How I Learned About the Power of Authenticity
What happens when you have to admit you don't know what you're doing? Sometimes the power of authenticity is the key to turning things around. So I learned in my first job out of college. I had landed a prestigious job as a demonstration teacher at New Mexico State...
Why Most Change Efforts Fail and 7 Guidelines to Ensure Your Team Succeeds
Chances are you will initiate a change that affects your whole team or start a major team project in the near future. And chances are it will not make the impact you had hoped for. A 2008 study by IBM found that over 60 percent of change efforts fail to fully meet...
The Physics of Change
Masters of change like Martin Luther King, Jr, Mahatma Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela understood that vision alone is rarely enough. Real change masters leverage the physics of change to bring about transformation. Newton’s First Law: An object at rest stays at rest and...
Develop Your Team – The Truth About the Bell Curve
The theory of a bell curve is that most people are average, with a small percent at the top being top performers and a small percent at the bottom being losers. But when it comes to performance, the truth is the bell curve only exists if you believe it does. Robert...
Vision is about serving.
Thursday Thought: Vision is about serving something greater than yourself. If not in service of a vision, your leadership can become self-serving. * * * * * * * * * * * * * *...
2015 in Review – My Top 10 Blog Posts
My year-end review has become one of my favorite posts to write. I get to take my own advice - to reflect on the big picture, look for patterns, and see what I can learn. Here’s what I found: ➤ A record number of page views - over a half-million during 2015! ➤ A...
The Path to Happiness
I would be happy if . . . ... if only my boss wasn’t such a jerk. ... if only my co-workers were nicer. ... if only I could find someone to finance my big idea. ... if only I could buy that car (bike, boat, house). ... if only my kids lived closer. ... if only my...
The solstice reminds us it is time to pause, and do nothing.
This is a lovely moment - the winter solstice. The darkest day of the darkest week of the year . . . . . . when the movement of descent into darkness pauses. . . . when the rhythm of the sun pauses before it changes from decrease to increase. . . . when the dominance...
How to Create a Dynamic Strategic Plan in an Unpredictable World
The traditional approach to strategic planning might be obsolete in this fast-paced, unpredictable world. But it does not mean that planning is useless. Creating a dynamic strategic plan will enable you to respond quickly and to be creatively proactive. The problem...
When you have a vision, you don’t have to see the whole path.
The path might not be clear, but stay focused on your vision and take the next step. There will be many unexpected turns and surprises along the way, but if you hold what is essential and true, your choices will be clear. As you move toward what you truly desire, you...
Shift the Flow of Energy to Propel Your Team To High Performance
What is a high performance team? –> a team that produces outstanding results, where everyone works in synchronicity, appreciates each other’s contributions, and is proud to be a member of the team. Research has revealed the characteristics of high performance...
Be a leader worth following.
Thursday Thoughts: Be a leader worth following. People follow leaders by choice. Otherwise at best, you get mindless compliance. Read ➤ How to Be a Leader People Want to Follow. * * * * * * * * * * *...