Have you ever been frustrated by a conversation (or a series of them!) that seems to go nowhere no matter how hard you try? Progress can be illusive at best when two or more people are in a conversation in which they are not committed to the same outcome. Yet even when you are seemingly » Read More
If I were to put in you a completely dark room and you had no idea where the door was, how would you find the door? You would have to take a step, and adjust for your next step given the “feedback,” wouldn’t you? You would probably bump into things. You may even get a » Read More
People always have a choice even when they do not see that they do. A critical role of every leader is to bring people to choice. You can be a victim of your circumstances or you can choose who you are going to be in the face of them. There are even times when you » Read More
There’s a lot of pressure, and even hype, out there about the need to be or become an expert. Of course, to be perceived as an expert you need to know something about your area of expertise. “Expert” also implies some depth of knowledge and understanding, as well as expertise in applying it. What if » Read More
If you want to be adaptable you must be willing to let go of the need to know the answer. Why? Because there is rarely one answer: that single right answer to the questions you are being asked and are asking or the right path through the challenges you face. The problem with needing to » Read More
When was the last time you asked for something you really wanted or even needed to support your dreams? Amanda Palmer ran one of the most successful crowd funding campaigns ever to raise money to support her music. The record company was not satisfied with her results with only 25,000 units sold, so to keep » Read More
On a group trip to Lake Tahoe I hooked up with a few people I didn’t know to ski with for the day. It turned out they were great skiers. Many of them were even former ski instructors. Following them had me push my own limits in ways I would likely not have on my » Read More
“Safe to Say” was the term one of my clients used to describe the kind of environment they wanted to create. By “Safe to Say” they meant people felt comfortable sharing bad news and could openly talk about what was not working and what they did not like without fear of repercussions formally or informally. » Read More
Building consensus is key in the democratic process. When you have a vote you “have a say” in the outcome. Even if the vote doesn’t go your way, you still had the privilege of having a voice. Voting may be an effective way to elect someone into office. After all, you will rarely, if ever, » Read More
“New Year’s resolutions rarely work, because good intentions don’t often survive a collision with reality.” –Seth Godin Avoid the vicious cycle of failed resolutions by consciously creating a cycle of success. A cycle of success is what will help you avoid those unpleasant “collisions with reality” to which Seth Godin refers. In thinking about my own successes » Read More
