By Ken Chapman, Ph. D. Ken Chapman & Associates, Inc. As you have begun to discover throughout this process, the wellspring of personal motivation comes from within yourself. In the very strictest sense, no one can truly motivate another person. A leader can guide another individual toward self-motivation through creating working conditions which satisfy individual needs and wants while meeting organizational goals, but true motivation really comes from within the individual. James Cribbin wrote in his book, Effective Leadership: “To get people to do mediocre work, one needs only ‘drive’ people. To elicit top performance, one must get them to drive themselves . . .” At one time in the not too distant past, many leaders assumed that if they measured how much their reports produced and used this information as the primary document for leading their reports, they had adequately fulfilled their responsibility. Such information, however, measures the effects…

Industrialist Henry J. Kaiser said, “When your work speaks for itself, don’t interrupt.” Leaders knows when to speak up and when to keep their own counsel. If the work product doesn’t speak for itself, there’s little you can add which will make a difference. ─ Deb Miller─ Ken Chapman & Associates, Inc.

Or asked another way…   Sometimes the “correct story” as I see it is not how others see it. Given that some things are unknown or unknowable, how is my opinion of what the reality is any more valid than the opinions of others?   Let’s begin with what we all know: information is never perfect and rarely complete. You can always rely on that in business! If perfect information were possible, there would be little question or debate. And, as you know, if you wait for information to be complete, you will almost certainly miss the moment.   In the absence of perfection or complete information, judgement is required.    As a leader, using good judgement and telling yourself the correct story is one of your most critical responsibilities. But not everyone sees it the same way as you do, and due to the information “gaps,” it’s impossible to…

When faced with life’s disappointments, you have two choices. You can be bitter or you can get better. Leaders know time wasted thinking about what might have been is a losing game. Instead, they invest their energy in a better tomorrow. – Deb Miller

Leaders know courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is the judgment that something is more important than fear. ─ Ken Chapman ─ KC&A

Leaders know you teach your team what is acceptable by what you allow, what you stop, and what you reinforce. Action provides clarity! Ken Chapman, Ph.D. –Ken Chapman & Associates, Inc.–

Leaders understand that people matter. Even when a team member requires guidance or a reprimand, a leader remembers the team member’s value and treats him/her in a way that affirms that value. ─ Christy Beem ─ Ken Chapman & Associates, Inc.

In this episode of Brain Chatter, Derek reads The Speed of Trust, a chapter from the book The Leader's Code (2023 version) authored by Dr. Ken Chapman. The chapter defines the Speed of Trust, identifies why it is critical to high functioning teams and organizations, provides examples, and outlines strategies for developing and growing The Speed of Trust in an organization. Brain Chatter, a podcast where we listen past the daily noise and explore topics at the intersection of ...

Randy Sparkman delves into what an organizational leader needs to know about Artificial Intelligence (AI) right away. Randy is the author of LANGUAGE AI: A Guide for Humans. It is an "amplifier of opportunity," as Randy puts it and he makes the case for why a leader needs competence on this transformative topic in order to make wise strategy decisions. Randy also makes the case on why and how an organization must ensure their employees are allowed to reasonably experiment with AI. He ad...

Leaders know every minute of every day counts. A moment of inattention or less than their best effort can be the difference between success and a close second place. Outcomes count, but so does knowing you put forth your best effort. ─ Deb Miller ─ Ken Chapman & Associates, Inc.