Michelle Clarkson's Page

Creating a vision is not generally difficult for great leaders and managers.  More often than not, the difficulties come in getting others to embrace that vision as wholeheartedly as they do.  To be able to share their vision and garner the support of everyone involved, leaders must first recognize the actions of naysayers and then try to understand what blocks them from seeing the vision as the leader sees it.There are as many reasons for people not embracing visions as there are leaders who…See More

We put labels on people, everyone does.  Labels are convenient, and they are also very dangerous.  When you label someone, you put him or her inside a small container and automatically hold back the possibilities that your relationship may produce.See it in your family; take a look at the small containers you and your family members have to cram into when you are together.  Maybe your mother is “pessimistic”, your father is “a clown”, your brother is “insecure”, and you are “sharp”.  Even after…See More

Many, women and men, believe they can’t. Equally, many have experienced failure while trying, but there is indeed a way for women leaders to be successful and happy.The question is: What makes women happy?  A team of researchers spent five years looking for the answer to this question.  After this time, they discovered why successful women are as much excellent professionals as excellent in life.They talked to more than one hundred extraordinary women worldwide who have managed to uphold happy…See More

One powerful way of moving your team from “why it can’t be done” thinking to “it can be done” thinking is to hold a brain storming session.  Brain storming sessions get all obstacles to task completion out on the table, so that practical solutions can be found to eliminate them. People tend to attach emotions to obstacles. Instead of viewing them as problems to be surmounted, they become fire-breathing dragons with talons digging into their productivity!  A brain storming session can take the…See More

Walk into any bookstore today, and you will find shelves full of books devoted to positive thinking for business success.  Positive thinking is great – but it is simply a great start to a successful business career and not the end-all-be-all cure that it is touted to be.   Why is it just a great start?  Because we can sit around and think positively all day, but nothing will happen until positive thinking translates into positive ACTION!   Without action, no new seeds are planted and nothing…See More

One of the toughest challenges facing managers on a daily basis is the care and feeding of key employees.   If you don’t keep the “tigers” happy, your competitors will.  And if your team doesn’t see a purpose – a positive vision, they will come to work for a paycheck and not for a compelling future.  Contagious leadership means providing motivation through a compelling vision to your team on a daily basis.   This means not only being able to clearly articulate a vision – but to live it and…See More

Success happens as a direct result of how we interact with other people, period.  True leadership means being able to inspire and motivate others to reach their full potential, and to contribute to others in a meaningful way.  Unless we consider some of the great writers and artists, very few success stories have been hermits. So what does this mean?  It means that everyone you meet has potential to influence your future in some way.  Let me repeat this – everyone you meet has potential to…See More

Many executives possess all the innate qualities to be truly great leaders, but they lack one fundamental attribute; consistency.  In their minds, projecting leadership is something to be saved for board rooms and key customer meetings.  But true leadership is evident even in the small daily tasks and how they are executed. For instance, how are your internal staff meetings conducted?  Do you straggle in late, with coffee dripping from your sleeve, and then proceed to answer messages on your…See More

Empowerment is a business buzzword that has been around for a long time and yet it is surprisingly misunderstood. Some see it as management’s way of making employees feel as though they have power when really they don’t, making it more of a “now you have the power to do as you’re told” situation. But true empowerment can change an entire business and accomplish great things. Good managers and leaders understand that true empowerment means sharing their power with the people over whom they have…See More