Saturday, September 4, 2010
James Baldwin once said “People can cry much easier than they can change.” And it’s how I felt earlier this week… mostly about myself. I slipped home from work Wednesday night completely bushed, dog tired and sick of several “stupid things” I’ve had to deal with.
As I retreated to my favorite thinking spot, I couldn’t help but think, “Why is this so difficult!?” That’s when it hit me: my business is in a state of change. And most of the time trying to create brisk growth is really tough.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
I’ve always wanted to build a business that could make money without me – undoubtedly an aspiration of many. My ideal is the type where engagement takes the form of strategic oversight and occasional interesting deep dives.
But as many others have learned before me, growth requires giving up quite a bit of control. And stepping back doesn’t come naturally, especially to those whose “control” has helped shape the business. Continue Reading
Friday, May 7, 2010
On Tuesday I wrote a post “Leader as Loving Parent” where I championed the premise that change is necessary even though it’s really tough.
If I would have known what I was going to hear today, I would have saved the ink and just summarized Chip Heath’s talk “Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard.” It was fantastic.
I want to share my takeaways…I’ve tried to compile them so they will be relevant regardless of whether or not you saw the presentation:
Continue Reading
Saturday, March 13, 2010
The idea of “tough talk” makes me think of movies like Diehard or Bad Boys and the main characters’ personas…their indulgent machismo or street-tested grit.
Phrases like that don’t describe me. But at times effective leadership requires forceful displays of strength.
Two week ago one of these situations sought me out.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
In a sweltering room in Philadelphia, Pa. in the summer of 1787, two groups, the large and small states, fiercely debated the future structure of the government for the newly born United States of America. Generation after generation would be impacted by the outcome. But they had a problem…they just couldn’t completely agree.
After nearly two months of deliberation, the delegates finally struck the “Great Compromise” creating a unique two-part Congress: Each state would have both a representative and an equal voice. And though neither party got exactly what they wanted, their losses created one of the most successful governments in the history of the world. The leadership lesson: It pays to compromise.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Effective leaders can’t see dead people – but they possess a kind of sixth sense for reading those around them. During a summer internship in college I setup a number of meetings with the executives of the company to learn more about leadership. One lesson from the CEO to this day clearly stands out in my mind.
He said that his best leadership gift was his ability to know the keys to motivating each of his executives and managers.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Much of our success and happiness in life depends upon our ability to understand and relate well with others. To that end, I wanted to share the most valuable tool I’ve found to assist in the quest. I use it daily, and I hope that it will be as helpful for you as it has been for me.
