“Our greatest strength is our people,” the CEO boldly proclaims at an all-company meeting. “We treat each other with respect and our culture enables creativity.” These encouraging sound bites are rendered impotent, however, when that same CEO barks orders and scolds her staff in that afternoon’s leadership meeting. Most leaders know what to say. They … Read more
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“I have an idea” vs. “I have a concern.” In meetings, what do you suppose the ratio is at your company between these two phrases? What do you think the ratio was five years ago? What is the ratio at Google? Facebook? Quicken Loans? It really got me thinking about where we are applying our … Read more
The sneeze of your seatmate on an airplane sends a bolt of disgust through your mind. “Now I’m going to catch what this bozo has!” From popping endless vitamins to dousing with hand sanitizer, we go to great lengths to protect against germs. We don’t want to catch what someone else has. Or do we? … Read more
Think about how much time you spend fretting about what might happen. Those deer-in-the-headlights moments are not only agonizing but they are profoundly unproductive. With each minute you spend in a state of worry, you’re robbing yourself of the opportunity to contribute to your own success and the world around you. The funny thing about … Read more
With mounting pressure and competitive tension, you may be seduced into sloppy leadership patterns that can ultimately hurt your business. In these challenging times, thoughtful leadership has never been more important and it is your responsibility to continuously refine your game. Here are seven common traps to avoid: 1. Violate trust. This goes beyond straightforward lying, … Read more
We all face incredible challenges in our lives. Difficult people. Ruthless competition. Time constraints. But so many of us succumb to an imaginary and impotent demon that strangles our potential and restricts our progress. This fictitious monster is called simply … the past. While the past can be a great teacher, it can also shackle our … Read more
A few hours after I posted this blog, 19 firefighters tragically lost their lives in Arizona, giving everything they had to save ours. Our hearts and prayers go out to their families, and courageous firefighters everywhere. The alarm rings at the fire station, and the brave men and women respond with instinctive urgency. In a … Read more
We all get provoked. An angry associate; a cranky customer; a snarling spouse. In these cases, the primitive part of our brain designed to protect us in the wild kicks in and our autonomic response is to recklessly fire back. We lash out, hit below the belt, and respond with uncontrollable emotion. That’s where the … Read more
Robert Linkner was one strange dude. He forged his own path as he journeyed from hippie to psychologist to retailer to financial planner. He had a hilarious, dark sense of humor, was an incredible chef and had a series of oddball hobbies. He took pride that his tastes in music, travel, food, and life were … Read more
Last week I heard from three different people on three separate occasions about how they had a great idea but missed the boat. “I had the idea for Groupon five years ago”, a friend claimed. “I coulda been the one to land that big promotion, but I never shared my ideas with the boss”, another … Read more