(excerpt from my forthcoming book Live Hard) We’ve all made fun of bureaucracy, right? Bureaucracy is an organizational reality that involves a hierarchy of authority with a defined reporting structure, rigid division of labor and control of resources, and lots of formal and informal policies and procedures for everything. People fill assigned roles and work […]
GOOGLE AND THE SIMPLE NARRATIVE
I’ve been a big fan of Google for a long time. They get so much right, though, like all organizations, they are imperfect. There are many colorful commentaries flooding the net about the recent diversity debacle, but nearly all feel terribly incomplete. I believe this aspect of the Google issue is very similar to many other events dominating […]
A CLOSER LOOK AT UNITED’S DECISION TO FAIL
I don’t often directly address the headlines, but this one is so intriguing. I have enjoyed flying on United for years, thus this latest snafu is comment worthy. It can certainly teach us something about decision-making and leadership. So, how did United fail so spectacularly? In terms of decision-making, the first error was blind cult-like adherence to “the […]
THE TRUTH ABOUT SUCCESS
People often talk about success as if it’s simple. The common sales pitch suggests that success is available to anyone willing to work hard. I truly love that sentiment, though it’s terribly incomplete. The truth is that success is the result of many factors. Some you control, others you don’t. Let’s think about what you […]
GO BIG OR GO HOME
(Yesterday I heard some knuckle head talking about why it’s not reasonable to chase your dreams. It inspired me to write this…) I love the glass half full philosophy. It’s been one of my favorites for years. It’s good logic, backed up by good science. Having said that, I’m not sure it’s the best philosophy […]
10,000 JORDANS
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 […]
APPRECIATING INSPIRATION
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 […]
ROCK YOUR WALMART JEANS
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 […]
INNOVATING IS LEARNING
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 […]
THINGS YOU NEVER HEAR AT WORK BUT SHOULD
I believe we need far more honesty and candor at work. When I share this idea, most people agree. It’s funny though – if you ask people to embrace the idea, they stumble. It’s like asking someone if eating healthy is smart. They say yes, and they mean it. Then they eat a box of […]
