 14, 2014 from Angie ThompsonGrowing up on a farm, one of earliest tools I learned how to use was a tape measure. There are several reasons for that - it is often used, using it won’t hurt you (think hammer, saw, or torch!), and my Dad carried a small one in his pocket. And as a boy, emulating Dad was always a good ...
Views: 816 - Why Leaders Must Consider Fun as Part of Their Job - by Submitted on Jul 10, 2014 from Angie ThompsonWork and fun. Maybe you haven’t ever thought about those two words in the same sentence. There are certainly people who don’t equate those two ideas together, or while they wish it could be true to have fun at work, they’ve never really experienced it. My premise is that work can be fun, at ...
Views: 732 - Five Ways Leaders Can Declare Their Independence - by Submitted on Jun 30, 2014 from Angie Thompson238 years ago this week, a group of men, a group of leaders, risked their lives and livelihoods to declare their (nonexistent) country’s independence from England. If you are from the United States, I wish you a Happy Independence Day! But actually I am wishing that all of you (regardless of ...
Views: 766 - Four Leadership Trust Busters - by Submitted on Jun 24, 2014 from Angie ThompsonTrust. Your ability to lead is severely hampered without it, and the more of it you have, the easier leadership becomes. Plus, with greater trust comes greater speed of implementation, clearer communication and much more. It is certainly something that leaders must spend time creating and ...
Views: 840 - Six Reasons Leaders Need to Stop! - by Submitted on Jun 16, 2014 from Angie ThompsonEvery leader I talk to has plenty to do. We live in an age of the full plate, the fast pace and the stuffed to-do list. While this may be a sign of our times, there is another sign that we see and observe every day; and we don’t really realize that this sign can do more than keep us safe and ...
Views: 786(2 votes) - How to Use Video to Become a (Much) Better Presenter - by Submitted on Jun 12, 2014 from Angie ThompsonIf you have ever been to a presentation skills workshop, you likely practiced with video. Whether you liked being video recorded or not, video can be a powerful tool for learning and improvement, if you use it correctly. Here, I want to give you some ideas for using that video for the maximum ...
Views: 825 - Maya Angelou’s Leadership Advice - by Submitted on Jun 12, 2014 from Angie ThompsonIt is three simple lines and the words I most connect to Maya Angelou. After I heard of her passing, they are the words I thought of . . . “If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain.” - Maya Angelou The advice is powerful and easy ...
Views: 882 - Five Birthday Gifts Leaders Should Give Themselves - by Submitted on Jun 12, 2014 from Angie Thompson“Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday you leader . . . Happy Birthday to me.” Today is my 52nd birthday – a year for every week in a calendar year. The other day I was thinking about how birthdays are different as an adult than as a kid. If you are like me, birthdays ...
Views: 759 - Gold Star Leadership - by Submitted on May 19, 2014 from Angie ThompsonPicture box of sticky-back stars. This takes me instantly back to my kidhood. The homework or test is handed back to me from the teacher with a grade, and if you did well and got really lucky, it might have one of these stars on it. The star – whether blue, green or gold, made my day. It told ...
Views: 894 - Five Lessons All Leaders Can Take From the NFL Draft - by Submitted on May 12, 2014 from Angie ThompsonUnless you live under a rock, live outside the United States or are a non-sports person, you know the National Football League held their draft of players last week. If you don’t know, this annual event allows teams to pick players based on a prescribed order that they have the right to hire for ...
Views: 802 - Take These Four Leadership Leaps - by Submitted on May 08, 2014 from Angie ThompsonIn 1919, Leslie Irvin became the first person to jump out of an airplane with a parachute. Think about that leap – once you jump, you are completely committed. You can’t turn back, you are heading downward towards your target. Today I want to encourage you to take some leadership leaps – and ...
Views: 765 - Six Commencement Challenges For Leaders Young and Old - by Submitted on May 08, 2014 from Angie ThompsonThe inspiration for this comes in celebration of my son Parker’s graduation from Ball State university this weekend. This is one of thousands of graduation exercises for high schools, colleges and universities that will take place across the country in the coming weeks. My focus is on six ...
Views: 673 - Ten Questions Leaders Should Ask Every Day - by Submitted on Apr 21, 2014 from Angie ThompsonQuestions are one of the most powerful tools we have at our hands as leaders. They can help us engage others, gather information, set the stage for coaching and feedback, and allow us the opportunity to listen rather than talk. The power of questions is undeniable. I am a big fan of collecting ...
Views: 838 - Workplace Culture Lessons From An Unlikely Place - by Submitted on Apr 15, 2014 from Angie ThompsonI was waiting for a workshop to begin this week in Kansas City, Missouri when I looked out the window at a tree that was just starting to bud. Except for the small branch right up against the window, which was far beyond budding – it was in full bloom. Picture it – a full tree just turning ...
Views: 718 - How to Rig The Market (The Market for Your Skills) - by Submitted on Apr 08, 2014 from Angie ThompsonYou may have seen the story on 60 Minutes, or seen the stories throughout the media all week. There has been a big conversation about the idea that the Stock Market is being “rigged” by high frequency trading. That is the thesis of the new book Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt by Michael Lewis. ...
Views: 748 - Gallup is Wrong, and You Should be Happy - by Submitted on Apr 01, 2014 from Angie ThompsonGallup is a very smart organization and they do many things well. They also provide great services to organizations and those that lead them, especially in understanding the problems, challenges and solutions to employee engagement. But their findings, in some recently reported research, could ...
Views: 776 - Why Leaders Can't Delegate Onboarding To HR - by Submitted on Mar 17, 2014 from Angie ThompsonOnboarding. It’s that very corporate sounding work for what used to be called New Employee Orientation. If you work in a large organization, your HR department likely has created a process for doing this – and while the depth and success of these efforts may vary widely, chances are your ...
Views: 726(1 vote) - The Leadership Question Prompted by Daylight Savings Time - by Submitted on Mar 10, 2014 from Angie ThompsonIf you live in most of the United States or Canada, you recently lost an hour of sleep. If you live in some other parts of the world, you’ve got a couple more weeks to hold on to that hour. I’m talking, of course about Daylight Savings Time. Some people love it (especially in the fall when they ...
Views: 752 - Five Keys to Delegation That Work - by Submitted on Mar 04, 2014 from Angie ThompsonDelegation is something that every leader has feelings about. Some feel they do it well. Some don’t even know where to start. Some have seen a good example of it. Some feel like every time someone has “delegated” to them, it felt like they’d just been dumped on. Some think it is something ...
Views: 849 - Six Limits Leaders Need to Challenge - by Submitted on Feb 24, 2014 from Angie ThompsonWe all have limits – the boundaries beyond which we just don’t go. After all, it wouldn’t be safe. It wouldn’t be prudent. It wouldn’t be easy. We set limits for safety purposes, for logical purposes and sometimes as excuses. Limits are a part of life. But as leaders, we must be in the ...
Views: 795(2 votes) - Five Ways to Have More Luck - by Submitted on Feb 19, 2014 from Angie ThompsonLuck. Some think it is some kind of magic. Some think there is no such thing. Some think only others have it. Most wish they had more of it. Years ago I heard the definition of luck as: Labor Under Correct Knowledge While I believe there is truth in that clever acrostic, ...
Views: 796 - Four Reasons Why Great Leaders Aren’t Firefighters - by Submitted on Feb 10, 2014 from Angie ThompsonThe role that firefighters play in our society is secure. The way that we honor their service is appropriate. I have close friends who are and have been firefighters, and so I personally hold them in high regard. Great firefighters are leaders of their teams in situations far beyond what most of ...
Views: 1002 - Stop, Listen and Lead. - by Submitted on Feb 05, 2014 from Angie ThompsonThere’s no controversy here: everyone knows that listening is important. In every training event I facilitate, conversation turns in one way or another to listening. We all realize it to be important because people are talking to us, and we need to understand the messages or information they ...
Views: 794 - What The Best Leaders Will Learn From Peyton Manning (But Most will Ignore) - by Submitted on Jan 27, 2014 from Angie ThompsonHe’s won one Super Bowl, so far. He’s been the NFL’s MVP 4 times, set numerous records, and more are likely in his future. He was recently named The Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated. And for the next few days will be among the most talked about and read about people in the ...
Views: 754 - Ten Hats All Leaders Wear - by Submitted on Jan 27, 2014 from Angie ThompsonAs a leader, all day long you are wearing a hat. Not the kind that people might laugh at or that might smoosh your hair, but a hat nonetheless. For the next few minutes I want you to think of the various roles you play as a leader and different hats that you wear. While there are likely more, ...
Views: 966 - Five Ways To Avoid Your Biggest Presentation Nightmare - by Submitted on Jan 13, 2014 from Angie ThompsonLots of people have visions of crashing and burning when giving a speech. The nightmares seem real, and yet while you may not like presenting and may have had some blunders, you’ve likely not had a presentation-nightmare-come-true like Michael Bay (Director of the Transformer movies, among many ...
Views: 754 - The Five Perspectives Leaders Must Have to Succeed in 2014 - by Submitted on Jan 07, 2014 from Angie ThompsonOne of the truths about leadership, not often talked about, is that when we become leaders we must begin to look at and see the world differently – at least if we want to be successful and effective. Following that idea, the obvious question is, what are the ways we need to look at the world ...
Views: 794 - Take This Oath to Communicate Change More Effectively - by Submitted on Dec 26, 2013 from Angie ThompsonPhysicians take the Hippocratic Oath before they can practice medicine. Lawyers take a professional oath after they pass the bar. And people elected to all sorts of positions take an oath of office. Considering how important the leader’s role is in communicating change effectively, and how ...
Views: 761(2 votes) - The Best Leaders Are Bold Leaders - by Submitted on Dec 26, 2013 from Angie ThompsonIf you make a list of leaders who have made a difference – whether the list is global and historical, or local and recent – you will find they all have one thing in common. Those leaders are bold. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines bold in part with these three definitions: not ...
Views: 799 - Four Words For Leaders to Remove From Their Vocabulary - by Submitted on Dec 26, 2013 from Angie ThompsonWe spend the early parts of our lives adding to our vocabulary. Teachers and parents want us to learn new words. And research shows that vocabulary is a good predictor of success. And yet I am asking you to take four words from your vocabulary? Yes I am. To be clear, it isn’t like you ...
Views: 755(2 votes)