Can’t Keep up? 4 Ways to Take Charge of Your Time
In my journey as a consultant, working closely with leaders in tech and engineering, a profound realization dawned upon me, one that reshaped my understanding of productivity and efficiency. This epiphany wasn't born out of thin air but was influenced by the teachings of John Maxwell, a luminary in leadership wisdom. It was John who illuminated the misconception of 'time management' for me, leading me to a pivotal mindset shift: the transition from managing time to managing priorities. Time, as we perceive it, is an unyielding constant. We each have the same 24 hours at our disposal, no more, no less. The revelation, however, lies in understanding that while we cannot stretch time, we can optimize how we engage with it. This shift from 'time management' to 'activity and priority management' is not just semantic; it's foundational for leaders, especially in the high-stakes realms of tech and engineering. In the Nordics, where innovation and efficiency drive the tech and engineering...
How to Unite Your Team with a Shift in Perspective: Lessons from the Beach Ball Incident
Imagine standing in a room, your team fiercely debating around a beach ball placed at its center. Everyone is adamant about the color they see, yet they're all looking at the same ball. This unexpected scenario led to a pivotal leadership revelation during my time at Volvo Cars, transforming how we approached problem-solving and team collaboration. Join me as I share how a simple shift in perspective not only resolved a contentious technical debate but also united my team in a way I never anticipated. In my journey through the world of leadership, particularly within the dynamic and ever-evolving sectors of tech and engineering in the Nordics, I've encountered a transformative insight that profoundly reshaped my approach to conflict resolution and team collaboration. This revelation didn't come from textbooks or MBA lectures but from the intricate dance of leading diverse and brilliant minds striving to innovate in unison. The Revelation in an Unlikely Scenario During a particularly...
Do you make this mistake when building your team?
Here is a truth that transformed my approach and can reshape yours. As a solopreneur and consultant specializing in the tech and engineering sectors of the Nordics, I've seen the inner workings of recruitment from both sides of the table. I've been in the shoes of a team leader, and I've guided clients through the labyrinth of building winning teams. And today I am going to share some of the things I learned. But first, let's talk football—no, not the one with quarterbacks, but the one with goalkeepers. Imagine fielding a team with 11 keepers. Sounds ludicrous, right? Yet, this is precisely the scenario I encountered in my early leadership days, and it's a trap I see many fall into—not on the pitch, but in the office. In our pursuit of talent, we often gravitate towards clones of ourselves—a phenomenon John Maxwell aptly dubs "The Law of Magnetism." We don't attract what we want; we attract who we are. My 'aha' moment came when my team, filled with brilliant minds just like mine,...
A Personal Leadership Insight
True leadership is way beyond technical abilities; it's an art hinging on the mastery of human interaction nuances. In my leadership journey, which began in the engineering industry, I initially adopted a simple, system-related communication style. I believed people preferred and responded to clear, concise instructions, similar to machines or systems. However, this approach ignored the nuanced and individualistic nature of human behavior, leading to a significant revelation. Initially, I overlooked the intricacies of human interactions and communication sensitivity, learning a hard lesson about the importance of understanding and controlling emotions. This realization sparked my interest in human mind functions and emotion processing, leading to the observation that soft skills and emotional intelligence (EQ) form the foundation of leadership. This is particularly evident when technically gifted individuals rise to top organizational roles without the necessary soft skills and EQ,...
Leadership Lessons from Tenerife: Cultivating Growth and Emotional Intelligence (special gift inside)
Recently, during a trip to Tenerife, I experienced a moment of profound clarity that beautifully parallels our journey in leadership and personal growth. As I strolled through the exquisitely maintained gardens of my 5-star hotel, I was struck by the stark contrast between the carefully cultivated landscape within the hotel premises and the wild, untended fields just beyond its boundaries. The hotel gardens were a marvel of attention and care - each plant thriving under the meticulous watch of the gardeners. Vibrant flowers bloomed in abundance, and every shrub was pruned to perfection, creating an oasis of harmony and beauty. This was a place where every detail was consciously nurtured, where growth was guided and celebrated. Just a few steps away, outside the hotel’s confines, lay the wild fields. They were untamed, filled with a chaotic mix of overgrown weeds and cacti plans. These fields, though possessed of the same potential for beauty, lacked the gardener’s guiding hand. They...
Are You Missing This Key Ingredient in Your Leadership Strategy?
Let me present you with three scenarios… (pay attention – there will be a quiz at the end!) 1. As she leaves her house, Alice notices her car keys are missing from the key rack. She rummages through her pockets and her satchel until she asks, “When did I last have them in my hands?” She remembers placing them on the kitchen counter the night before – and there they are. 2. Barry pulls a freshly-washed shirt from his closet. As he puts it over his head, he notices a strange, strong, chemical scent. “Ugh,” he thinks, “it must be my new laundry detergent. I’ll have to see if they sell it unscented.” 3. Christina’s daily chores are interrupted by a bout of food poisoning. As she lays down in bed, she thinks on what she’s eaten throughout the day – toast, salad, leftover chicken… “Chicken, it must be,” she thinks to herself, and throws it out so that no one else in her family gets sick. Question:What do these three scenes have in common? Answer: All of them, when presented with a problem,...
Step into 2024 with Clarity: A Comprehensive Guide to Reflecting on Your Year and Planning Ahead 🗓️
Here we are again, nearing the end of another year circling the sun, and the beginning of a brand new one just over the horizon. For some, New Year’s Day is no different from any other day. American astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is famous for many things – among them, his insistence that the coming of the new year holds no astronomical significance. And while that may be true, the new year has the potential to hold tremendous value for leaders and growth-minded individuals around the world. Sure, we will wake up the same people January 1 as we were when we went to bed on December 31. But we have in front of us an opportunity to take a pause before we move forward – and there is power in that pause. Imagine you’re climbing a mountain. As you journey, you travel up the face of the mountain, taking in more of the sprawling landscape surrounding you. But each step is taxing. The higher you go, the more you must give in order to get there. After so long, you need to pause. Take stock...
The Leadership Mistake I Made Early On – And What It Taught Me
As I type this post, I'm at the helm of my own venture, Become Your Best Version – a name perhaps familiar to you. 🙂 The entrepreneurial path has reinforced my belief: the essence of leadership starts with leading oneself. And character is the foundation self-leadership stands on. This realization, however, didn't dawn on me overnight. My leadership discovery commenced much before I ventured into consulting. My first leadership role had me steering a software development team in the automotive sector. Transitioning from a peer to a leader within the same team, I found myself in a crucible of growth and learning. I had to learn to see a leader’s role very differently from how I had before becoming one myself. As that team’s leader, much of my time was spent behind my desk. Occasionally I would enter the workshop to discuss progress. Meanwhile, my team’s time was divided evenly between their own desks and the workshop. The workshop, as I am sure you can imagine, was a lively place -...
Healthy Conflict at Work: A Leadership Perspective
Florin LunguWhen John came to me, he was quite distressed. For some time, he had felt that something was compromising his team. Undermining their progress. Capping their ability to innovate. He had one very clear concern – an age-old concern that many CEOs are dealing with today. In John’s case, his concern went by the names Sarah and Mike. Now, Sarah and Mike themselves were not the problem. John had an excellent team. Sarah diligently tracked task progress as project manager, and Mike took his role as product owner very seriously. And they were both pleasant people. But John said whenever they discussed how to approach their projects, they would go at odds with each other. They would have intense debates over what to do. John was worried the negative energy was hurting morale. Engagement, innovation, results – everything was suffering, and John felt Sarah and Mike’s conflicts could be part of the cause. And not without reason – certainly, their discussions made John himself...
Is work-life balance overrated?
Every month, between 10,000 and 100,000 people are searching Google for tips on maintaining a healthy work-life balance. It is a demand that the Internet is happy to meet: if you Google the phrase “work-life balance,” you’ll find yourself presented with almost 3.5 billion results. (Yes, that’s billion… with a “B.”) And yet, in the midst of all this discourse, the corporate world still has a hard time establishing those healthy boundaries. Long have we struggled to walk this line, but the pandemic did us no favors. The transition to remote work even further muddied the waters as to where work ended and life began. Understaffing, increased pressure, and uncertainty have been a recipe for increased hours and burned out team members. The difficulty, I think, lies in the fact that the problem is so personal, and the solution – “work-life balance,” as we call it – is so strict. In an interview with Thrive Global, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has called the term “debilitating… because [it]...
Breaking Down Leadership: What It Really Takes to Lead
Florin LunguWhat is leadership? It's a word we throw around a lot, isn't it? From boardrooms to book clubs, it seems like everyone has something to say about what makes a great leader. But when we really get down to it, what does leadership actually mean? Think about John C. Maxwell. This man has been digging into what makes leaders tick for over 40 years, and he's pretty much nailed it: "Leadership is influence - nothing more, nothing less." It's a simple idea, but it packs a punch. Leadership isn't about who sits in the big chair; it's about how you can make a difference, big or small. So, let's dive into what shapes a leader, shall we? Attitude is Your Secret Weapon You know how people say, "Attitude is everything"? Well, they're onto something. It's not the whole story, but boy, does it change the game. Imagine two folks facing the same problem. One sees a brick wall; the other sees a challenge to climb over. Who do you think will rally the troops and get things moving? Exactly....
Building Trust Beyond Borders: Navigating Team Dynamics in the Remote Work Era
What did the pandemic do for workplace team trust?... Way, way back in our history, humans realized that we can get more done if we combine our efforts and work as a team. This is how we start families, scale businesses, run countries, and everything else that matters. Teamwork is a building block of civilization. But it wasn’t long after we realized the power of teamwork that we also realized the knife cuts both ways – and that bad team dynamics can keep us from getting anything done. Working together successfully requires powerful trust, and powerful trust requires effective communication, and that requires psychological safety in the workplace, which requires – well, let’s just say, when it comes to a healthy team, everything affects everything else. It is a delicate balance to strike. And that’s when everyone is in the same place… When the pandemic scattered our teams, many businesses discovered a new challenge: keeping teams successful when they’re remote. Suddenly team members...
Decoding the Silent Signals: 5 Insights Your Team Expresses Non-Verbally
Florin LunguIt's a widely acknowledged fact: a mere 7% of our communication is rooted in the words we utter. The true essence of our message often lies in our body language and the nuances of our vocal tones. When this concept was introduced to you, it was likely framed within the context of your leadership and communication style. It's a crucial reminder that leaders need to be attuned to the silent messages they send. Yet, it's easy to overlook that this principle isn't exclusive to leadership—it's universal. True leadership isn't just about instructing, coaching, or guiding. It's equally about active listening—tuning in not just with our ears, but with our eyes and heightened emotional intelligence. Your team is in a constant state of communication, a wellspring of invaluable insights. While they might not always verbalize their thoughts, it's imperative for leaders to decipher these unspoken cues. By reading between the lines, you gain a deeper understanding of the underlying...
Mastering the Art of Conflict: Lessons from Pixar’s Braintrust for Transformative Leadership
Florin LunguWhen we are talking about animated movies – and not just any animated movies, but the best animated movies made by anyone, anywhere – what is the first studio to come to mind? Of course, it’s Pixar. If you have spent any time watching animated films, you’ve probably got a favorite Pixar movie. They have certainly established themselves as a powerhouse in the entertainment industry. Popular review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reflects that, on average, nearly 90% of those who watch Pixar films walk away having enjoyed themselves. The studio has also earned an Academy Award, the highest honor in American cinema, 23 times since its first release in 1995. This is not to mention its average gross income of more than $500 million per film. To what does Pixar attribute their incredible success? Some say it’s their innovative approach to filmmaking. Others credit their commitment to technical and artistic quality. And both assessments have their value. But one quality that often...
The Leadership Shift: Equipping Others for Collective Growth.
Florin LunguI find that a good question can challenge, inspire, and prompt all at the same time. And today’s powerful query is, What are you doing to equip your people? As a leader, this question moves me… it refocuses my efforts, reminds me of what’s important, and redirects me to something bigger than myself. But that’s not the only reason why. You see, for the first few years of my career, I was pursuing a technical trade. I spent my days in workshops tending to vehicle systems. This is how I expected to spend the rest of my working years – I had planned to become a technical expert. That changed when our department head, Eric, promoted me. I was shocked! Leadership was a completely new direction for me – one that didn’t make sense to me at all. But Eric saw something in me that I didn’t see. He told me that he noticed I was good with the team – not just in my role but in helping them collaborate and communicate and excel – and that I could go beyond just the technical parts that...
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