Leadership Lessons & Industry Insights
Scrap the gift cards; just say, “Thank you.”
A long held, but incorrect, view is that all people are always motivated by money. We see this put into practice by ‘rewarding’ employees with small bonuses, t-shirts, meals, and the ever popular—gift cards. Many years ago, we heard a fast-rising leader mention that...
Forget About Getting to YES; Let’s Learn to Say NO.
William Ury is the famous author of the best-selling book on negotiation, Getting to Yes. An authority on the skills and process of negotiation, he was a pivotal leader in the groundbreaking Harvard Negotiation Project. The penultimate message in his book is that it’s...
Clear and Concise Communication – Is That Enough?
One of the hallmarks of nuclear operations is the mandate to exercise clear and concise communication. It is a refrain heard over and over. At ELP, we challenge this orthodoxy. Clear and concise communication is not enough—never enough—and could be dangerous if left at...
Monthly Leadership Activity – An Art Walk!
Each month, ELP offers a discrete and actionable leadership tool that can be deployed in 30 minutes or less. These activities are out-of-the box/dynamic learning activities (DLAs) that require some leadership swagger and boldness. This month, we offer the Art Walk. Two...
Punishment is NOT Learning – Accountability and Learning as ONE
Coach K recently visited West Point with Team USA. A West Point graduate and basketball player under legendary Bobby Knight, Coach K is famous for many things—one of which is his leadership approach to mistakes and sub-par performance. Another academy graduate, this time...
Balancing Positivity and Negativity – Why Both Matter
Optimism and positivity are the threads that make the fabric of the United States. While some countries may be happier, we are hard pressed to find a more optimistic nation than the U.S. The evidence for such optimism is all around us. Self-help books at Barnes & Noble...