2014 in Review – My Top 10 Blog Posts
I have come to look forward to my annual end of the year blog review. It’s an opportunity to take my own advice and reflect on the big picture before I jump into the new year. It always provides some insights and some surprises. This was a banner year for my blog,...
How to Maximize Your Energy When You Don’t Have a Lot
Many of us find our energy dissipates at this time of year when the days are short and the nights are long. Instead of trying to muscle your way through it, here's how to maximize the energy you do have. Even when your energy is lower than usual, there will be periods...
Overworked and Overwhelmed? Try The Mindfulness Alternative
I had the pleasure of interviewing Scott Eblin, one of my favorite leadership experts, about mindfulness - the focus of his excellent new book Overworked and Overwhelmed: The Mindfulness Alternative. Mindfulness is getting a lot of attention these days. A number of...
Why Your Company Values Might Not Matter
Why are so few companies values-driven? Even when they start down that path, why do they wind up dead-ended? A 2012 study shows "employees want their organizations to display honesty and integrity in business activities," and "when leaders behave consistently with the...
Strive For Greatness
The secret to greatness lies in the small actions we each take every day. Although we won’t all be recognized by history, each of us is capable of achieving greatness through our everyday actions. Most of the good in the world is built on the accumulated...
4 Steps Toward Collaborative Leadership
If you are tired of “us vs. them” attitudes… if you are feeling frustrated or hopeless about those who don’t agree with your views… if you are concerned about the polarization in this world today… if you are waiting for leadership that unites instead of divides… … the...
The Two Faces of Leadership
There are two faces of leadership. One face looks forward - because leadership is about going somewhere. That face of leadership focuses on questions like: 1. Where are we going? 2. Why? What is the purpose? 3. How will we get there? What are our key strategies? 4....
Let Go of Control But Keep Responsibility
Last week I had the honor and pleasure of co-chairing the Berrett-Koehler Authors Cooperative annual retreat, attended by over 70 people – ranging in age from 25 to 83, and enriched with authors from Slovenia, Singapore and Australia. Each year I look forward...
5 Questions That Will Help You Be a Better Leader
Do you think you’re an effective leader? Feedback is one good way to find out, especially through “360 feedback." But there’s another, equally powerful way. Take a serious look at your beliefs - your “assumed truths” about yourself, others and how the world works....
3 Tips to Quickly Onboard New Employees
Mark was upbeat at the end of his first day at his new job as a programmer for a small tech company. He was shown around, introduced to his coworkers, and given a desk and a computer. He had spent most of the day alone and settling in, which was fine with him. A few...
5 Ways to Use Discomfort to Be More Effective as a Leader
I am honored to host this guest post by Marcia Reynolds, author of The Discomfort Zone: Mastering the Art of Turning Difficult Conversations into Breakthroughs, As a leader, there will be times when the people you lead or coach get stuck when dealing with difficult...
Mindfulness in the Workplace Is More than Meditation
In a recent Huffington Post article, Ford Motor Company chairman Bill Ford and former Google.org director Larry Brilliant are described as "business leaders who advocate mindfulness." The article then goes on to list ten executives who meditate regularly. It's easy to...