I recently awoke to a pleasant surprise in my e-mail. I’ve been included on a list of the world’s "top 30 most influential leadership gurus." I am especially honored to be in the company of leaders that I’ve learned so much from, such as Warren Bennis, Tom Peters, Ken Blanchard, Jim Collins, Stephen Covey, Marshall […]
Read post »A reader responded to a blog question about executive teams I raised in a January post ("Have you fallen and can’t get up?") with a story of how she has personally fallen, and is having trouble getting up. She leads a group of experts in a professional organization who are extremely disdainful of her and […]
Read post »“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” – Confucius, ancient Chinese thinker and social philosopher “… the most successful teams had leaders who actively managed the groups’ learning efforts. Teams that most successfully implemented the […]
Read post »My last blog post featured an inspiring verse on the power of habit to enable or enslave us. Our habits make or break us. A habit is a learned behavior causing us to think and act automatically. Many times, we’re not aware of the hundreds of tiny and bigger habits we’ve acquired over our lifetime. […]
Read post »Like finding a $20 dollar bill in the pocket of a jacket you haven’t worn for a while, it’s always delightful to rediscover inspirational gems. Over the past few weeks I’ve been working with a very progressive and delightful Client to finalize a two-day management training workshop we’ve been customizing for their senior and middle […]
Read post »Recently I was a panelist at our local Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals meeting. Each of us on the panel was asked to give 10 minutes of reflections to the young professionals starting their careers on “I wish I knew then, what I know now.” This was followed by a very spirited and lively question […]
Read post »The first week of May I facilitated a large (130 participants) four-day leadership development and planning “Advance” for Aga Khan University (AKU) at the Great Rift Valley Lodge in Kenya. I have never been to Africa before. It was an extraordinary and eye-opening trip. A big highlight was working with a group of exceptional leaders […]
Read post »Much of North America enjoyed unseasonably warm Easter weekend weather that was more like summer than spring. It was perfect timing for me to get my soft top roadster out of winter hibernation and let the wind blow through my few remaining hairs while welcoming back the warm sunshine on the open road. This is […]
Read post »We’ve heard a number of inspiring stories and seen many examples of personal and team excellence during the Vancouver Winter Olympics. “The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel are the things that endure. These qualities are so much more important than the events that occur.” – Vince Lombardi “At the winter […]
Read post »Right around now, many people who resolved to make positive changes this year are floundering. It’s easy to get pulled down by a few slips off our intended path. Pick up a cup of water or coffee and estimate how heavy it is. Now hold it straight out sideways at shoulder height. How much heavier […]
Read post »A New Year’s resolution is too often a good intention that goes in one year and out the other. To change habits we often need inspiration and action – or “inspir-action.” Here are action steps to build habits that continually move us out of wallowing, beyond following, to leading: • This is the perfect time […]
Read post »One evening I was slowly eating my dinner with Heather. She waited and waited for me to finish and finally asked me to hurry up. I told her I was mindfully eating by savoring every bite of the delicious meal she had prepared. She told me to “savor faster.” “Fast savoring” is an apt oxymoron […]
Read post »After a cool and wet spring in much of eastern North America, last week we finally started those lazy, hazy days of summer. Relaxing in a shady spot or sandy beach with a good book sounds pretty good. Since I am an avid reader, and I have just finished writing another book, here are some […]
Read post »As I am finishing the last editing stages of my latest book, Growing @ the Speed of Change, I am running into huge number of speaking and workshop Clients wrestling with massive personal and organizational change. It’s a powerful reaffirmation of the focus and message of this book. And I don’t think it’s just me […]
Read post »Here’s a an e-mail that caught me by surprise and made me sit up, take notice, and review what I’ve been sending out to subscribers of our Improvement Points service. “I enjoy your improvement points but think that you are far too hard on managers and leaders. Your articles show a distinct bias for employees […]
Read post »Too many managers seem to operate on a variation of an old Groucho Marx routine; “I’ve got top priorities. I am going to stick to those priorities. And if you don’t like those priorities…I have others.” It’s very hard to bring the discipline of a goal setting system or planning process to a team or […]
Read post »As I continue to think and write about leadership courage, two points stand out for me. The first point is around having the courage as a leader to make it easy for people in our organization or team to speak up. Most managers dump out information (mainly through e-mail) and call it “communication.” Strong leaders […]
Read post »I have known John for nearly twenty years. Our relationship started before he retired from his previous company and delivered his experience and wisdom to the larger world through consulting. He was an excellent coach and trainer with a strong internal reputation in the large Canadian bank where he worked. And his storytelling skills were […]
Read post »I have been thinking a lot about courage. It is at the core of leadership. What is courage? Most of us recognize its opposite in this snippet from The Wizard of Oz: Cowardly Lion: Look at the circles under my eyes. I haven’t slept in weeks. Tin Woodsman: Why don’t you try counting sheep? Cowardly […]
Read post »One of the rewards of being in my line of business is that I get to meet a wide variety of very interesting people doing this type of work. I met Donald Cooper five years ago and he’s become a very good friend. Besides being a funny and fascinating guy with lots of stories to […]
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