Change doesn’t just happen. It needs a catalyst. It needs to be facilitated. Years ago, I did a bit while speaking that was designed to make this point. I would ask the audience to close their eyes and trust me. People would comply. Then I asked them, with their eyes remaining closed, to stand up. […]
THE TRUTH ABOUT DIVERSITY
(Excerpt from my new book Live Hard) “Take the topic of privilege – white privilege to be exact. Is it real? Yes. Is it important? Yes. Is it easy for people, especially white people, to understand? Not always. The challenge is that while all white people have experienced privilege, they don’t know it. They think […]
EXECUTION IS EVERYTHING
It’s fun to research, assemble, and try out your own personal bag of tricks to be applied to relationship and career issues. I love finding new rules, maxims, and tools to consider. However, you do run a risk when you find new practices to try. If you try something once and it works, there is […]
STUCK HAPPENS
One minute things are flowing and the group is killing it. The next minute it seems as if you’re all slogging through a field of thick mud. Progress slows or stops. Stuck happens. You might find yourself stuck as a team due to long hours, seemingly impossible tasks, never-ending changes demanded of you, or some […]
YOUR CALLING
When you feel called to do something, you really don’t have a choice, do you? It’s an overwhelming feeling. It’s when an activity or vocation suddenly becomes an imperative – something you simply must do. It’s positive, powerful, and invigorating. It provides you with clarity. It pushes you forward with purpose and passion. That’s amazing. […]
HAVE THEIR BACK
Leadership is about them, not you. If you want to maximize their productivity, you have to value the team, not just drive the team. That means seeing them in a more holistic sense – even in the face of their imperfections and mistakes. It’s easy if you begin by realizing that you’re imperfect, and yet […]
THE FEAR, THE CHALLENGE, AND THE DREAM
Success is about being brave in the face of THE FEAR, and open to THE CHALLENGE, in order to realize THE DREAM. We all have THE DREAM. It represents a desired future state. Your hopes and aspirations, your glowing picture of what you wish to achieve. We all dream, but, far too few of us […]
THE CURIOUS NATURE OF SUCCESS
There are two main phases of success: before you’re successful and after you’re successful. Before you make it, you’re successful in spite of what you don’t have. That’s the defining characteristic of life before success. You fake it until you make it. You stretch resources and get creative. You clock major hours. You take risks. […]
JOIN THE PARTY?
Wouldn’t it be nice if work was a simple meritocracy? The rules and metrics would be clear. As a result, knowing who is performing well would also be very clear. Promotions would go to the most capable, the process would have no ambiguity, perceived fairness would be high, and so on. It’s simple, right? Not […]
GROWTH HURTS
Bad news. Life is pain. The good news is that it’s not all pain, and, it’s possible that pain produces something quite wonderful. I’m referring here mostly to mental pain (e.g., stress, anxiety, guilt, sorrow, fear). There are three main types to consider. One type is the pain you feel that has been caused by others. It may have been […]
