Helen Keller was certainly right, and she lived by that quote. Security is something that we naturally look for, for without security the business of everyday life becomes rather difficult, if not impossible, if the environment is highly insecure. Life seems quite secure these days, if we look at the statistics about increasing life expectancy, […]
It is often quoted that people won’t remember the words you said, but they always remember how they felt instead. Concepts like the Platinum Rule have become common knowledge, and we strive to give each other “memorable experiences.” At least, we strive to do that for our customers and clients. We all ought to continue […]
Yes, you read “without”, not “within.” I have been told that one way of getting people interested in what goods and services you have to offer is to tell them all the great stuff they can have without the sweat, inconvenience, effort or similar sacrifice they don’t want to make. It facilitates living the Philosophy of […]
I suppose you know enough by now not to nod your head. To me, compromise is never good. This is because I sense that the word “compromise” seems to have more of the implication of “Cheating-On-My-PROMISE” than of the sense of “…to abide by an arbiter’s decision…” I would suggest that the following terms be […]
I saw a LinkedIn post the other day vilifying what it referred to as “stretch goals” in organizations. I can’t find it now, or I’d put the link here. Well, whether people choose to refer to “stretch goals”, “quantum leaps” or whatever new terminology comes along, I know one thing for sure – I always […]
That is not an oxymoron. I happened to read Bob Sutton’s post on LinkedIn, about leaders needing to get out of the room, and was immediately reminded of another post I’d written, “Leaders Need To…Lead, Follow And GOOTW!” This then led me to think of the quote by Mary Anne Radmacher which I see quite often, […]
Children play. Adults play. We all play. Why, play tell? Well, it’s fun, of course. It stretches the imagination. It helps us to unwind. It helps us acquire and maintain certain skills, especially psychomotor skills. It helps us to develop strong, meaningful relationships. At its most basic, child’s play is actually preparation for thriving later […]
You might like to listen to the BNI Podcast Episode 231 when you have time, or rather, do make time for it! Recognize the fact that you are special. Six-sided snowflakes look ordinary when seen with the naked eye, but look at them under magnification and you soon realize how exquisitely unique each one is. […]
Are dependent on my personal well-being, which is dependent on my self esteem, which is dependent, in part at least, on my self-efficacy. What are my personal effects on others? What are my personal effects on you? I would like to think that my effects on others, including you, are: Have you thought about how […]
I always find it so amusing when people wring their hands in anguish at the prospect of an impending change at the workplace. Change is seen as something distasteful, something to be feared, for it upsets the sacred calm waters of the status quo. For when those calm waters get stirred, who knows what may […]
Yes, why indeed. I think most business people would say that networking activities and making new contacts would add to their top lines. So, of course, even as they try to narrow the field by looking for “qualified” contacts, the idea is to get to know as many people as you can, since you never […]
I once knew someone higher up the ladder who made it a habit of saying “I leave it to you” when assigning tasks to others. That might sound like fun, except it isn’t, especially when you haven’t a clue what resources have been given and what sort of free play you have. It doesn’t help […]
A very good way of being adaptable, managing change and dealing with the vicissitudes of life is to become an expert in at least one field of endeavour. Are you an expert? Here are a few signs you might actually be one: 1. Content. You are constantly delivering fresh, relevant content that is […]
That’s something along the lines of “Four legs good…two legs baaad!” Think about it! I’m not saying that we should avoid quantity-based businesses or reduce quantity for the sake of reducing quantity. What I am saying is that large volumes, quantity businesses, may have a greater tendency to have very thin profit margins. Therefore, even […]
It is amazing how we often seem to excel at the cognitive level and fail miserably in execution. Or we may ruthlessly succeed at execution also, and fail miserably when it comes to having meaningful relationships. I suspect this is the main reason why we like to analyze, dichotomize and maintain a separation between “work […]
I’m sure we are familiar with the term “Get a life!”, which is usually directed at someone else in a manner hardly construable as positive, flattering or affirming. Well, do you have a life? At the end of yesterday, did you quietly reflect upon what you had achieved? Did you meet your goals? Why or […]
I have come to view “studies” that involve purely surveys of people’s opinions with a great deal of suspicion. Even those that purport to use experiments and trials ought to explain the basic premises that led to those experiments, and we as receivers of such information need to discern whether or not the bases upon […]
Those who have been to planning sessions of varying types and levels know that I am talking about Vision, Roles, Rules & Relationships, of course. Of the four, Vision talks about a picture big enough that it probably won’t be fulfilled in our lifetime, but might be possible for the next generation. Or it could […]
I wish more people would become more comfortable with the term “strategy.” It would certainly make the job of leaders a little easier. Strategy is not a big word, neither is it a big concept. It is not found in the mysterious depths of a crystal ball and you don’t need tarot cards for it. […]
Yes it always will. One way or another. For where there is a WILL to love, there will always be a WAY. A parallel truth is what I have written about, which is that there ought not to be a dichotomy between character and competence. Competence is a subset of character. If you have good […]
I once made a terrible mistake while driving. I saw a “No U-Turn” sign and thought that I saw a “U-Turn” sign instead. Since I thought I saw a “U-Turn” sign, I proceeded to execute one, and narrowly avoided what could have been a rather nasty accident. Did my eyes trick me? No, they functioned […]
The Theory of Constraints is something that caught my eye recently. I was indulging myself in a STRATFOR video in which George Friedman was postulating that due to the unchangeables of geography, historical baggage, human behaviour and time in history, peoples and nations may aspire to things lofty and noble, and not arrive at where […]
That’s because the basics ought to be an integral part of our workplace, indeed of our entire life. What ARE basics? Are they not the very building blocks of our existence? Since when have we ever needed to “Go back to basics”? They just went missing from your daily routine, that’s all! If you have […]
As Week Six of 2014 opens, take a little time to reflect upon the mindsets that characterize you. What is your default mindset? Are you happy with it? Are there things which you’d like changed? Do you need to grow in certain aspects? Here are a few Magnificent Mindsets which I trust will be something you […]
Many people writing in the online literature seem to advocate that, in marketing and in negotiation, it is ok to lie in order to get the sale, or get the project or get the contract. They might not say it so explicitly, but things like “over-promising” so as to “get the sale” and then “worry […]
There was an occasion more than ten years ago when I was red-faced at work. Literally. My colleagues noticed that my face seemed redder than usual. In fact, they said that my face was unusually red, and asked if I were having a fever or some other ailment. I didn’t feel sick at all. In […]
There seems to be a trend towards people gaining from “the wisdom of crowds” at the moment. While I certainly appreciate the advice and inputs of people who really care about me and about what I do and stand for, I am not too concerned about what the majority of people think or say. Many […]
Do you believe in surrounding yourself with people who are smarter or better than you at least in some way? Good for you! That shows that you are secure, mature and probably smart in your own ways as well! Intuitively, we all know that surrounding ourselves with people better than ourselves in some aspect or other […]
The Simple Truths clip on “212. The extra degree” came to my mind, but in a different way. I had actually written to them some time ago to say that I didn’t quite agree with the whole concept, since the clip neglected to take the latent heat of vapourization into consideration, but I was okay […]
I really miss when spades were called spades. Circumvention is, unfortunately, a skill which I think all of us wish secretly we could disinvent. If you’re a leader worth your salt, you’d know what I mean. If we paid each of our people what they are truly worth, the income of the rainmaker would not […]
You might be familiar with the saying “We don’t see things as they are. We see things as we are.” As leaders, we need to remember this for ourselves as well as for those around us, and lead accordingly. That saying is true, of course. Our mental and emotional states tend to dictate how we […]
The online etymology dictionary says that “enthusiasm” comes from the Greek enthousiasmos, or “divine inspiration”. Just as “encourage” has the meaning of “to put courage into”, so “enthusiasm” has the connotation of “to put God into”. Enthusiasm in certainly infectious, as anyone who has been around another person caught up in something he or she happens to be enthusiastic […]
If you happen to be from the Band of Brothers I used to work with, or if you happen to be in HR or equivalent, you might be familiar with the term “Currently Estimated Potential.” It is meant to be an assessment of how far an individual is likely to advance given his performance so […]
Have you heard that successful people take action? Yes, they certainly do! As I was pondering on this yesterday, the letters “SPCA” flashed across my mind. “Successful People CHOOSE Action”! Am I just playing with publicity? Absolutely not! So, what’s the difference? None. It’s not about whether there is a difference, it’s about going a […]
Being a thermal leader isn’t all about hot air. It’s actually a great thing if you’re leading a team of eagles. Or perhaps any type of bird that knows how to use thermals in order to stay aloft for very long periods of time without getting burnout. Thermals are what many land-based birds, particularly raptors, […]
Before you throw that stone at me, answer this question: Would you like to keep cancer tissue in your body? Right, I didn’t think so either! Did you experience righteous indignation welling up inside of you when you saw the title of this post? Why? Do you subscribe to “Get the right people on the […]
Whether you’re at the helm of a large enterprise or running a relatively small business, you’re probably enjoying being in the thick of things, making decisions, calling the shots, encouraging your people to greater heights and exploring ways you can add value to all your stakeholders. Well, you might not be the boss, so to […]
We are all humans, and we all think that we deserve this, that and the other. We guard what we think are our rights jealously. We laud those who affirm our rights, and look with a jaundiced eye at those who emphasize the fact that we really should be happily busy with our responsibilities. Convenience […]
“I’m serious”. “No, I’m not”. “Yes, I am”. “What ARE you really saying?” “Well, research has shown that people who exercise three times a week are twice as likely to die suddenly as people who exercise five times a week”. “Egg white has nutrients you don’t know about yet”. Welcome to the strategic art of […]
Most, if not all, businesses want to have growth. If you don’t have growth, you won’t be in business for very long. How is it that some business have grown, or at least, seem to have grown, but have gone bust in the end? The answer, my friend, isn’t blowing in the wind. It’s right […]
That includes the female version of hunk, too, whatever they’re called. Are you good at having your say? Or do you fear saying what you really want to say for whatever reason? Do you speak well in public, or do you suffer from that fear of public speaking known as “glossophobia“? Would you like to […]
Anxiety. Stress. Eustress. Distress. Do any of those happen to you? Of course, you’re human, right? The literature is full of articles and posts about anxiety and performance. There are arguments about whether there is a balance for optimal performance, meaning how much anxiety is too much, how much is too little, and how much […]
Lego? Why not? Your equipment happens to be blocks of different sizes, shapes and colours. Using just a few different types of building blocks, you could construct almost anything you fancy. This is mind-boggling when you remember that Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) controls everything about how we are made, and is made up of chains of […]
You might just get it, of course. What is your strategy over the next few years? Decades? Centuries? Am I crazy, you ask. No, I don’t think so. Strategy is always forward-looking, and is not so much an expression of long-term goals as a manifestation of WHO you are, WHO your organization IS. In other […]
Douglas O’Loughlin shared this on Facebook, and I thought I’d pen some of my thoughts about this, since effective, practical leadership development is central to the topic. The McKinsey article may be found here: http://bit.ly/JqlnGE The article lists four principles for a better public sector: Better evidence for decision making. Greater engagement and empowerment of citizens. […]
For many people, it is either fail to plan or plan to fail. Don’t believe the tripe that most people can plan well, they just have trouble executing it. Nothing can be further from the truth! Now, I have said very often that most companies can plan well, but just can’t seem to be able […]
Unity isn’t about same-as-you same-as-you. Unity can be likened to all the different instruments in an orchestra playing the same piece, just that each instrument plays its own special part in it.
Knowledge. Understanding. Wisdom. Sagacity. Sophistication. Do those words describe you? Are there people upon whom you would pin those terms without hesitation? Practical leadership effectiveness is really all about, as the title says, “Understanding Wise Applications Of Knowledge.” It is what enables your strategy to be operationalized. It is what keeps your enterprise running profitably. […]
I came across this video recently while searching for something else, and I thought it made pretty good sense. Two main takeaways for me were that Good Strategists have it in them to choose Bad Strategies, because they think those strategies are Good Strategies. I go a step further and say that it is because […]
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