You are not infallible. You make mistakes. It is an uncomfortable feeling, knowing you goofed. Many people try to avoid the sensation of being wrong by never speaking up, never standing up, never venturing into the unknown. They feel safe and secure … [Read more...]
Be The Better Option
You defeat lousy leadership with better leadership. Be the better option. Smug rhetoric and incoherent arguments do not contain better ideas. Fear and paranoia driven tirades do not beckon better angels. Sowing chaos as a management technique is … [Read more...]
Be Ready to Lead
Ever sit with a bunch of people and awkwardly talk about what to do next? Everyone is tentative and polite. No one wants to offend or look foolish. People are going out of their way to avoid disagreements and confrontation. And that is only trying … [Read more...]
Something Missing?
You know those times when you feel like things just aren't right? Things aren't firing on all cylinders. You're not panicking, but your frustration is growing. You feel stumped because you cannot figure it out. Things should be going better, but … [Read more...]
Monday Excitement
If you are aren't excited each Monday, you're working on the wrong stuff. Act on purpose. You don't HAVE to like your job. Few people get excited about their commute and interacting with busybody coworkers, always asking about their weekend … [Read more...]
Luck and Good Fortune
Instead of looking for luck and good fortune for yourself, why don't you secretly provide it to others? Typically you have to work to grow your fortune. Some people have to work harder, and they earn less, while others seem to stumble into … [Read more...]
Protect Your Purpose from Comfort
The reason I have started requiring people who work with me to know their purpose and values is because if they do not, they will be susceptible to the whim of others. When you know your purpose and values, you do not allow others to blow you off … [Read more...]
Are You Acting On Purpose?
I believe happiness and purposefulness come about by the active pursuit of a worthy goal. Therefore if you want to be happy, you should never be without a great goal. Imagine if every woman, man, and child you know had at least one great goal that … [Read more...]
How You Doin’?
When was the last time you asked someone how they were doing? Here's how you can tell if someone is more concerned with power than they are with good leadership. Someone concerned with power is going to use "I" and "Me" when they speak. When … [Read more...]
Never Feel Lost
When you know your purpose and values, you feel great about making decisions that support who you want to be and where you want to go. When you set your mind on your dreams and you celebrate along the way, you are making … [Read more...]
Fix It
Good leaders know when they've goofed up. Not right away -- but eventually, they know. They ask for feedback, pay attention to criticism, and are astute to the things NOT being said. So what happens when you realize you've goofed; when your … [Read more...]
Great Goal
Want to build your strength, confidence, and integrity? Set a great goal for yourself and achieve it. You don't have to tell anyone else, but you do have to write it down. You don't have to include others in your plan, but you've got to have … [Read more...]
You Don’t Need Permission to Lead
You don't need permission to lead. You need a purpose. Don't wait to be anointed or appointed. Lead from where you are. If the purpose is important to you, if the timing and circumstances are right, you must rise. Prepare, knowing you … [Read more...]
Head and Heart in Leadership
If you can't choose between the head and the heart, pick the heart and trust the head to find a way to figure it out. Maybe this seems off topic for a leadership advisor. It's not. If you're leading without heart, you're doing it wrong. The … [Read more...]
Are You Bad for Business?
Treating your employees poorly is not only lousy leadership, it's bad for business. 1. If you're a manager, supervisor, leader -- anyone who has a team, and you treat them poorly, that's one strike. You're messing up your role. 2. If you can't … [Read more...]
Don’t Wait to be Empowered
Empowerment is great, and I don't mean to split hairs, but I've never liked the word. It implies power is being given to you by someone else. Yes, I suppose you can bestow that gift to yourself, give yourself permission to rise up, take authority, … [Read more...]
Raise Your Standards
Anyone who devalues you, your ambitions your contributions, or your talents, has no place in your life. Raise your standards and minimize their influence on you. Lousy leaders do this all the time. They treat you like they're doing you a favor. … [Read more...]
It Starts with Purpose. If you don’t know yours, how can you act on it?
Want to be a good business owner, executive, or friend? Know your purpose. Want to be a good lover, companion, or spouse? Know your purpose. Want to be a good investor of time, talent or treasure? Know your purpose. Want to manage well and … [Read more...]
Five Reasons Why Some Executives Do Not Put Poor Performing Leaders on Corrective Action
Most people do not enjoy paperwork, and they like confrontation even less. Effective leaders are no different, but they take a deep breath and do it regardless. Lousy leaders do not. Here are five reasons some of these lousy leaders don’t put poor … [Read more...]
Knowing Your Values
Here's why knowing your values is so important. When you know them, you make decisions faster, and those decisions support you, they don't sabotage you. You know the difference between when you are acting congruent with your values, and when you are … [Read more...]
You Can Thank Your Lousy Boss
You have worked for a lousy boss at some point in your career. You’ve had a manager, supervisor, professor, or teacher who not only didn’t “get” you; they did not seem to interact well with anyone else either. Maybe you felt like they micromanaged … [Read more...]
Your Professional Bio
When was the last time you updated your bio? A professional biography should put your best foot forward. Does yours? Does your bio still reflect who you are and where you want to go, or has it become stale? Does it attract the attention of your … [Read more...]
Happy New Year
May your year be filled with joy, adventure, prosperity, love, and learning. … [Read more...]
“Capital to Help Recent Grads”
Every day I challenge leaders to approach things differently. Today, I follow my advice. I am raising funds to help grow my business. I'm looking to build capital quickly, which I will use to offer a draw against commissions. The short-term … [Read more...]
Daily Focus
Try The Daily Focus -List 10 things you need to do that will bring you closer to your goal. -Brainstorm 10 ideas to improve a problem you're facing. -Give 10 compliments to other people. -List 10 things you're grateful … [Read more...]
How’s Your Leadership-Life Going?
As someone who helps individuals and organizations to lead better, it is not uncommon for me to ask people, “How’s your leadership-life going?” I get one of three responses. Overly Enthusiastic The Overly Enthusiastic are quick to … [Read more...]
Thanksgiving Weekend
Thanksgiving weekend has traditions as diverse as our nation. Some go shopping in the wee hours of the morning. Some recover on the couch in front of a football game or binge-watch the latest on Netflix. Some start the day with leftover pie for … [Read more...]
Free Planning Bundle
Thanks for following Karl Bimshas Consulting. We are grateful for the opportunity to help develop your leadership, challenge your thinking, widen your perspective or make you laugh. Please accept this gift. The “Planning Bundle” includes … [Read more...]
30 Ways You Can Manage Better and Lead Well
Effective management and leadership can be difficult. There are days (and nights) when external motivation or internal inspiration is lacking, and you feel directionless. That is not a luxury you can afford if you are serious about managing better … [Read more...]
Lousy Leadership Is Easy but Expensive
There is a prevalence of lousy leadership because it does not take too much effort to be a poor leader. There is not a huge barrier to entry for anyone who wants to become a leader. The difficulty arises when you are committed to being a “good” … [Read more...]
How Many #MeToo Experiences Happen Under Your Watch?
If nothing else, the awareness campaign should have opened your eyes to offensive behavior. Statistics vary, but not by much. *1 in 3 women age 18-34 is sexually harassed at work. *About 80% experience verbal harassment. *Nearly 45% endure … [Read more...]
Leaders Ask
Leaders think differently, which is one of the reasons they stand out from the crowd. Crowds tend to settle, content with how things are, or lamenting about how things were. Leaders like comfort too, but in smaller doses. They know too much … [Read more...]
Poor Leadership Pisses Me Off
Rationale, reflection, and gratitude for my business and a quest to improve the state of leadership. Throughout my management career at both Fortune 500, and regional companies, I encouraged direct reports and peers alike to stop deferring … [Read more...]
18 Lame Excuses
Below are eighteen commonly made (and lame) excuses you may have heard -- or made -- for not engaging in something new. See if any of these excuses sound familiar and review the suggested no-nonsense remedies to help you achieve your next great … [Read more...]
Help Others Who Are Lost
Transcription on the screen. Hear more => https://anchor.fm/KarlBimshas … [Read more...]
Stop Wasting Your Talent
Transcription on the screen. Hear more => https://anchor.fm/KarlBimshas … [Read more...]
Moving Your Passion Toward Excellence
We all have a passion for something, whether it is for golf or little league; cooking or writing; acting or reading. Wine connoisseurs and bottle cap collectors abound. What is your passion? Can you see it? Most of you can. What do you want to … [Read more...]
Are you Ready to Lead?
Summer is waning. Are you ready to lead? The quick video below reminds viewers that Karl Bimshas Consulting is the wise alternative between big name (big fee) firms and sketchy coffee shop-surfing coaches. We have the business acumen for … [Read more...]
Hedge Less; Lead Better
Those who have read my work for a while know that insight frequently strikes me via the rule of threes. The first mention of something might prompt me to make a casual note. The second mention prompts familiarity and begins to breed curiosity. The … [Read more...]
Don’t Retreat
Don't retreat. Don't let other people's patterns become your habit. Whenever there is a tragedy that consumes our collective imaginations, we gasp and grieve. Some get pulled into news feeds and outlets, and overdose on images replayed endlessly … [Read more...]
Do Your Direct Reports Need Leadership Development Coaching?
Effective leadership coaching requires a commitment. Is it worth investing in outside resources for a direct report who is facing change or second-guessing their abilities? Here are five considerations for your decision-making matrix. VALUE - Are … [Read more...]
We’ve added Writing Services
Lead with Writing Not all leaders are good writers, and not all writers are good leaders, but when good leaders and good writers meet great things happen. Today we have announced the addition of Writing Services to our growing list of leadership … [Read more...]
Refuse Generational Labels; You’ll Lead Better
Scroll through your social media feed, and it’s highly likely you’ll see a post that bashes Millennials and the generation of kids today. Usually, there’s a picture of a string of teenagers looking at their phones or taking selfies with dire warnings … [Read more...]
Adapt Your Style
There are writers who have a particular style, and there are writers who can adapt their styles to different needs. There are leaders who have a particular style, and there are leaders who can adapt their styles to different needs. There's not a … [Read more...]
Keep Wallowing to Five Minutes or Less
Don't tolerate wallowing in yourself or your team. We wallow when we're feeling relaxed or lazy. Lazy doesn't pay well, action does. We wallow in our victory and success, forgetting how short-lived they can be without vigilance and … [Read more...]
For Leaders who Cringe on Sundays when they think of Mondays
Well-meaning managers and leaders fail to find the time to recharge because you know you could be managing better. It is not imposter syndrome. It is because you have left something unresolved and allowed it to fester over the weekend, if not over … [Read more...]
Valuing Liberty
Two hundred and forty-one years ago John Adams suggested that all future Independence Day celebrations "ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this … [Read more...]
Podcast Appearance
I was honored to be interviewed by guest host Patrick Antrim, on Talent Culture's #WorkTrends Podcast recently. We discussed leadership and why I believe you should resist using generational labels. You can read a recap and listen to the show … [Read more...]
Something to Work On
Leaders keep learning. It does not matter your industry, the makeup of those who follow you, nor your experience. Effective leaders stay curious and keep learning. We know there's no shortage of other people telling you what you need to improve. A … [Read more...]
Solve a Damn Problem
Being careful with your language can show sensitivity, compassion, and at least some tolerance in an increasingly intolerant country. As a writer, words matter, that is why I believe we should not sugarcoat what we face as a nation and as … [Read more...]
Don’t Listen to Them; You’re Fine
People make a lot of money off your lack of self-esteem or self-awareness. You’re not good looking enough, your car is too wimpy or guzzles too much fuel. Your teeth could be whiter, your family happier, your waist thinner, and if you want to trust … [Read more...]
Is Your Leadership Working?
There’s a strong chance that your leadership isn't working, and you may not even know it. Leadership success increases by doubling down on your strengths, acknowledging your weaknesses, and adapting to the current reality. Do you want to strive … [Read more...]
Writing Letters to Your Younger Self is Facing the Wrong Direction
It is all the rage, particularly during graduation season, for well-meaning self-help gurus to encourage you to write a letter to your younger self. Invariably to find words of wisdom accumulated through years of experience which support the phrase, … [Read more...]
Basketball Players, Filmmakers, and Nurses
Ask a basketball player about the game, and they will talk about possessions of the ball, the clock, openings they created, and specific shots they took. Of course, winning is, important, but the great ones know they get there shot by … [Read more...]
Make a Habit of Painless Networking
You can't just be an introvert or an extrovert anymore. You could be an extroverted introvert or an introverted extrovert. You might even be an ambivert. There are many terms floating around the heads of people who are trying to make sense of the … [Read more...]
Don’t be a Joyless Leader
I remember a time in college when I returned home to visit my mom, and she told me about a troubling sight she had just seen. A school bus had stopped at a light beside her, and the faces of sullen and despondent teenagers filled every visible … [Read more...]
My Leadership Point of View
Eight years ago this month I started my company. It is not a milestone year per se, but if you run your own business you know, every month you are still open is cause for celebration. During this period there have been highs and lows in my personal … [Read more...]
Client-Centered Behavior
Client-Centered Behavior … [Read more...]
Problem: Many Managers Don’t Give a C.R.A.P.
There are plenty of articles and opinions on how to become a better manager and leader, but nearly all of them are blind to the overwhelming evidence that 50-65% of managers don't give a crap. That may be a generous number. Take a look at Gallup and … [Read more...]
How’s Your Customer Lovelife?
Do you think your customers are infatuated with you, or are you delusional? Reminder, your client, is the person, or persons, who decide to do business with you and your organization. You have internal and external customers. Your external … [Read more...]
4 Time Chunks for Better Performance
To be more productive in your life start organizing your major activities into four areas. Prepare Do the prep work. Invest time in the practice and learning required to meet your specific performance needs. Pick the formula and ratio that … [Read more...]
Are You an Authoritarian at Work?
Lousy Leadership Hidden in Hubris Leadership, like water, is not inherently good or bad, but it is essential. The desire for water changes depending on the conditions. Those parched in the desert are desperate for a sip of anything, while those … [Read more...]
Better Leaders
Be a Better Gatekeeper
Not long ago we didn’t give too much thought about where we got our information. Primarily it was filtered through our family and friends. There were other filters in place. Our schools had a set of standards, depending on where you lived. Our … [Read more...]
Happy New Year
Start with a wish, then work to make it so. … [Read more...]
Run an After Action Review for Your Year
It is now the season when countless articles on how to plan your year pop up like premature Crocus. These systems will ask you to dig deep and often provide a daunting number of exercises designed to make you think, dream, pray, meditate or vision … [Read more...]
Your Year Was Not Great
Your year was not great. The majority of the people you know didn't have a great year either. How can that be? Most people start the year filled with hope and optimism. Great attributes, but a poor substitute for persistence and pragmatism. … [Read more...]
Lisa Invested in Leadership Development
Lisa Invested in Leadership Development … [Read more...]
Don’t Wonder. Plan.
Make a better plan. We can show you how. … [Read more...]
Decide with SPICE
When your task list becomes too long and neglected and reads like a list of forgotten dreams, or you are regularly swamped with new ideas, resist the urge to dabble. Dabbling in a few things will only dilute your focus and energy. So, how do you … [Read more...]
Your Leadership Agenda
Create a leadership agenda so you can manage better and lead well. Your Leadership Agenda Your attitude, your appearance, and your approach are the three building blocks of your leadership agenda. Your leadership agenda is how you plan on … [Read more...]
Want to Plan Better?
Planning Bundle … [Read more...]
Leadership Snapshot
Often we make snap judgments about leaders. Our instinct and gut are legitimate tools; unfortunately, they sometimes cloud objectivity. By looking at five key attributes, we force ourselves to slow down long enough to explore nuance. When we pause … [Read more...]
Leaders and Artists
Leaders and artists, particularly writers, share many traits. An excellent leader doesn’t get to be that way without a sense of creativity and artistry. Likewise, an artist shapes opinions, causes introspection and moves the spirit, if not the body. … [Read more...]
Remember Context
When you stop to think about an interaction with someone or a group of people, it is easy to reflect on three components. You. Them. Your conversation with them. Rudimentary, yet you probably don't think about it too much, except when … [Read more...]
Focus Can Be Difficult
Focus can be difficult. There are so many welcome and unwelcome distractions in our world. If you don't know your vision, purpose, and values, the challenge is even greater. Start defining them so your decision-making can get easier. Next list an … [Read more...]
Organize Your Thoughts
Some people are great at creating lists. They have impressive lists. Accomplishing tasks, a little less so. Some people are decisive and action oriented. They get lots of things done fast, and then they redo a lot of things … [Read more...]
Decide How You are Going to Lead
A good number of leadership problems I see come about because the leader has never given any thought to the question, “How are you going to lead?” Many are dumbfounded. Though to be fair, if you ask a writer, “How are you going to write?” there … [Read more...]
When you Imitate what Successful People do, You will not Stand Out.
When you are leading well, you constantly look for what can give you and your team an edge on results while supporting your mission, vision, and values. You could search for someone who is successful in an area you want greater improvement in, and … [Read more...]
Leadership Maintenance
Now and then you need to take a look under the leadership hood and make sure things are running well. Start by inspecting your biggest goal. Run a self-diagnosis of six systems: Your Operating Principle - What you are trying to achieve? … [Read more...]
Expect the Best, Plan for the Worst
While I was growing up, I often heard the popular refrain, “Expect the best and plan for the worst.” I attributed it to the weather. In New England, you might plan a nice picnic, but if you were smart, you also prepared a contingency for rain, or … [Read more...]
Lousy Leadership is Scary
Lousy leadership is scary because it is so prevalent in our lives, and no one is fully immune from it. New and established managers both make errors because of impatience, or fear, or poor judgment. These mistakes frequently most hurt the people … [Read more...]
Avoiding Burnout
I once worked with an organization where people started vanishing. Some of it was planned. A few moved on to bigger and better things. The vast majority, however, were being laid off, one at a time, so for a while, it was drip, drip, drip. During … [Read more...]
You goofed. Now what?
Candidly, you won't see this properly demonstrated by people in the public eye too often. On the other hand, exceptional leaders know how, when, and why to apologize. Follow the six steps below to stand out as a better leader who shows respect and … [Read more...]
4th Quarter Celebration
Call me biased, but I love October 1st. Yes, it's my birthday, and that adds to the festive spirit. It's my favorite season. I prefer the chill in the air, and the sight of the last gasps of color bursting from the leaves of trees. Alas, the current … [Read more...]
No, Your Customers Don’t All Love You
Whenever I hear an entrepreneur or executive describe how much their customers love them, I cringe. I am reminded of a recent research study that discovered, based on reciprocity, we have far few friends than we think we do. In fact, about half as … [Read more...]
Cultivating Success
Last week I had a delightful discussion with a colleague about our individual writing processes. As we talked between sips of coffee, it became clear that we had a mutual tendency to make things more complex than they have to be. I hastily narrowed … [Read more...]
Your Management Control Book: Part One
If you want to manage better and lead well, you have to take deliberate action. One tool that is critical for effective managers is the management control book. Whether this resides on your computer or smartphone, is a physical binder you lug around, … [Read more...]
Check Your Alignment
This weekend, as you wind down from one season and prepare for the next, invest a few moments in yourself and do the following alignment check-up. Grab a piece of paper and fold it, so you have two columns with four rows each; that's eight boxes … [Read more...]
Get a Better Handle on Your Week
Ready to get a better handle on your week? Don't make a to-do list; you have already got plenty of those. Instead, grab your calendar and today, schedule ten activities that are important to you. If you are having trouble, come up with two … [Read more...]
