Hugging the Messenger!
We’ve all heard the admonishment, “Don’t Shoot the Messenger!”. Well, I urge you to take it a step further: HUG the Messenger! Thank them profusely.…
Three Questions That Determine the Success of Your Pitch (That Your Boss May Not Realize They Are Asking Themselves)
Quite frankly, ideas are a dime a dozen; even good ideas. It’s in the EXECUTION that most ideas succeed or fail. And odds are that…
One Quick Way a Leader Can Destroy an Organization’s Integrity
Is your Higher Purpose to “Look Good” or “Be/Do Good”? While communication should always be respectful, civil and done with a kind heart and intentions,…
Thinking is a Skill…Many are Unskilled and Don’t Know It
Simply because they have thoughts (i.e. words form) in their heads, most folks believe they know how to think. But if you define thinking as…
Powerfully Productive? Possible; Not Probable
Every hour of a meeting with eight people present represents an eight hour workday, the investment of a full “Man-Day”. Was value created or dissipated?…
CTS: The Little Difference That Makes a BIG Difference
“There is very little difference between people but that little difference makes a big difference.” – W. Clement Stone One little difference that makes a…
Think Smart, Think Systems: Solve the Problem, Then Fix the System
If you wish to truly make a difference in the world, if you wish to advance, it is not enough to solve the problem right…
The Risk You Can’t Afford Not To Take
“There is the risk you cannot afford to take and then there is the risk you cannot afford not to take.” – Peter Drucker, 1909-2005…
Getting Everything You Can Out of All You’ve Got
Too often we focus on our lacks, our weaknesses, on barriers that are in our way and thus flirt with creating a victim identity. If…
Three Things That Stand Between You and Greatness
1. Unfocused Desire The #1 reason people do not become their best self/do not live their greatest life is a Lack of Desire or more…
Doing it Scared
Doing it scared means doing it before you are fully ready because we are rarely, if ever, fully ready. Doing it scared means pushing your…
Unfulfilled Expectations: Landmines or Clues?
We spend most of our lives in Plan B; life is full of surprises, good and bad. As the saying goes, life turns out best…
The False Dichotomy: Micromanagement v. Delegation
Could it be that micromanagement is an overused term? A misnomer for a multitude of other management/communication issues? True micromanagement is explicitly giving a certain…
Seven Ways to Sabotage Yourself
Sometimes looking at opposites brings things into greater clarity… Be Reactive: Give away your personal power; hold others responsible for your emotions and reactions. See…
Half Truths, Myths, and Magical Thinking
I ran across a statement the other day that gave me pause for I truly thought that, stand alone, it was a dangerous concept: “Hire…
Seeking Failure Points
Every process, system, or human effort has multiple potential failure points, some more probable than others and some more crucial. I once worked as an…
The Phrase That De-Powers: “I’ll Try”
Trying isn’t doing. As Yoda said, “No! Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.” Saying “I’ll try” is a weak response that does not create confidence; “I’ll try” is almost a pre-excuse for…
Most Ideas About Leadership are Wrong
Leadership is NOT a position; rather leadership is a frame of mind, an attitude. Most think that leadership flows from positional power yet in an…
Are You F.P.F.P.?
F.P.F.P. stands for “Fully Prepared for the Past”. There is a saying that “Armies are always ready to fight the last war” meaning that there is…
Who holds your strings?
As in puppet strings; as in who is in control? The only good answer is “I do!” Yet even in the 7th decade of my…
Objectivius Shinium Syndromus
Objectivius Shinium Syndromus or “Shiny Object Syndrome” (SOS) is the tendency to let a new idea or concept or venture capture your imagination to a…
Are you Running on Default Mode?
Default mode is taking the easy way out, the path of least resistance, accepting the status quo without question or meaningful demur. People tend to…
This is What I Do
How do you motivate yourself? How do you keep yourself going when you are tired, fatigued, falling behind? How do you tap into your best…
Making Your Own Luck
Luck is the intersection of preparation and opportunity. Relentlessly increasing your skill sets (Preparation!) certainly increases the scope of the opportunities you can jump on;…
Best Reason Ever to Embrace Failure
Embrace Failure? Hug it? Love on it? What? Well, given that failure has occurred (and I assure you, it will occur again… and again… and…
Tell Me I’m Not Good Enough. Tell Me I Can’t. Tell Me You Don’t Think I’ve Got What It Takes. Please.
What motivates you? What puts fire in your belly? Fuels you? Stirs your blood? Failure defeats the mediocre but inspires winners to greater effort. The…