Blog
Short essays from Dan McArthur on leadership, teams, and the human side of running a business.
Treat Your Employees Like Paid Volunteers
The last 15 percent of an employee's effort can't be bought: problem solving, extra-mile service, loyalty. How leaders earn it from paid staff.
· 4 min read
Correct Employee Behavior Without Crushing the Spirit
Correction that's too harsh or too soft is a top employee complaint. How to give timely, direct feedback that changes behavior and leaves the person intact.
· 2 min read
The Beauty of the Flawed Leader
Leaders who own their mistakes win loyalty faster than any other trait. Why the cracks a leader hides are the source of their influence later in a career.
· 2 min read
Find Your July: Be a Mindful Leader All Year Long
Stressed executives wait all year for a vacation to relax. Dan McArthur on finding that calm on an ordinary day, and why leaders who do think more clearly.
· 2 min read
Embracing Average Employee Behavior on the Path to Excellence
Employees need the “what to do” and the “want to do.” Specific praise for the behavior a leader wants repeated builds the second one faster than correction.
· 2 min read
What Impacts Employee Performance?
Performance = (Motivation x Ability) – Situational Constraints. What a leader controls in the equation, and why a remodeled leader beats a remodeled office.
· 2 min read
Workplace Pressure: A Tool for Growth
Resistance builds muscle, gives wings lift, and grows leaders. An organizational psychologist makes the case for workplace pressure as a tool for development.
· 3 min read
Updraft Principle #1: Achieving Formation with a Better “Flapping Pattern”
Beliefs drive behavior, and most live in the subconscious. How a leader's interaction style creates an updraft or a downdraft for everyone on the team.
· 4 min read