This time of year in Phoenix always brings up memories of Spring Training Baseball games. My first experience was decades ago when my boss invited my work-team out to a game. I was not all that thrilled. I had a lot to do and was not a big fan of baseball; it was one more thing getting in the way of my ability to get everything done. Thankfully, I was talked into going and as I was enjoying the […]
A few weeks ago, I posted about “Coaching Strong Leaders” and how being vulnerable increase your authenticity as a leader. Unfortunately, if done the wrong way it can backfire and do the opposite of what you intend. I once knew of a leader who encouraged me and others to be more open and sharing and yet he did not demonstrate this at all. This made him come across as a hypocrite and undermined his trust with me and the […]
Sometimes I think I’m on one path and then find out I’m on a completely different one, learning things I really did not expect. For example, I started down this path of accomplishing a pivotal goal. A pivotal goal is one that accomplishes multiple things in multiple areas. This goal was more personal than business and yet I am sharing it here because I’ve experienced (and seen my clients experience) more business success by also setting and accomplishing personal […]
In my coaching and speaking I refer to an experiment where one person is given twenty dollars and told that they decide how much to give to a second person. The second person has one chance to say yes or no. The catch is that both people have to end up with some money or neither receive any. Earlier this week I did this with two volunteers at a speech I gave at a professional association conference. The volunteer […]
No matter who you are, what you do, or where you want to go, you absolutely cannot do it alone. You need relationships. And if you want to have a journey that is more successful, fulfilling, smoother and more enjoyable, then you need to have great relationships with the people all around you. At work. At home. Even in the line at the store or in the car next to you on the backed-up freeway. Yes, even those strangers […]
A common way that I get lost and my clients get lost is in feeling confused or overwhelmed with large amounts of data or many different options. One of my favorite tools for cutting through the confusion is a mind map. I found this great mind map (pictured below) of all the different benefits and uses of a mind map on Flickr, click on this link to see the detail, The Mind Map by Zapckr on Flickr. The simple process […]
One morning at the small gym where I do my exercise “torture” there were a couple new faces on the treadmill next to me. They came in and didn’t say a word. I debated about whether to say anything; maybe they’re happy in their silence? I decided to say good morning. They each smiled and replied back with a good morning too and I felt better that we had that small connection. It doesn’t feel like much, but when […]
“It took me a long time not to judge myself through someone else’s eyes.” – Sally Field Sometimes, in my preparations to give a speech, I catch myself in a spiral of concerns about whether the audience will like my points or if what I’m saying will resonate at all or if the information I share will be relevant enough for them and on and on. In the best of times, I catch the spiral before it goes too […]
In 1987, I was at my desk at Motorola, trying to stay focused on the procedure I was reading when I overheard a more experienced colleague say, “He really read him the riot act….” Immediately, I thought, what act is that? I haven’t seen it in the pile of reading that I was assigned? I jumped up and asked, “Where do I get a copy of the riot act?” There was a pause and then a lot of laughter […]
“Control is a mirage. The most effective leaders right now – men and women – are those who embrace traits once considered feminine: Empathy. Vulnerability. Humility. Inclusiveness. Generosity. Balance. Patience.” This is how this month’s Inc. magazine cover story started; it got my attention. It made me think about some of my prior bosses. Sure enough, the best ones did embrace these traits. As the author mentions in the article, I would have followed them into a burning building. […]
