What Professionals Do

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...which describes the essential ingredients to what serves as not only differentiators in your workforce, but the "difference makers". I believe the few people that get the lion's share of work done exhibit these behaviors. Being a professional involves a code of conduct. While consultants (Blood Type of a Consultant) and contractors (Blood Type of a Contractor) are defined in the referenced posts terms of what it means to carry their associated profession's badge, Seth does a good job of providing attributes of "being professional"

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Soft Statements vs Hard Reality

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If your company is like most, your mission statement and set of corporate approved values portray your company as being very compassionate. The picture painted is that people who work at your organization are more like family members than employees. The family will take care of itself and protect itself from all those not part of the family. While these words sound very "Mafia-esque" the messaging demonstrates that your organization is a great place to work.

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Blindspots

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...Every so often reality hits. An outside entity steps in to hold a mirror up to ourselves that provides a stiff body check to our egos. Sometime this is in the form of a player who has not been part of our league and provides a benchmark to compare to. Sometime, and this is the ego crushing part, it is in the form of a videotaping performed by a local tavern to entice vulnerable old men to watch their game while sharing a refreshment or two.

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What Do We Look For in Our Leaders?

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Given that leadership is something that virtually all people look for, what does leadership mean, and is it different for each person? Is it as simple as understanding that people will follow a person who will make some aspect of their life better, or is there more to it? Do people look for some of themselves in their leaders or do they want something different? Do people look to their leaders to inspire them? Do people look for different things in their leaders in good times and bad?

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Delivering Bad News

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In a corporate setting there are many occasions when bad news must be shared. How management performs this critical function will go a long way in how they are perceived by those around them. We are currently experiencing a severe economic downturn. Bad news is everywhere. Companies missing targets. Sales people missing their bogey. Orders cancelled. Companies laying off staff. There is plenty of bad news to around, and pretty much everyone has felt at least a little of it.

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