Jack Welch is the former CEO of General Electric and is respected widely not only for his stewardship of this preeminent company but also for his consistent support for the development of leaders at GE and in business in general. I saw a recent article about him in Business Insider where he …
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Years ago, I had a thirtysomething client who was promoted to a very important and influential role. She had a fantastic work ethic, was well-versed in her area of specialty, managed external relationships well for the firm and remains genuinely a very nice person. Part of my coaching with her in …
Continue Reading about What is Executive Presence and How Do I Get Some? →
Many of the senior leaders that I serve consistently complain about the volume of meetings they are asked to attend on a regular basis. For many, a day can be consumed by one meeting after the other so that there is actually very little time for their real work. Now don’t get me wrong, there’s a …
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I was at an interfaith service recently and a Muslim cleric stated the following: While it feels good to hate what we believe is bad, what is really bad is the hating mind. I thought a lot about that. In today’s politics - national, state, and local - we see a lot of effort to demonize or …
Continue Reading about “Hate” A Colleague’s Idea? 4 Ways to Keep Your Attitude in Check →
Can you agree to disagree, agreeably? It's not really possible if you do not respect the person you are discussing things with. I saw a jarring example of this when I saw a new play at the esteemed Goodman Theater recently. It has been described as "bitingly funny and fierce… one of the year's …
Now that we are a few weeks into the new year and everyone is settling in to the promise of what 2017 will be for you, your team and your organization, I hope that the early indicators are for a prosperous time for you all. As a leader, I'd like to suggest eight key WHATS you should embrace that …
The conclusion of the election last week did not bring any sort of cathartic closure to more than half of the voters from an almost 2-year campaign. To Clinton supporters, the "other side" won and the demonstrations/rioting in the streets of major cities reflect their profound displeasure and …
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There was a major hit in the late '60s by Sammy Davis, Jr., "I've Gotta Be Me", which was an anthem to individuality and self-expression and the perfect reflection of that turbulent time. Today, according to Adam Grant, a professor of management and psychology at the Wharton School of the University …
When you show deep empathy toward others, their defensive energy goes down, and positive energy replaces it. That's when you can get more creative in solving problems. - Stephen Covey I speak to all my clients about the importance of empathy, the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes to …
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Early in my career, I enjoyed a really plum assignment. I managed 27 sales compensation plans for the multiple channels of sales our organization had globally. This job afforded me the chance to work with people in the field and to travel with them to their events. I was also rather popular when I …
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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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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 …
