Enjoy monthly reads, reflections, and thoughts from our wisdom filled team.
Feedback. Many supervisors dread giving it, and even more direct reports dread receiving it. We want to want feedback, but we can’t always shake the sinking feeling in our stomachs or the sense that we’re being personally attacked. Most supervisors want to help their direct reports grow and improve, but have never been taught how to deliver feedback that uplifts rather than demoralizes.
I have commanded high performing organizations both in combat and peacetime and been lucky enough to serve with some of the best Americans and warriors this country has to offer. I was neither the best leader nor the best warrior. I made many mistakes while on my leadership journey and learned from every one of them. I have many regrets and wish I could go back and make different decisions, take different actions, or treat people differently; but I use these as motivation to be a better leader, mentor, and humble servant. I challenge you to do the same. If you “roger up” to the leadership call, then you will certainly experience failure, but you should see these failures as opportunities for growth and reflection. We should never consider ourselves to be experts but students who are on a continuous journey to become better.
Have you ever been singled out for criticism by your leader in the presence of others? Do you remember how it felt?
Chances are, if you have experienced this, you have never forgotten it. Getting chastised in plain view leaves a lasting and unpleasant impression. Better said, it just plain hurts. As we move forward, every recollection of that moment makes us feel the pain and embarrassment all over again. Ouch.
One of the things I miss most about being in uniform is the camaraderie I felt with my fellow service members almost immediately upon arriving at a new organization. Over a 33-year career, this shared bond made each assignment a little easier, knowing I would quickly find people with common experiences and a shared purpose whenever I joined a team. These connections are a big part of what made military service so meaningful to me and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. Yet, over time, I realized that if left unchallenged, my comfort with teammates who shared similar experiences and thought processes could sometimes limit my openness to other perspectives.
Fear of failing is a powerful deterrent and an unrelenting roadblock to achieving remarkable results. Leaders who operate in a manner to avoid the possibility of failing, will fail to reach and realize the best outcomes for their organizations and their teams. Napolean Hill wrote, “Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.”
As many sectors of the economy were forced to telework or adopt some sort of alternate/hybrid schedule, resumed more in-person work following COVID, many workers were welcoming the return of face-to-face camaraderie and collaboration. Leaders were excited to be physically back with their teams, leaving the Zoom gallery behind. The immediate reaction was a rebound of sorts, striving to make up for lost time with maximum in-person engagement.
Succession is going to happen in your organization whether you plan for it or not. People take other positions, retire, or quit. Unexpected turnover can generate significant capacity shortfalls, lost knowledge, and talent misalignments that disrupt or derail organizations. The organizations that execute effective succession plans fare much better than those that don’t. It is the responsibility of senior leaders, with the support of human resource professionals, to create and execute succession plans.
Have you wondered what makes a high-performing organization tick? What secret sauce allows a group of individuals to achieve unparalleled success? Most people would agree that leadership provides a critical component. However, history is replete with examples of organizations, whose leaders demonstrated a history of outstanding leadership and management, only to create an environment that inevitably led to disaster. Enron, WorldCom, Blockbuster, and Blackberry provide vivid examples of…
Good meetings allow people to be more effective and productive, which provides a good return on the time investment. Bad meetings, on the other hand, are a time suck that disrupt schedules and demotivate teams. After a couple of decades of leading and managing, I’d offer the following tips and perspectives on meetings…
In the rapidly evolving landscape of the 21st century, leaders across various domains are increasingly turning to Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a formidable ally in the decision-making process. The fusion of advanced algorithms, vast data repositories, and computing power has unlocked the potential for AI to serve as a critical tool in aiding leaders to navigate complex challenges and opportunities.
Delivered By: Adam Weiner, Managing Director
Adam spent 14 years in leadership roles as a Navy SEAL where he attained the rank of Lieutenant Commander, including assignments as Platoon Commander, Operations Officer, and Executive Officer. After the Navy, he worked at executive levels in the automotive industry and finance. In 2017, the governor of Michigan appointed him to the Veterans Facilities’ Board of Managers where he served for 2.5 years.
While in automotive, Adam was the Business Manager for the Vice President of Engineering at General Motors, where he managed a $3.5B budget and coalesced eight Executive Directors. After that, Adam began his career in finance as a Divisional Vice President for AIG, consulting with hundreds of financial advisors on retirement solutions. Within the financial space, he transitioned to become a financial advisor and partnered with Michigan Retirement Advisors. Working directly with individuals and families, Adam was able to increase the firm’s assets by over 25% in less than 24 months.
In 2022, Adam’s success led him to founding Freedom Financial Team where his pillars are: providing clients financial peace of mind, community philanthropy, and financial literacy. Consistent with this, Adam is a proud member of the Association of Financial Educators, a 501(c)(3) non-profit created to help with financial literacy. Adam brings this education to high-schools, colleges, and businesses in the Detroit Metro area to help demystify complexities in investing and retirement planning.
Adam’s passion is teaching mindset, character, and leadership. Alongside his teammates at Victory Strategies, you might catch him at workshop or delivering his keynote, inspiring people to Rise, Focus, and Persist!
Adam is a proud graduate of the United States Naval Academy. He is happily married, and they have three wonderful children.
