Most managers are doing far too little to mitigate the destructive and wasteful effects of e-mail misuse. Like a B-movie, the e-mail monster keeps growing larger and consuming more time and resources (“E-zilla: The Insatiable Beast”). Some of the more common abuses I hear about in my workshops are: CC-ing the World” – far too […]
Read post »We’ve all heard it’s the journey and not the destination that is most important in life. But whether flying or driving, we’re too often so intent on getting to our next destination that we miss the joy of the trip. Then it’s a whirlwind of activity until we get back in the plane or car […]
Read post »Below is a description and link to one of my favorite fables on resisting peer pressure and following what I feel is right. I once had a gymnasium of high school kids applaud this story after I told it (holding the attention of 300 grade nine kids was stretching the bounds of my professional speaking […]
Read post »“I was intrigued by the Moose on the Table (my most recent Globe Mail article “When Silence Isn’t Golden”) and how much it applies to where I have been working for fifteen years this June. We are now dealing with the fall-out of a disgruntled employee who left because I would no longer listen to […]
Read post »Right after my article “When Silence Isn’t Golden” appeared in The Globe &Mail, I received this e-mail from a reader: “Hello Jim, I just wanted to send you a note to let you know how much your article today resonated with me … you hit it bang-on and helped me resolve something in my professional […]
Read post »A few months ago, professional speaking colleague (we met and stay in touch through the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers), Tyler Hayden approached me with this intriguing offer: “I am co-editing a book called ‘A Father’s Message In a Bottle’ (which will be part of a series – A Mother’s, A Sister’s, etc.) The first […]
Read post »“The universe is made of stories, not atoms.” – Muriel Rukeyser, American novelist, poet, biographer, and screenwriter “Wherever a story comes from, whether it is a familiar myth or a private memory, the retelling exemplifies the making of a connection from one pattern to another: a potential translation in which narrative becomes parable and […]
Read post »An early Moose on the Table reader e-mailed me that she quite liked the book. But she bitterly complained about not being in a position of power and authority as Pete Leonard (the central character) and the other characters in the book. She was very right about this book being directly applicable to those in […]
Read post »A day after long time Improvement Points subscriber, Larry Beckon, received the following Improvement Point he sent me the e-mail below: "A thirty-eight year old man was at his parent’s home for Sunday dinner. He mournfully turned the discussion to his many problems, ‘I’ve just left my third failed marriage, I can’t hold onto a […]
Read post »On the eve of his retirement from Industry Canada, Brian Johnstone sent me a thoughtful and reflective e-mail. With his permission, I am sharing a portion of it that draws the critical connection between personal and professional success. “Jim, your articles continue to provide focus and inspiration for me. I’m preparing to retire and this […]
Read post »There are about as many views and definitions of what encompasses “leadership” as there are experts in this field. There is one point that most leadership researchers and developers agree on: leaders are made, not born. Leaders are rarely naturals. But the ultimate level of mastery is to make it look natural. The great Italian […]
Read post »“The most fatal illusion is the settled point of view. Since life is growth and motion, a fixed point of view kills anybody who has one.” – Brooks Atkinson, drama critic “Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson, American writer/philosopher “If we […]
Read post »The title of my fourth book, Growing the Distance (now available on our web site as an e-book download), reflects its focus on personal growth for personal, career, and family success. Following is an exercise taken from it’s Personal Implementation Guide. Both Growing the Distance and the Personal Implementation Guide are now part of an […]
Read post »Just telling people they need to grow is one thing. Actually offering practical ideas is what really helps leaders to reach their full potential. Here are a few ideas from dozens listed in the Growing and Developing section of the Growing the Distance: Personal Implementation Guide. Get a personal coach or counselor to guide your […]
Read post »Two and half years after I began writing (and more than fours after I conceived the book idea), I have finally finished the first draft of my Moose-on-the-Table book! Squeezing this writing between a major web site redesign, increasingly busy Client work schedule, and all the other writing I do for our newsletter and various […]
Read post »A subscriber who has read The Leader’s Digest “for about the 6th or 7th time” (he’s going to know the book better than me!), sent an e-mail asking about the section in the book entitled “Steering the Course” (page 59), where I discuss the three choices of Navigator, Survivor, or Victim. This discussion is always […]
Read post »I was running a Leadership @ the Speed of Change workshop with a group of participants who were struggling with staying positive during a very tumultuous time in their organization. We were talking about the choice we all have: either we can focus on a problem and let it overwhelm us, or we can keep […]
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