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»
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»
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»
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»
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»
“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»
"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»
"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»
"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»
"No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible." -- Voltaire (1694-1778) French Enlightenment writer
The first question I often ask leaders who are facing tough issues is, "How did you contribute to them?" I push them to ...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»
"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD), Roman Emperor, Stoic philosopher
By definition, if you want to create ...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»
"I always tell prospective clients about the chinks in our armor. I have noticed that when an antique dealer draws my attention to flaws in a piece of furniture, he wins my confidence."
-- David Ogilvy (1911-1999), Confessions of an ...READ»
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»
"I write when I'm inspired, and I see to it that I'm inspired at nine o'clock every morning" -- Peter De Vries (1910-93) novelist and short-story writer
Consider This:
Inspiration doesn't "hit" you haphazardly. It's an intentional ...READ»
"One of the main barriers to turning knowledge into action is the tendency to treat talking about something as equivalent to doing something about it." -- Jeffery Pfeffer & Robert Sutton, The Knowing-Doing Gap
Consider This:
It's ...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»
"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»
"If while washing dishes, we think only of the cup of tea that awaits us...we are not alive during the time we are washing the dishes. If we can't wash the dishes, the chances are we won't be able to drink our tea either...we will ...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»
""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»
"Do you think the people who were trying to reach the top of Everest were not full of doubts? For a hundred years, people tried and lost their lives. Not even their dead bodies came back. But still, more people ...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»
