The Challenge to Influence
When I met Jessica*, I was immediately struck by her passion and clarity. She was a woman on a mission! She could see that her company was committed to doing things the way they’d always been done, and it was causing the best-and-the-brightest to jump ship. As she explained it, people were leaving because they wanted to […]
A Lesson in Mastery
At dinner the other night they had lobster bisque on the menu. Delicious! While I resisted the calories, I was immediately transported back in time, to our idlic summer vacation on the coast of Maine. Some of our greatest lessons can be found in the most unexpected places, and mine was a lesson in mastery. Having grown […]
No Commitment, No Trust, No Results (Are You “That Guy”?)
I have a friend and colleague who always asks to get together. Great guy. Fun. Interesting. It’s always enjoyable to see him. We eagerly schedule something. Without fail, he either cancels or has to reschedule. He routinely schedules other things during the time we’ve planned to meet. It could be that he’s just disorganized. It […]
A Mountain of Motivation
We hiked to Hidden Lake today, at the top of Glacier National Park’s Going-to-the-Sun Road, and discovered heaven. I couldn’t help but think what a study in intrinsic motivation it was (look, if I’m going to be blogging while on vacation, I will find an insight ’round every bend!). To propel ourselves, eleven-year-old in tow, up […]
Leaders, Do They Want to Follow You?
After spending a significant amount of time in both the theatre-world and the corporate-world, the thing that continues to strike me as odd is how much the two worlds are alike. Old Billy Shakespeare said a long time ago, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” He nailed it. […]
Are Your Fences a Barrier Brave?
I don’t know about you, but I find that my biggest barriers to brave are often of my own making. I suspect I’m not alone. As it turns out, there are a lot of chickens out there running around trying to escape their fences, as illustrated in the fun and macabre film, Chicken Run. Chicken Run is an […]
A Leader’s Most Important Job
On the first day of my son’s Spring break, I woke up to 3 inches of snow. Everything was blanketed in white, electrified by the morning sun. By lunchtime it was gone, as if it were a mirage. Could it be that all transformation is similar? That one day we’re one way – believing we’re capable of […]
Could You Be So Right It’s Hurting You?
I woke up this morning to little snowflakes on my windshield. SNOW! Apparently New York didn’t get the ‘it’s Spring” memo. When I saw the snow I immediately felt grumpy and, after 2 or 3 minutes of pouting, I realized I have a choice. I can choose to stay grumpy and let it ruin my mood […]
Authentic Buy-in
If you’ve been in the professional world, corporate or otherwise, for any length of time, you’ve heard about the importance of communicating benefits. Communicating Benefits is one of those basic block and tackling skills that rarely get taught in high school, or even college for that matter (like balancing a checkbook – what’s with that?), […]
Who Are Your Anti-Busy-Buddies?
“I wish I could” she said, “I never have time for lunch. It’s crazy-busy here. Always.” “Oh I hear ya! This is the first time I’ve come up for air in weeks!” I replied, feeling like I had to somehow justify the unfilled gap in my day. As a culture we wear our overwhelm like […]
