What to do when a misstep leaves you on thin ice

If you've made a grave mistake as a leader and you find your career in jeopardy, instead of taking action in haste, executive coach Ed Batista advises slowing down, taking stock of the situation, finding a coach to help you navigate the challenges and understanding it will take time to recover. "In particular, be prepared for some vestige of this episode to cling to your reputation and to face repeated reminders, implied or explicit, that you were once on thin ice," Batista advises.

Put it into practice: It's important to grow from serious missteps in your career, including learning resilience, emotional regulation and the ability to learn from failures and mistakes, Batista notes. Preparing for the worst -- such as hiring outside legal counsel if necessary -- is also recommended by Batista.

Data shows that retaining and engaging employees is paramount for executives, which is good since other research reveals few employees are engaged, and many may be eyeing the exit, says S. Chris Edmonds. Employees want to be respected and validated, Edmonds notes, which means leaders must model the behavior, celebrate team success and coach workers on cultural behavior norms.

Put it into practice: It's up to senior leaders to model the respect and validation their employees crave and create a culture where such behavior is expected, Edmonds says. "When respect and validation are the foundation of your work culture, retention, engagement and recruitment organically follow."

Discovering whether a colleague really values the work they do involves deeper probing than a simple question that elicits only a one-word answer. "Yes and no questions seldom give us much information that's really useful," writes Tom Foster in his "Management Blog," noting that it's better to ask about the task the colleague is doing.

Put it into practice: Foster says questions that will ascertain how much a colleague values their work might include: Before we ship this product to the customer, what is the most important thing we have to remember? When the customer receives this product, what is the most important thing they look for? and When you look around at your team mates, thinking about their work, what do you find most helpful to you?

Mark Tuitert, a speed skater who won a gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, follows the wisdom of the Stoics to focus on making the right choices, looking out for the interest of your team and building character, traits he outlines in his book, "The Stoic Mindset: Living the Ten Principles of Stoicism." "In all areas, from sports to politics to business, individuals and teams demonstrate that success doesn't have to come at the expense of others. The quest for character is the quest for a good life," Tuitert writes.

When aspiring guitarists want to sound impressive, the riffs they search the web for most often are "Seven Nation Army" by The White Strips, "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zepplin, "Come As You Are," by Nirvana and Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" coming in fourth along with three more of their songs in the top 20, according to an analysis by Wood and Fire Studio. "The first four songs are played so often that the staff in the guitar departments of music stores can no longer hear them," said the researchers.

Robert S. sent in this photo of his beloved Charlie Freckles. Robert's family adopted him after he was dumped out on an Alabama road.

"The guy that found him was not able to keep him so we brought him home," Robert writes. "He was a little nervous during the car ride. But when we walked into the kitchen and he saw our three other dogs he wagged his tail and was so happy. He is our only pet now. He is so good and friendly. Everyone in the neighborhood loves Charlie."

It's easy to see why!

What non-human companions do you spend your day with or who greet you when you get home? Send me their photos to share!

As a guitar player, I frequently find myself in music stores. There's always one guy in the acoustic room playing "Blackbird" by The Beatles, and out in the electric guitar and bass area, there are usually a few wailing out "Stairway to Heaven," "Seven Nation Army," or "Crazy Train." I always feel sorry for the employees, but maybe they've become immune to the cacophony around them. 

The data on the most played guitar riffs reminds me of a leadership tip. What's your favorite riff when you're in front of a crowd? Are you constantly using the same stories, the same examples or the same kinds of phrases? If so, like those music store employees, your team may be tuning you out.

Try switching up your riffs. Learn a new story, example or phrase. I'm sure the music store staff perks up when someone plays something they haven't heard in a while -- or when someone comes in a plays an entirely new riff they've written.

If you find yourself riffing -- quoting others over and over -- it's time to start digging into your leadership wisdom and offering up new ideas that come from your experience and not the borrowed experiences of others. That will get your team rockin'!

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What topics do you see in your daily work that I should know about? Do you have praise? Criticism? Drop me a note. And don't forget to send me photos of your pets, your office and where you spend your time off.