Every Business Problem is a People Problem
Technology, systems, processes, administration -- they all go through people.And all people come with emotions, with baggage, with reactions and inconsistencies. Put simply, Business is People. Without people, there would be no business and no one for your business to...
The Problem With Sports Analogies
Aren’t sports analogies great? They’re always available--no matter what situation you find yourself in, there's a sports analogy for that. Plus, even if you're not a sports aficionado, you can usually follow along. And it's true, they are particularly useful for...
Divine Dissatisfaction
Note to self: there is a certain beauty, a certain nobility, a certain…“something" in the Divine Dissatisfaction one can find in their work or life. In my striving for perfection and infallibility (is that just me?), it is all too easy to doubt myself when I compare...
The Dangers & Fallacies of “Going It Alone”
I recently met a woman just out of college -- one of those “millennials", I suppose, who was struggling to find a job. She was struggling, but she didn't want any help -- she wanted to do it all on her own. I asked, but she couldn’t really articulate why. Was it some...
How to Make Boomers AND Millennials Uncomfortable
How? Turns out they both get it wrong. Ouch! A couple weeks ago, I pointed out some common misconceptions about millennials that drive me crazy. Turns out there’s evidence for that opinion --revealed research backs up my claims that millennials aren't the...
Striving For Second Place
"I’m #2!!!” he announced with great pride and excitement. “Awesome," I replied. “Is that good?” “Fabulous.” You see, most people as competitive as this client of mine tend not to stop until they hit #1. Anything less is usually viewed as a failure, or at least,...
Leadership Junk Food: Sound Bites
Do you remember that confounding answer to Life, The Universe & Everything that floated around for decades? According to the supercomputer Deep Thought*, after 7.5 million years of consideration, it turns out the answer was...42. Of course, Deep Thought did go on...
A Leader’s Most Powerful Tool
Note to self: Words are powerful things. We want to believe that old saying about “sticks and stones…” But is it true, that words can never hurt me? No. Words matter. They can inspire and they can destroy. They can change the course of history and stop progress in...
The HARDEST Leadership Lesson
Brace yourself. This may not be easy. Where do I start? Hmmm...Oh! I know. Let’s start here: They're lazy! They don't want to work! They think they're entitled! They have no work ethic! They won't 'pay their dues!' They've got no loyalty! Sound familiar? That’s the...
What Leadership ISN’T: Clarity of Vision
I heard a quote that's been attributed to anonymous (the coward :-)), but it's been really plaguing me lately. It goes like this: "If you can clearly see your own path, you can be sure it’s someone else’s.” Wait! What?! I thought the whole idea of great leadership...
