Expectancy Effect: Make it Your Ally, Not Your Foe
The “Expectancy Effect” is the phenomenon by which folk’s perceptions and behavior change as a result of their or others prior beliefs i.e. expectations. It…
A Leader’s Highest Leverage Point
Yes, a leader must show the way, articulate the vision, light the fire and yet… all that eventually is little use if a leader does…
First Rule of Project Management
Create a Timeline! Far more than just a final deadline, a timeline lays out, in sequential order, a schedule of all the events AND the…
W.W.W.
W.W.W. stands for “Why am I doing this?” “Why now?” “What else could I be doing?” W.W.W is an important acronym to help you prioritize…
A Thought-Provoking Question
A Team Member asked me the other day what they needed to do to get promoted. In the moment, I couldn’t come up with anything…
Beware the Thomas Becket Pitfall
In any organization, there is a natural desire to please one’s boss. In general, a good, even excellent thing. However, when rules are cast aside,…
Two Lies Leaders Should Never Tell Themselves
Lie #1: “I’ve unique stress others don’t so understandable if I…” Even if the first part of the statement is true, the second is definitely…
To Live your Greatest Life, the Most Important Trait is…
Courage. The willingness to enter the cave you fear, to do the hard thing first, now, not later. To step, no, RUN out of your…
Three High Leverage Psychological Skills Happy People Cultivate
A Love of Learning is one of the highest leverage habits one can adopt for it strengthens and supports all other areas of your life.…
Five Different Things Successful People Do that Others Don’t
#1 Successful people are possibility thinkers. They believe in themselves and in others and their ability to make things happen. They do not accept the…
Question: How to get Traction Starting Out?
Recently, The Collier Companies Team Members submitted over 100 “Questions to the Chair” as part of our upcoming Conference of Champions. Here’s one: Q: What’s…
Two Questions Highly Productive People Ask
1. What are the highest value tasks before me? Value is usually more of an emotional call then aught else, especially once beyond the base…
The Remarkable Resource Every Successful Person Cultivates
Imagine: You debut as a starting NFL quarterback and your initial pass is intercepted and returned for a TD. Your next play, you botch a…
Leaders are NOT Problem Solvers
This may be heresy to some traditional thinkers, but the primary role of a leader is NOT to be a problem solver per se but…
How Bad Do You Want It?
At The Collier Companies we have a long tradition of Book Clubs which typically read 3 or 4 books a year. Which is good and…
New Year’s Resolutions are for Novices; Here are Hints for Being a Pro
First and Foremost! Start Small, Build on your wins. Make it hard to quit, build in rest stops, plan for plateaus! i.e. I will play…
Directed Learning Beats Drifting and Dreaming
When I interview folks for a managerial or leadership position, I frequently ask about their preferred learning style. “Hands on” is the most frequent answer.…
It’s Not as Easy as You Think
There are probably over 5,000 athletes playing Division 1 college football. Every year maybe 250 get to go to the NFL. Five Percent. Max. One…
If You Are Standing Still, You Are Running Backward
To live your best life, continuously strive to improve your skills, broaden your knowledge, revise your internal maps, challenge your comfort zone. Talent is just…
Habits: They Pave both the Road to Heaven and the Pathway to Failure
Wherever you are, you are there because of your habits. Why? Well, the secret of your future is buried in your daily routine and today…
Three Mind Tricks of the Super Successful
Desire is far, far more powerful than discipline. If it is what you truly want, you will blow through virtually any obstacle to get there.…
Do These Seven Things to Turbo Charge Your Life
Believe in yourself. If you don’t, few will. Don’t rent out space in your head to the opposition, make your internal voice your champion, your…
Be Strong, Make the First Move
Whether it be breaking the ice or being the first to reach out in a relationship (be it friendly, family, or romantic) or being the…
Who Decides What You Say Yes To? You? Or Others?
It is all too easy, in the hurly burly of life, to wake up and find that our life has been hijacked, that we have…
Stacked Goals
How aspirational should your goals be? Some say dream BIG, others say stay reasonable, rational, realistic. Some find challenging targets inspirational, the bigger the better,…
How Do You Stay Sharp?
Covey in Seven Habits of Highly Effective People speaks of the need to “Sharpen the Saw”, to regularly take time to renew, develop and grow…