In my last corporate role, we merged our operations with our European partner to create a worldwide organization that was owned by 14 International airlines. Our partner had been headquartered in England, so I really didn’t expect that the language would ever be a barrier to connecting. Boy was I …
Continue Reading about Why It’s Hard to Communicate Clearly (and What to Do About It) →
In a controversy the instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves. - Buddha How often after you've been in a very testy exchange with someone - a boss, a peer, a spouse or one of your children - do you ask yourself: How did I let …
Continue Reading about Keeping Calm in the Storm: Wisdom from the “Zen Master” →
I recently heard about the existence of a four-eyed fish named the Anableps (pictured above). They originate in southern Mexico to Honduras to northern South America. They have two eyes that are raised above the top of their head and are divided into two different parts so they can see above and …
There is no such thing as a "self-made" man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts, as well as our success. - George Burton Adams One of the …
The legendary rock band Led Zeppelin had a classic hit named "Communication Breakdown", about a fellow's interest in a woman. Here’s the chorus: Communication breakdown, it’s always the same, I’m having a nervous breakdown, drive me insane! When you think about some of the challenges in your …
Well, it's mid-May in Chicago and spring has sprung. To me that means golf. As a matter of fact, I was supposed to play with a client the other morning and was equally eager to see him and catch up as I was to play. But the weather didn't cooperate since it was going to rain and feel like 35°. …
As a leader, I have a couple of critical questions for you to consider: Do you allocate enough time for planning so that you feel you can stay ahead of the many challenges that come your way? If, like many others, your answer to the previous question is, "No!", what does this cost you, your …
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The pace of change in today's world is truly staggering. The Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter referred to the impact of much disruptive change as "creative destruction". Catchy phrase until you have to deal with those impacts in your own life. In our world today we are seeing this happen on a …
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I attended a family wedding recently and got to speak with quite a few young people who have three things in common: They are gainfully employed college graduates; Most are off their parent’s payrolls; They are all somewhat disengaged and disappointed in their current work situations, and …
Continue Reading about 3 “Trust Busters” and How to Improve Employee Engagement →
A foundational element of my coaching work is to have clients review how they spend their time as leaders so they can make choices that will allow them to focus on what is truly important, rather than get sucked in to the "busyness vortex" of our current work world. Since many of my clients can see …
Continue Reading about “Chunking” Your Time – A Simple Model for Increased Impact →
Marshall Goldsmith is perhaps the preeminent executive leadership coach in the United States. He has written a dozen or more books and served as an executive coach to leaders of many key international organizations. I had the good fortune of participating in a daylong seminar with him that had to do …
This is the fourth and final part of this Managing Our Career series. We have tried to provide a diagnostic format for considering: Part 1: How groups form and organizations transform – the Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing Model (FSNP) Part 2: The value of your relative competence in …
Continue Reading about Managing Our Career: Part 4 – Putting It All Together →
