Influencing and Problem Solving for Leaders and Others Mike Lehr's Blog

Dealing with Complexity

Posted on27 Nov 2014

Tagscomplexity, efficiencies, employees, Harvard Business Review, problem solving, quality, VUCA, Nathan Bennett, G. James Lemoine

Comments3

When dealing with complexity, simplifying it to the point of unrealism so it’s easier to understand becomes a major danger. As the article, “What VUCA...

Best Way to Try New Behaviors (Pt 2)

Posted on24 Nov 2014

Comments0

The first post covered expectations and strategy to try new behaviors. This post will dive into daily activities. It will answer how we can take...

Leveraging Group Interactions The Complete Strategy

Posted on20 Nov 2014

Tagschange management, organizational culture, face-to-face interactions, phraseology, relationship building techniques, relationships, repetition, face time, group interactions, Leveraging Group Interactions Series, group dynamics

Comments1

In this series on leveraging group interactions to mold relationships and culture, we actively inject ourselves into group dynamics. We do so subtly. Previously, I...

Finding Right Problem to Solve

Posted on17 Nov 2014

TagsDwayne Spradlin, emotional triggers, Glass-Sand-Water Analogy, statistics, problem solving, Harvard Business Review, details, decisions

Comments11

Solving problems is like painting. Prepping is ninety percent. That means ensuring we’re solving the right problem. It’s a common problem. As example, a call...

Extroverts and Introverts Their Energy Sources

Posted on13 Nov 2014

Tagsextrovert, happiness, introvert, leadership, Personality, Real-time personality assessment, extroverts and introverts, Introverts and Extroverts (Series)

Comments0

Assessing personalities is essential to business. It’s essential to leadership. Leading people without assessing culture and personalities is like going into battle without assessing terrain....

Advance Work for Positioning Group Interactions

Posted on10 Nov 2014

Tagsadvance work, advance teams, musicians, Leveraging Group Interactions Series, group interactions, warfare, politics, military, conversation techniques, comedians

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Previously in this series I dealt with the aftermath of group interactions. Here I deal with the advance work. Typically, we think of preparing and...

Storytelling’s Importance in Business Valuations

Posted on06 Nov 2014

Tagsarbitrariness, business, fiction, law, price, security, storytelling, emotional triggers, Skoda Minotti, bricks-complexity analogy

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I’ve written much about storytelling’s importance. Yet, I was surprised when I attended a business valuation seminar by Skoda Minotti CPA’s, Business & Financial Advisors....

Best Way to Try New Behaviors (Pt 1)

Posted on03 Nov 2014

Tagschange management, expectations, The New Yorker, Greger Wikstand, Capgemini, trying new behaviors, Atul Gwande

Comments6

My series Change Management Tactics based on the article, The Hot Spotters, by Atul Gawande (The New Yorker, January 24, 2011 edition), assumes managers guide...

Science’s Subjective Birth

Posted on30 Oct 2014

Tagsassumptions, emotional intelligence, intelligence, process, scientific, Scientific Method, The Economist, Royal Society, Practicing Safe Science Series

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Understanding the birth and development of modern science helps us become better problem solvers. It was just an idea over 355 years ago. Today, it’s...

Computers as Better Listeners

Posted on27 Oct 2014

Tagsartificial intelligence, computers, judgment, listen, talking cure, The Economist, venting, computer therapy, Jonathan Gratch, Institute for Creative Technologies, journaling

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Allowing people to talk reduces anxiety. It’s a form of therapy. Finding patient, disciplined listeners can be tough though. Computers, using artificial intelligence software, have...

Leveraging Group Interactions Afterwards

Posted on23 Oct 2014

Tagscompliments, intrinsic, relationship building techniques, Talent, group interactions, Leveraging Group Interactions Series

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In this series, I’ve detailed techniques for leveraging group interactions from a relational perspective. This does not stop though once the interaction ends. We can...

Authority Figures as Dangerous Figures

Posted on20 Oct 2014

Tagsauthority, innovation, placebo, problem solving, The Economist, training, predictability, expertise, Kristi Erdal

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Authority figures help in many ways, providing expertise, guidance, definitiveness and certainty. We’re taught to respect them too. Yet, they can be dangerous. While easily...

Good sales people can be good sales managers.

Leadership’s Secret Physical Characteristics

Posted on16 Oct 2014

Tagsdecisions, Influence, leadership, physical, subliminity, The Economist, voice, Leadership - The Secret Series, leader as actor, affect

Comments0

This Secret to Leadership Series began by stating leadership is an affect, an emotional influence that moves group members to action. It’s no secret that...

Apocalyptic Decision Making – Dealing with Uncertainty

Posted on13 Oct 2014

TagsVUCA, Nathan Bennett, G. James Lemoine, war, Apocalyptic Decision Making Series, consensus, adaptability, change management, decision-making process, decisions, flexibility, Harvard Business Review, information, uncertainty

Comments4

When four horsemen of apocalyptic decision making (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity [VUCA]) confront us, we tend to avoid them. We avoid uncertainty in our...

Punishment’s Purifying Effect in the Workplace

Posted on09 Oct 2014

TagsFabio Fasoli, Jolanda Jetten, punishment, University of Queensland, Brock Bastian, Crime and Punishment, Dostoyevsky, Pavlovian conditioning, The Economist, employees, discipline, behavior

Comments2

While many won’t go through the mental moral gymnastics and anguish of Rodion Raskolnikov, Dostoyevsky’s protagonist in Crime and Punishment, for their wrongs in the...

Mike Lehr’s Blog

Dealing with Complexity

Best Way to Try New Behaviors (Pt 2)

Finding Right Problem to Solve

Extroverts and Introverts Their Energy Sources

Storytelling’s Importance in Business Valuations

Best Way to Try New Behaviors (Pt 1)

Science’s Subjective Birth

Computers as Better Listeners

Authority Figures as Dangerous Figures

Leadership’s Secret Physical Characteristics

Apocalyptic Decision Making – Dealing with Uncertainty

Punishment’s Purifying Effect in the Workplace

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