I was discussing change management with a client and I referred him to an excellent book on the topic, A Sense of Urgency, by John Kotter of Harvard. An important idea that Prof. Kotter introduced was the difference between Skeptics versus NoNos—those folks in an organization whose resistance to …
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Have you ever set a goal, thought long and hard about how you were going to accomplish it, and then pursued this outcome with enthusiasm? But lo and behold, even after what you perceived to be substantial progress on your part, you found that others still viewed you through a dated prism of …
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In the past week a lot has been written about potential presidential candidate Jeb Bush and his evolving answers to a vexing question from a reporter: Knowing what we know now, would you have made the decision to invade Iraq in 2003? During the course of a week his answer evolved and the subject of …
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I recently came across an interesting article, The Top 5 Regrets of The Dying, which are listed below: I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me. I wish I hadn't worked so hard. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings. I wish I …
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I came across a quote that has been attributed to J.J. Watt, All-Pro football player for the Houston Texans: Success isn't owned; it's leased and you pay rent every day. J.J. Watt was referring to his dedication to all the hard work to make himself physically and mentally capable of staying at the …
One of the better books on building relationships I ever read was called Powerful Conversations. You might be asking "don't you mean a book on communicating?" No, because the only way we really build relationships is with really effective conversations and I am here to tell you that we can all work …
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I recently heard that a couple of clients of mine were challenged because their attempts at using humor in meetings were often not well received. There is little that I admire more than someone that can tell a really good joke. I come by this affinity for a joke or humorous story from a lifetime …
The minister at my church recently referred to a communication concept called triangulation that brings currency and relevance to interpreting biblical verses. The biblical reading was from the book of Matthew, chapter 18, verses 15 – 17: If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, …
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CFO to CEO: What happens if we spend training funds developing our people and then they leave us? CEO to CFO: What happens if we don’t and they stay? You never know where inspiration may come from. I saw this quote the other day and thought it was a very telling insight about the need for investing …
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The mind is everything. What you think you become. – Buddha I was having breakfast with a client on the Friday morning of Super Bowl weekend. It was a bright sunny day in Chicago but characteristically very cold. My client was whining a little bit about being in the throes of winter and I declared …
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Early in my coaching career, I worked my first two years for another fellow, named Frank, who had established a vibrant coaching practice. He was an excellent salesman and exuded an air of executive gravitas that was fitting with his experience – and his shock of silver hair. He told me a very …
I'm very proud of my association with Paul Purcell, President and CEO of Robert W. Baird & Co., which is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I met Paul shortly after he was named President of Baird, over 17 years ago. Baird has grown and prospered remarkably well under Paul's leadership and …
