Will Salyards
Leadership Coaching and Mentoring
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Will Salyards, PhD Blog

Life, Career, Leadership

Innovative Teams

Of the three leadership elements within the Occupy Movement, distributed leadership, non-hierarchical leadership, and teams, its use of teams certainly contributed to its rapid expansion. Interestingly, writing this some time after that first review has allowed a longer look at the initial spread of the movement and how these same elements could be at use in our organizations.

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Non-Hierarchical Leadership

The Occupy Movement’s rapid growth could be thought of as having “tapped” a political narrative in American society. In this light they grew because everyone who shared a similar ideology joined in the cause. While this could be the reason for their expansion the failure to achieve widespread acceptance, even to having many city governments restrict their ability, argues that the key to their growth wasn’t ideology but something else.

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Distributed Leadership

Depending on your perspective it may strike you as either hubris or praise to say that your church or organization should be like the Occupy Movement. Well, you’re not alone. I felt that way too. That is, until I researched their leadership structure and discovered three key practices that are good medicine for any organization.

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Understanding Criticism

Generally, we receive criticism for three reasons: We deserve it, the critic is compensating, or the critic is making a political statement. These aren’t meant to be comprehensive but they do cover a large motive base. If you’re healthy emotionally the issue isn’t being criticized when you deserve it but whether your critic is compensating for mal-adjustments in their personality or using you as their political lightening rod. Here are seven salient facts about criticism that leaders must know.

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Finding Your Best Managers

If you supervise or manage people then you’ve probably encountered the “Star Effect.” The Star Effect occurs when we promote people to greater responsibility based in talent alone. All it takes is for someone to do very well then the thinking goes, “He is our star salesperson, I know he will be a great sales manager.” The results can make for interesting coffee breaks but not so interesting reviews. Is there a better way to find your next manager?

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A Key Criteria for Growth

Recently I listened as an accomplished woman bemoaned her lack of decision. As we talked she asked, “Why didn’t I pull the trigger?” “Why do others make decisions that I won’t?” Her words weren’t a complaint but a genuine curiosity at why, even when knowing that an outcome could be positive, she wouldn’t commit. We discovered that she was at a limit-situation. Ever been at one?

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