Starting up a business or beginning a new job can provide a great lesson in humility. I know that I have felt that myself. You have great intentions, ideas, and determination. But “stuff happens” and gets in the way. Lots of roadblocks are thrown your way. You
Read more →My friend, Jack Harvey, shared a very interesting HBR article on the truth about being a nice boss, from author Emma Seppala. Here were her key conclusions. #1. High Stress Reduces Productivity If “tough” managers create tremendous levels of stress on employees, the effect can be very
Read more →I recently worked with a CEO who taught me some great lessons in management. One of the best I learned was that strong leaders must set clear and steady vision, and the leader can’t get drawn into a battle of “Yeah, buts”. So, what is a “Yeah, but”? A
Read more →Have you ever wondered whether reading bad news in the morning can have a negative impact on your productivity? According to a new study by Shawn Achor and Michelle Gielan in the latest Harvard Business Review, “consuming negative news CAN make you less effective at work.” In
Read more →We have all heard the phrase “He can’t see the forest through the trees.” When people say this about leaders, it is certainly not meant to be positive. The suggestion is that the leader gets so bogged down in details that he can’t see the full picture;
Read more →A struggle for many company leaders is resisting the urge to micromanage. What enabled you to rise in your organization was your ability to get things done – to take full responsibility of making something happen, based upon your own extraordinary skills in specific functional area. But
Read more →Reggie Jackson was known as “Mr. October”. During the regular season was a very good ballplayer. But during the postseason, especially late in games, Reggie was one of the greatest clutch hitters in baseball history. In 27 World Series games, he hit 10 home runs (including four
Read more →The quickest way to sink the value of your products in a crowded field is to make them a commodity. That is true for products, services and for yourself. Why would a customer pay more for your product if they see nothing different from your competitor’s offerings?
Read more →One of my favorite leadership books is Steven Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. While all his habits are helpful, I continually go back to Habit #4: “Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood.” That involves BOTH understanding and communicating, but the first step is
Read more →“If you can keep your head, when all about you are losing theirs…yours is the earth and everything in it” – From “If” by Rudyard Kipling. This is my all-time favorite poem. The message is simple: strong leaders keep their wits in difficult situations. They have learned
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