There’s a challenge that happens for every employee who is looking to grow in their role and responsibility. You won’t notice it at first. It’s a slow shift. And you may not remember when it started, but when you’re in the midst of the shift towards results orientation, you’ll know it. I use a lot …
I don’t know how much football or basketball you watch on TV. Maybe it’s a lot. Maybe not much. But all you have to do is watch once or twice and you’ll notice a particular thing that sportscasters do that you don’t see in many other parts of life. They give the audience context in …
Today I’d like to suggest that building extraordinary teams of ordinary people is a better move than creating ordinary teams of extraordinary people. Makes sense, right? Can we start with something I know we can all agree with? No matter what team you assemble, they’re never going to be the absolute best. I mean, maybe …
Building Extraordinary Teams of Ordinary People CONTINUE READING
Today I had a conversation with a friend who is dealing with some poor performance at work. As we sat down with cigars, he posed the question that drives this post. How do you deal with poor performance at work? I think we can all agree that each of us is wired differently. Managing staff …
She was good at her job – there was no doubt about it. I was the customer; she was the rep that was going to help me have success with my recent purchase. Looking back, I think the thing that was most curious to me was that this amazing and talented person was doing this …
There’s a strange dynamic that happens when you get good at something. The first thing that happens is you get praise. Then, after the praise, you get assigned the same work, over and over. You are, after all, the expert. Or at least the best qualified. And then, finally, you get bored and frustrated. Nothing …
One of the most challenging aspects of moving into leadership is the decision making required of leaders. And one of the hardest sets of decisions new leaders face is how to spend their time. Here is the bottom line: No one will manage your time for you. You’ll face tons of requests for meetings, which …
An elephant can weight up to 24,000 pounds and stand 13 feet tall. Yet it can be trapped by a chain or rope quite easily. The trick is that you use a heavy rope or chain when the elephant is a baby. For days it will pull against the rope. But all that happens is …
Seven stories that are short, but matter. Sam Walton started Wal-Mart at 44. Ray Kroc “started” McD at 50. Vera Wang started designing at 41. Nina Zagat started reviews at 42. Martha Stewart started books at 41. Joy Behar started show biz at 40. Donald Fisher started the Gap at 41. The world is filled …
Don’t worry about finding your “one thing.” CONTINUE READING
Last month I flew to Salt Lake City, covered in snow, for a couple days of a conference. While it’s true I went to connect with some people, and to deliver a talk on diversity, those aren’t the reasons I chose to go to the conference in the first place. I chose to go to …