http://www.covenantleadership.com Tools for Navigating Tomorrow's Opportunities Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:45:13 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Yes, I still believe in super heroes! In a quick straw poll of the members of my household on what superpower they would want if given the opportunity, I was quite surprised with the answers. I had two that wanted to fly, one that wanted to be invisible, one that ... http://www.covenantleadership.com/superpowers-activate/ I love a good mystery, don't you? Some of my favorite Sunday afternoons as a kid were spent watching Sherlock Holmes or Charlie Chan use their super sleuth skills to solve the most complex of crimes and, ultimately, save the world from complete annihilation. However great contemplating classic capers have ... http://www.covenantleadership.com/building-team-trust/ When I first joined the Navy I, like every young Sailor, went through the required training to learn how to fight and prevent fires. Twenty years later, I still remember that you need 3 elements to create a fire - oxygen, heat, and fuel. Take one of them away and ... http://www.covenantleadership.com/light-a-fire-of-motivation/ We as leaders can't make our people happy. Happiness is a personal choice. What we can do is manage the mood - the "how people feel" about their work, their contribution, and the organization. As a young division officer, I inherited a department that had low morale, low productivity, and ... http://www.covenantleadership.com/care-is-the-key/ What are your expectations of situations and people? When faced with new or difficult circumstances, how are your thoughts? Positive? Negative? Indifferent? I go into most situations with the predisposition that everything is going to work out the way that I want. I think it has something to do with ... http://www.covenantleadership.com/expect-it/ Growing up, my ol' man had a nickname for everyone. I don't know if it was because he couldn't remember anyone's name or because he thought it was funny. Whatever the reason, if you knew him (and he liked you) you got assigned a name. At his work there was ... http://www.covenantleadership.com/whats-in-a-name/ Money is great! It makes the world go around. It motivates some to perform better for a while (in it's pursuit) but that "superior" performance is usually short lived. In the same respect, threats, barking orders and intimidation have never moved any team that I was on to surpassing goals ... http://www.covenantleadership.com/4-no-fail-motivation-strategies/ The stench of sweat, mothballs and fear permeated the room as the timer went off and the instructor said, "Go!" It was our final locker inspection for my graduation from boot camp and we all needed to pass in order to move on to the next "adventure." 80 sweaty, stinky, ... http://www.covenantleadership.com/empowerment-and-underwear/ Relationships parallel houses in the way they are built. Daily, we add (or detract) from the foundation of our relationships - at work and at home. Daily, we lay bricks, reinforce walls, put up barriers, and cover open spaces. How much reflection and planning are you investing into the building ... http://www.covenantleadership.com/the-cement-of-good-relationships/ Each team member impacts the culture of an organization (positively or negatively) because emotions pass from person to person. Fifteen years ago, I was working for a particularly mean-spirited manager. He would spend his days yelling, stomping and publicly chastising me (and I was a work horse!). Although he looked ... http://www.covenantleadership.com/make-a-positive-impact/