Welcome to The New ODS Blog!
Here we will explore many of our workshop topics in greater nuance and detail, such as: leading, managing, coaching, building trust and capitalizing on the strengths of your whole team.
Before you spend your valuable time reading this blogger’s perspective, you might as well know my biases.
- There has never been a greater need for leadership than right now. Leaders need to lead.
- What many people call leadership today is “cover” for thinly disguised abdication.
- Those who lead without first building trust in their relationships do not have the influence they think they do.
- Trust overcomes mistakes, bad strategy and bad execution. It also makes all of these much less likely to occur.
- Theory is great but practical tools that anyone can use are much better.
- Leading and building trust are not complicated. Tough, yes, but super intellect is not necessary.
- Success is fleeting and oh-so-relative. Making a difference is what really matters.
These biases have been earned over a lifetime of intense challenge, some of which were self-imposed, but not all. For more on my personal story, click here.
Currently my day job is running a 60-person company in Wooster, Ohio called RBB Systems. I’ve had the honor of doing this since 10/1/01 – a date I remember clearly since it was the first month after the 9/11 attacks (plus it’s also a rare palindrome date).
On the road to my RBB role, I’ve led everything from Boy Scout peers to night shifts at fast food joints as a teenager to major change efforts in Fortune 500 Companies. I mention this not to boast but to assure you that this blog is based on what works with real people in the real world.
Things might have gone better had I taken a formal class on management and leadership along the way. You see, I’m not a classic leader in any sense of the word. Being introverted and naturally shy, I prefer the shadows to the limelight whenever I can get away with it. I learned mostly by surprise that big personalities are not really needed to get results through other people.
So let’s get started. My next post will make a simple case about why everything meaningful starts with building trust.
Meanwhile, if you have any managing, leading, or trust-building questions that you’d like me to tackle either here or privately, fire off an email here and let’s get going!
Bruce Hendrick
President, Organizational Development Services (ODS), LLC
Bruce grew up in a middle class family in the Akron, Ohio area that, like many families, was deeply affected by a loved one’s mental illness. Overcoming these daily challenges led to the resiliency and resourcefulness that helped prepare him to lead others as an adult.
Bruce counts himself blessed to share his life with his wife Donna and their three wonderful children: daughters Kelly and Kara, and son Kirk. As time permits Bruce enjoys golf, writing and learning how to live in the country
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