Who is in Control?
What (or who?) runs your life? Where do you think the locus of control lies? Folks divide up into those that believe the locus of…
Leaders that Don’t
To be effective, a leader must be comfortable being in charge, at ease with being in command. They must give direction with the calm confidence…
Something Stands in the Way
There is always something in the way of anything meaningful, anything of significance you wish to be or accomplish. If there weren’t, you’d already have…
Effective Caring
As emotionally evolved humans, we all want a better world so at one level we care about many things, most beyond our ability to impact…
How Strong is a Chain with a Broken Link?
“How Strong is a Chain with a Broken Link?” is a rhetorical question if ever there was one: a broken link = a broken chain.…
Playing the Insurance Game
In the context of business, what I call ‘”Playing the Insurance Game” is when someone, particularly one in a position of responsibility or authority, does…
THE CYCLE OF INQUIRY
“There is very little difference between people but that little difference makes a big difference.” – W. Clement Stone One little difference that makes a big…
The Power of Upstream Thinking
You are walking by the side of a river when you hear screams of distress: a child is drowning. You plunge into the water and…
Caging Your “What If Monkey”
“What If Monkeys” are always asking “What if it doesn’t work?” And while there is certainly a need to evaluate risks and have plans to…
Making the Leap: From Supervisor to Advisor
The common fallacy, usually unspoken but scrupulously adhered to nonetheless, is that someone is made a supervisor because of their “super” vision i.e. superior talents.…
How to Build a Ship
“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to…
The Five Deadly Traps of Mediocrity
Mediocre performers: Sap managers’ energy so they have less time for top performers Reduce quality of group discussions, lowering teams overall IQ Force others to…
The Big Secret Theory of Life
Many subscribe to some version of the “Big Secret” theory of life. The big secret theory is that there are short cuts, bags of tricks,…
Three Questions That Determine the Success of Your Pitch (And 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…
Bitter or Better? Which Do You Chose?
Life happens. Good things, bad things. Sometimes we are dealt a good hand, sometimes a bad hand. Most everyone reading this blog has won what…
Riding the J-Curve of Accountability
Change is often more valued in the abstract than in reality; as the saying goes “Change is good, you go first.” Change, even in the…
An Often-Neglected Duty Leaders Owe Others
When a leader dodges the tough conversations, when they lack the courage to hold people accountable or the internal fortitude and strength of will to…
A Vital Key to Success That You’ve Been Taught Not To Do
From birth most of us have been taught to avoid confrontation, whether to be nice or to be liked or get along or just to…
Acing the Second Score
Your “First Score” is what happened the first time; the “Second Score” is how you handle it, how you respond when your First Score is…
FIVE FEARS AND HOW THEY SILENCE
We often fail to have the difficult conversations we need to have, leaving unspoken important truths. Why? – Fear of Confrontation/Conflict: From the playground onward, we…
Five Steps to Your Best Self
You have GREATNESS within you, waiting for you to fully activate it. You want more, know you are capable of more, interested in being better, growing, learning,…
Don’t Push: It Rarely Lasts
I was on Community Walks the other day with a Senior Team Member when we observed some glaring oversights. Committed and ever responsive, they vowed…
Are you a Pleaser or a Leader?
Pleasing people is NOT the same as leading people. We all want to be liked, we all want affirmation. Effective leaders need to be able…
You Can’t Get it All Done
Since you will NEVER get it all done, you must learn to focus on getting the most important things done. However, to do what is…
Three Philosophical Pillars of the Collier Companies
While there really is no bright dividing line between the “Three Philosophical Pillars” and in truth they tend to blend and flow into each other,…
TCC CULTURE: THE SPIRIT OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP
At The Collier Companies, we value the Spirit of Entrepreneurship. Initiative, creativity, resourcefulness, a can-do attitude, a burning desire to grow and improve, to always…