Blue Fjord Leaders Blog
The Voice for Insightful Leadership with Shelley Row, P.E.
10 Skills Every Technical Professional Should Know when They Become a Manager
Whether your technical expertise is in engineering (like mine), law, finance, technology or science, we technical folks don’t have good reputations as managers. When a technically accomplished person is promoted into management, suddenly the old skills that made us...
7 Ideas to Consider When Creating Your Leadership Philosophy
What's your leadership philosophy? What's your leadership philosophy? I've asked that question to interview candidates and it has been asked of me. Frequently, the candidate is stumped as was I the first time. Don't let that question stump you. Perhaps you've worked...
To Create an Organizational Vision, Connect the Dots
In researching this article, I found countless resources on "how to write a vision and mission statement," "how to execute a vision and strategy," and "why you should have a vision statement." I found no articles on how to create a vision in the first place. An...
Five Steps that Challenge Your Impressions for Better Decision-Making
Hard-to-work-with, passive-aggressive, disagreeable, arrogant, unresponsive, unmotivated, angry. Know anyone like that? Rational, levelheaded, thoughtful, curious, respectful, friendly, easy-to-get-along-with, agreeable. You probably know people like this, too....
PODCAST – Why Should You Get Hired?
I recently was asked to speak on the PharmCast podcast (where they talk all things pharmacy and wellness.policy, people and the profession) to share ideas and tools for pharmacy leaders to steady themselves and their staff. This is part two of my conversation with...
Big Decisions: Are you considering a broad range of information sources?
We’re learning about the ten skills that technical professionals need when they become a manager. Let’s discuss the importance of having a broad range of information sources. Big Decisions: Are you considering a broad range of information sources? When you need to...
Blue Fjord Leaders Newsletter with Shelley Row, PE, CSP
Your place for short, easy-to-read articles on management, leadership, decision-making, and personal & professional development.
Featured Blog Posts
Understanding Humility & Leadership: a Guide for New Managers
How this aspect of self-awareness is a critical function in leadership How do you show up? A few weeks ago we introduced you to the Blue Fjord Leadership System. Over time, I’ll write about each of the skills starting with the foundational skills. Today, is...
Being the Smartest Person in the Room isn’t Enough. Now what?
Why smart people struggle in leadership positions & why technical experts need people skills You sensed it for some time. You know technically what is the right answer. And it’s not enough. You sense that you aren’t as effective or influential as you should...
The attributes of a good manager
From Technical Expert to Manager: How will you bridge the gap? It’s no surprise that the transition from technical expert to manager is a struggle. Leaders in technical organizations tell stories of exceptional engineers who never make it as a manager. Perhaps you...
Tone Matters: How a Leader’s Words Influence Good & Bad Behaviors
Tone at the Top Matters: What Tone Are You Setting? As a manager, what you say and how you say it drastically affects your team. Fix bad behavior and set the tone for office culture by learning from these mistakes. Daniel was the new boss and he came in like a...
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