Assessing Our Ability to Influence Others
Improving my Influence Index, changing my choices, and getting to work on changing me to help change them.
Read article »Resources: Articles
Are You In Control of or Controlled By Technology?
Many managers are getting sucked into an incredible vortex of busyness and daily fire fighting in this 24/7, always-on, Blackberry culture. When left unchecked, the problem leads to burnout, turnover, morale problems, frenzied everything-is-urgent wheel spinning, and poor execution.
Read article »Apathy and Cynicism Zap Our Spirit
As the years slide by, a growing number of people don't really live, they merely exist – trapped in their lives of quiet desperation. Just getting by is as dangerous as resting in the snow on a frigid winter night; our passion and spirit dozes off and dies in our sleep.
Read article »An Educational Process for Change and Improvement Efforts
The best approaches, to help everyone in the organization understand what's going on and why, are personal and interactive. Workshops or seminars featuring presentations and discussions by senior managers are an effective educational tool in the improvement process.
Read article »Always on the Grow
If we continue to do what we've always been doing, we will continue to get what we've always been getting. To get somewhere else, we need to grow into someone else.
Read article »Accept What Can’t Be Changed and Change What Can Be
The changes and improvements we try to make to others must also be the changes and improvements we're trying to make to ourselves.
Read article »A Tale of Two Managers: Command versus Commitment
Motivation or morale problems are usually rooted in leaders failing to engage people in the broader aims and ideals of the organization.
Read article »A Process for Continuous Innovation and Controlled Chaos
Continuous innovation comes mainly from implementing the four stages of controlled chaos — exploration, experimentation, development and integration — into the organization.
Read article »A Father’s Message in a Bottle
Tyler Hayden approached Jim with an offer to contribute to his book ‘A Father’s Message In a Bottle’ . In short, the book has letters from Fathers to their children on assorted topics but each contains a nugget of wisdom and love.
Read article »A Customer Culture is Built on a Service Ethic
Technomanagers are leaders who focus first on technology and management systems, before focusing on their customers and internal/external partners. They must discover the key "servant leadership" principle — success comes through serving others.
Read article »A Coach’s Playbook for Workplace Teams
For all the big talk, matching T-shirts and off-site strategy sessions, calling a group of people a team doesn't make it one. Here's why many groups fall short, the keys to forming an effective team, and team ground rules.
Read article »A Checklist for Changing Me to Change Them
The changes and improvements we try to make to others must also be the changes and improvements we're trying to make to ourselves.
Read article »A Call to Action
Now is the time for action. Now is the time to move from where we are to where we want to be. Now is the time to grow toward our distant dreams. That takes courage and discipline.
Read article »A Burning Commitment to Our Cause
A clear hallmark of passionate and highly effective leaders is a burning commitment to the cause. There's no doubt about where the leader stands and where he or she is going.
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