Recently I started working with a technology firm who 5 years ago was at the top of their game, but is now struggling. They got beaten up in the market and haven't been able to regain their footing. To their credit, they realize ...READ»
This week on Capitol Hill, Congress was grilling Kerry Killinger, former Wamu CEO, about what he knew regarding the toxic loans that brought down the 119 year old savings & loan which he’d run for 18 years. As you might imagine, ...READ»
This week, a prospective client, the CEO of a small bank, remarked that morale felt low at his company. He cited a list of external reasons as to why that was the case. They were actually good reasons, but ultimately they were out of ...READ»
As I filed some articles from 2009 this weekend I re-read the story of Space-X and its CEO Elon Musk and found it particularly inspiring. One of his quotes kept ringing in my ears, "Optimism, pessimism, f*ck that; we're going to ...READ»
The title above is a quote from John Updike and I've never known it to be more true. I've spent the last few months researching and writing my second book and have found the process to be challenging. Writing a book is never easy so I ...READ»
At a recent dinner with a long standing client he reflected on the pride he felt for what his team had been able to achieve over the last year. Under his stewardship they had realized a market leading position in a very competitive ...READ»
Over the years, I've run a program with clients called Seeds of the Future. It's a one day brainstorming/presencing process designed to identify the "signals" that people are seeing on the horizon, but not necessarily discussing in a ...READ»
In a recent conversation with a client, she mentioned that she and her team were in a "wait-and-see" mindset as it pertained to budgets and projects for next year. Given the current market, I could understand where she was coming ...READ»
A few weeks ago, a client, the President of a financial services firm, shared that he was struggling with the feeling of paralysis at his company. "It's as if, in this tough economic environment, the team's got a built-in excuse for ...READ»
Browsing through some photographs at a street fair this weekend I came across a simple image of a field and a forest. For a moment, I was transported there. It looked like a place I used to play as a kid. A sense of freedom came ...READ»
Recently, I worked with a client who was having a tough time managing a complex set of projects. He was sharp at the technical aspects of his job, but in over his head as a leader. He knew it, it was also apparent to others, but he ...READ»
""The things we fear most in organizations -- fluctuations, disturbances, imbalances -- are the primary sources of creativity." -- Margaret J. Wheatley (author, organizational consultant)
Consider This:
One of the most ...READ»
"Speak what you think today in hard words and tomorrow speak what tomorrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict everything you said today." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American author, minister, & ...READ»
"When it comes to improving performance, most organizations' problems can be traced to their inability to think and talk together at critical moments."-- Paraphrased from William Isaacs's book Dialogue, p.3
Consider this:
What ...READ»
"Mankind are governed more by their feelings than by reason." --Samuel Adams (1722-1803) American politician and Revolutionary leader
Consider this:
The "F" word, in this case, is feelings. Feelings are seldom discussed in the ...READ»
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." -- Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Consider this:
Simplicity isn't simple. Complexity is simple. Anyone can make something complex. Read the front page of any newspaper. You'll find ...READ»
“We all need to look into the dark side of our nature - that's where the energy is, the passion. People are afraid of that because it holds pieces of us we're busy denying.” -- Sue Grafton (1940- ) American Novelist
Consider ...READ»
"Unless your advertising is built on a big idea, it will pass like a ship in the night." -- David Ogilvy (1911-1999), Legendary advertising executive
A friend of mine recently showed me his book of dreams. He's a residential real ...READ»
"A student asked Soen Nakagawa during a meditation retreat, "I am very discouraged. What should I do?" Soen replied, "Encourage others." -- Story from Essential Zen
Consider this:
Have you ever noticed that when you're feeling ...READ»
"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, ...READ»
"Most people are unaware of the degree to which they're not trusting and open, of the extent to which their conversations don't reflect what they actually think and feel."
-- Paraphrased from an interview with Chris Argyris, Harvard ...READ»
"He who rushes ahead doesn't go far." -- Lao-Tzu (~500 B.C.E), Tao Te Ching
A distinction I use with my clients is rushing vs. moving quickly. When someone rushes, they shortchange processes. When someone moves quickly, they follow ...READ»
"When one has finished building one's house, one suddenly realizes that in the process one has learned something that one really needed to know in the worst way - before one began." -- Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German ...READ»
"Always be kind, for everyone is fighting a hard battle." -- Plato (428-347 BCE)
Consider This:
To be alive is to struggle and grow. At times it can feel like a battle. Stuck in your daily battles, it's easy to forget that everyone ...READ»
