Studies indicate that business leaders spend at least 25% of their time in business meetings. Unfortunately, most of those meetings are as exciting as the one below – Twenty-five years ago I discovered a way out of the “meeting-mess.” I read Dr. Edward de Bono’s book Six Thinking Hats, applied his insights, and experienced improvements in [...]
Author Archives: Chuck Dymer
Brilliant Leadership Is A Picnic!
The Brilliance Activator blog is all about teamwork, creativity and leadership. On Saturday, I had the chance to experience those rather than merely post about them. Sly James is the new mayor of Kansas City. Instead of holding an inaugural ball, he held an inaugural picnic for city workers and residents! Here’s what the mayor [...]
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A Team’s Past: is it burdensome baggage or a ticket to travel?
If you’re the new leader of a team “with a history” (or if you’ve been leading such a team since it formed), the question is: Is the team’s past “burdensome baggage” or a “ticket to travel”? My good friend and colleague John Schuster has just released a new book called The Power of Your Past: [...]
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Who leads the Leader?
Red Herring magazine ran an ad that stated: “Even leaders are led.” It’s a provocative statement. Who or what is leading us? The answer to this question is neither easy nor straightforward. What leads us may not be willed–for example, a person led by a kidnapper. Or what leads us may not be known–for example, [...]
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Trash Talk
Last week I wrote several posts about the importance of communication between leaders and their teams. If, as a leader, you want your communication to be effective, you need to use the appropriate time, place and medium. Communication doesn’t work if no one pays attention. I was reminded of this when I went to a [...]
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Leadership and Team Communication: There’s a Place for Us – Somewhere
In the play, West Side Story, Tony sings to Maria: There’s a place for us / Somewhere a place for us / Peace and quiet and open air / Wait for us / Somewhere Intimacy needs such a place. It’s difficult to form and sustain a meaningful relationship in a chaotic, noisy and closed environment. [...]
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Leadership and Team Communication: Small Medium Or Medium Large?
Which communication medium, or media, should a leader use when trying to turn a group into a creative team? The answer: whichever work(s). There is no ideal communication medium. People receive and understand messages through a variety of means. Some people need to be shown information. Some need to hear it. Some need to “feel” [...]
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Leadership and Team Communication: Do You Have a Minute?
Leaders who uncork the creativity of their teams know that communication is key (see Are You Paying Attention). And the communication that shapes and engages a team takes time, both in terms of duration and frequency. My work at Brilliance Activator deals with leaders who seek to build a shared vision with their teams through [...]
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Leaders and Team Communication: Pay Attention!
A team is more than a group of people. A team shares a common purpose that binds the group together. The primary tool for forming the group into a team is communication. Communication comes from the Latin word communicare–to share. It is the sharing, the communication, of a vision, mission and values that joins a group [...]
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How Leaders Lose Their Luster And 3 Ways To Get It Back
A few weeks ago I pulled a black coffee mug out of my dishwasher and noticed massive white streaks down the sides of the mug. Hard to miss. I then looked at the flatware, dishes and glasses and noticed that they had lost their luster. Although the white streaks on the mug immediately caught my [...]
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