Keep up to speed on Todd’s latest thoughts, books, clients, and professional activities.
I was helping my son Paxon with his homework the other night. He asked about a particular math problem and I didn’t know the answer or how to figure it out. He was astounded. “Wait. Don’t you have a Ph.D.?” He asked. I nodded. He laughed. He thought it was funny that his sixth grade problem […]
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Wouldn’t it be useful for all leaders to agree to some type of statement of purpose? Medical doctors have the Hippocratic Oath. There are far more leaders than doctors, so what should the leadership oath look like? Here is my first take – let me know your comments. Wouldn’t it be amazing if most leaders […]
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A few months ago I tweeted this little gem: The best one word piece of advice – matter! I wanted to find something useful to say with as few words as possible. As I thought about three word combos, then two word combos, it hit me – go for one. There it was: matter. Stated […]
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I spend a lot of time doing my best to help and inspire people. So when I run across a person who inspires me, it feels amazing. I met someone like that recently and it got me thinking about the types of people who inspire. When I thought about all of the inspiring people I’ve […]
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You can’t control what happens in life. Control is a bit of an illusion. Of course you can and should try to control your future by shaping the odds in your favor. You do this by working harder than others, building positive relationships, and so on. However, life happens and you have to adjust. As […]
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An excerpt from the new book SHOW YOUR INK: STORIES ABOUT LEADERSHIP AND LIFE I experienced a situation in a consulting engagement once that taught an interesting lesson. At first, I thought it was about life at work, but soon I realized it was really just about life. The lesson was that personal improvement and […]
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Organizations don’t improve unless a few people take risks. Employees and managers must risk upsetting the status quo (whether that concerns relationships, processes, technologies, or whatever) in order to move the organization forward. Ironically, most people and nearly all systems are wired to resist change. Some will acknowledge the need for change and innovation and […]
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I’ve been riding motorcycles since the age of nineteen. My most recent was a 2006 Harley Davidson Street Bob. It was among the first models produced by Harley with blacked-out parts. Very cool. Six gears. Mini apes. I added loud Vance and Hines pipes in the aftermarket. It was a beast. I loved that bike. […]
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I’m often asked about what makes a talk great. My response might surprise you, and I believe it applies to professional speakers, accountants, someone working in human resources, or any other type of professional. The simple answer is that giving a great talk is about connection. A connection is a feeling of togetherness between the […]
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I was recently fortunate enough to receive some honest and useful feedback. The first piece of feedback concerned a slang phrase I sometimes use. The second focused on everyone’s favorite mascot, Danny the Devil Duck (for the uninitiated, this is a cute little red bathtub duck with tiny black devil horns). In both cases I […]
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