Category Archives: Leadership

Charles “Red” Scott – RIP

Posted on April 12, 2013 by

If you are lucky, you will meet someone in your life that changes your life. I was lucky. In 1995, I found myself across a breakfast table from Charles “Red” Scott. We soon learned, like in the first five seconds, … Continue reading →

Posted in Control Systems, Leadership | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Identifying Talent

Posted on January 18, 2013 by

“How do you identify emerging managers in your organization? As you look around your team, what do you observe, what catches your eye?” I asked. Wendy spoke first, “I watch them in meetings. I look to see, when they speak, … Continue reading →

Posted in Hiring Talent, Leadership | Tagged ,

The Real Constraint

Posted on January 16, 2013 by

“I admit it. I am struggling. I feel like I am trying to ride two horses at the same time. My boss wants me to take on more responsibility, but I still have all this other work to do. He … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership, Organization Structure | Tagged , ,

Let Them Deal With It

Posted on January 15, 2013 by

“I am ready to throw up my hands. I have come up with eight ways to Sunday for our route technicians to do a better job on their service calls. I am ready to do a Flutie drop kick and … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Leadership | Tagged , ,

A Decision Based on Hope?

Posted on December 6, 2012 by

Sylvia was perplexed. Difficulty trusting her judgment. “I have this gut feeling that Porter would make a good supervisor. But, he is our best technician. If I promote him and it doesn’t work out, I might lose my best technician.” … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Hiring Talent, Leadership | Tagged , , , ,

The Value of a Question

Posted on November 30, 2012 by

“Bring value to the decision making and problem solving of my team. Easy to say, but how do you do that?” Jeanine protested. “Look, I don’t even work here. You call me in as a consultant, because you are having … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership | Tagged , , , ,

No Respect

Posted on November 29, 2012 by

“Tell me about that picture of the next step for you, as a manager.” I was talking to Jeanine. “I can’t. I can’t do it until I have the authority to do it.” She was struggling with her new position … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership, Teams | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Management is a Contact Sport

Posted on October 15, 2012 by

From the Ask Tom mailbag: Question: I have a manager who wants to work from home. Have you ever seen any statistics about productivity of people working from home? Does it work? Or is something lost? Response: The first two … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Leadership | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Working Leadership LIVE – Oct 22-Dec 3, 2012

Posted on September 25, 2012 by

Oct 22, 2012 kicks off our next Working Leadership Series in Fort Lauderdale Florida. This program contains twelve modules in six classroom sessions. The program instructor will be Tom Foster. Working Leadership Series – Registration link. Schedule (All sessions – … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership

How Does That Happen?

Posted on September 24, 2012 by

“So, what’s the solution?” Arnie was puzzled. “I pressed hard, we made our numbers. I lost seven good people in three months. Five technicians and two direct reports.” “Let’s start with that,” I said. “Start with what?” Arnie asked. “Direct … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Leadership | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments