RapidStart Leadership Podcast

If we hope to develop high-performing teams, increasing engagement is always at the top of our to-do list.  But sometimes in our efforts to lead, we can get in our own way, and hinder the very thing we are trying to encourage.  Two brief interactions that went very differently illustrate how this can happen, and what we can do if we are serious about increasing engagement on our teams.

Notes and Resources:

• Prefer to read?  Here’s...

 Most people know that a marathon is 26.2 miles long.  Successful runners also know that it’s a mistake to focus solely on that distance.  Smart leaders can benefit from similar thinking.  Whatever marathon we are running with our teams, to get to that distant goal, it’s not the finish line we should focus on, it’s the 18th mile.  Here’s why. 

Notes and Resources: 

• Prefer to read?  Here’s the full post:The 18th Mile: It’s Not the...

On a recent sub-zero day on a frozen lake in central Minnesota, I got a chance to witness great team leadership in action.  It was a crash course in what leading winning teams is all about.  Here’s what the experience was like, and five key lessons from the leaders themselves that we can all use in leading our own teams.

Notes and Resources:

• Prefer to read?  Here’s the full post:Leading Winning Teams: 5 Leadership Lessons from Mu...

When we’re trying to influence people to choose an option we favor, we can be tempted to only talk about the reasons why they should.  But according to something called the Blemishing Effect, it may actually be in our best interests to point out why they shouldn’t, too.  Here’s why.

Notes and Resources:

• Prefer to read?  Here’s the full postThe Blemishing Effect: Why Selling Perfection Can be Self-Defeating
• Dan Pink’s To Sell is Hu...

One of the many challenges we face as leaders is where to spend our time and energy.  Recently I came across an insightful analogy that can help us approach this problem.  It has to do with having a kind of leadership double-vision.

 Notes and Resources:

• Prefer to read?  Here’s the full pos tDo You Have Leadership Double-Vision? Should You?
• The Essential Wooden by John Wooden and Steve Jamison is a great read full of insightful, p...

How do we convince ourselves to do something we’d rather not?

It’s cold and raining outside, but I’m supposed to go for a training run today.  I really don’t want to.  To get myself out the door, here are the kinds of things that go through my head, and ways we can all think about approaching any difficult task that we’d really rather not do.

Notes and Resources:

• Prefer to read?  Here’s the full pos tRunning in the Rain: What to T...

As ever, with the approach of the New Year, there is talk of reflection.  Extracting the lessons-learned from the past year and using them as we look forward is a great path to continued growth.  But few are the people who will actually sit down and do it.  One reason may be that there is no owner’s manual to guide the process.  With that in mind, here are some ideas for how to go about reflecting on the year gone by so that the ye...

What do jet engines and work teams have in common?  If either generate too much heat, they will self-destruct.  Aeronautical engineers found a surprising way to adapt their engines so they could handle more heat and operate at higher capacities.  Today we’ll look at three ways to apply their approach to leadership, and boost our own team performance.

Notes and Resources:

• Prefer to read?  Here’s the full postBoosting Team Performa...

When telling people what we need done, how do we strike the balance between being overly prescriptive, and recklessly lax? How can we be sure what we want in the beginning will be what we get at the end?  A story I read recently involving a frozen lake, a pack of wolves, and a canoe full of beer can serve as a helpful guide in helping us master the art of delegation.

Notes and Resources:

• Prefer to read?  Here’s the full post Dele...

In times of high stress, we want fast answers.  As leaders we feel the pressure be decisive.  But fast is not always best, and can sometimes lead us deeper into trouble. 

What we need is rapid deliberation.  With a little help from Wyatt Earp, and people who jump out of airplanes for a living, here’s what I think that means, and how we can put it to work for us.

Notes and Resources:

• Prefer to read?  Here’s the full post:  Rapid De...

‘Set and forget’ leadership:  Hand off the task as fast as possible, move on to other things.  It’s what we tend to do when we’re in a hurry, but the biggest speed advantage this approach confers may be how quickly it can get us into trouble.  Here’s a way to think about how to delegate that task we’ve cooked up so that things function smoothly in the kitchen, and nobody gets burned.

Notes and Resources:

• Prefer to read?  Here’s t...

Want to achieve your goals?  Don’t listen to the marketers…

We are continually bombarded by messages that to cater to, and encourage, our short attention span. There is no shortage of “life hacks,” quick-fix remedies, and promises of miraculous overnight success.  Like a blow from Thor’s mighty hammer, we’re led to expect quick resolution to our problems, and rapid attainment of our goals.

But something I saw recently reminded me tha...

Not all leadership situations are the same.  Sometimes the way ahead is clear to all, and leading is easy.  But it’s when the storms roll in and the path is obscured that leaders earn their keep.  These are the lighthouse leadership moments that matter the most.  With the help of a story of amazing bravery, here’s what that means, and how to keep your team on course even on the darkest nights.

Notes and Resources:

• Prefer to read?...

What’s the best revenge against someone who has done us wrong?  The answer might surprise you, but it has everything to do with what makes a leader.

Notes and Resources:

• Prefer to read?  Here’s the full post:  The Best Revenge: What to Do When Someone Does Us Wrong
• Here’s a short, fun video of matches going off in a chain reaction in the form of a volcano.   Don’t try this at home!
• For more diversion, here’s a short video of a trip...

Hyperbolic discounting may sound like a super-charged holiday sales technique, but in reality, it’s a phenomenon that leaves us vulnerable to making poor impulse choices and sabotaging our goals.  Here’s what it is, and seven ways to turn this dangerous penchant into a tool to help us make smart decisions. 

Notes and Resources:

• Prefer to read?  Here’s the full post:  Hyperbolic Discounting and 7 Ways to Prevent Self-Sabotage
• For m...

Self-Righteousness in the media and in my social media feed seems to have become almost as prevalent as Covid-19, driving people even farther apart than the six feet needed for safe social distancing.  So, while the scientists are searching for a medical cure to stop the pandemic, I thought I’d take a stab at addressing the symptoms of this other sickness. 

My first breakthrough:  like the stages of grief, self-righteousness seems t...

How do we know if someone was a great leader?  One key is to take a hard look at their final act of leadership before they let go of the reins.  Too many would-be leaders see succession in a distorted light that invalidates any good work they may have done.  If we want to be seen as “one of the good ones” here’s how to get the focus right.

Notes and Resources:

• Prefer to read?  Here’s the full post:  The Final Act of Leadership: W...

Did you know that 1 + 1 + 1 does not always equal 3?  You would think that the more people on a project, the greater the output.  Sadly, that’s not always the case.  A phenomenon called Social Loafing leads some team members to do the minimum possible.  They drag down group productivity like a boat anchor.  Today we’ll look at why social loafing happens, and six ways you can be sure to get the best effort from everyone.

Notes and Re...

There’s a tool sitting on our leadership work bench that often goes neglected.  Yet it has the power to increase our team’s efforts, raise their spirits, and improve performance.  As a bonus, it takes very little time, is easy to use, costs almost nothing, and comes in unlimited supply.  What is it, you may ask?   It’s praise, and today we’ll talk about five ways you can give praise that motivates, inspires, and possibly even chang...