The 6 Benchmarks of High Performance Teams
In 1996, 51% of US employees were reported to be members of team. By 2006, it had increased to 84%. As our world becomes more complex, the need for teams will continue to grow. Understanding the characteristics of effective teams gives you a target to shoot for and...
Why My “5 Around” Group is Important to Me and Why You Should Start One
I just arrived in Sarasota, Florida for my 5 Around Retreat. Twenty-three years ago, we began meeting as a group of high level executives and consultants with the intent of using each other as resources to address…
A flawed, even fatal, strategy: Leaders who make all the decisions
Guest Post by Dennis Bakke “The meanest company in America," Businessweek called Dish Network in a scathing feature last month. What struck me most after reading the article was the description of co-founder Charlie Ergen’s management style as “pounding people into...
What I Wish I Knew as a CEO That I Learned Later in HR
I first became aware of Les Hayman in July 2012 when I read his excellent guest post for Gurprriet Siingh – "Transforming HR – How a CEO did it." Les was uniquely qualified to write this post. Having served as Chairman and CEO of SAP EMEA (Europe, ME, and Africa)...
Let’s Stop Confusing Cooperation and Teamwork with Collaboration
Often the words collaboration, coordination, and cooperation are used to describe effective teamwork. But they are not the same, and when we use these words interchangeably, we dilute their meaning and diminish the potential for creating powerful, collaborative...
Embrace Struggle as an Art to be Mastered
Guest post by Steven Snyder Leadership is often a struggle. Yet we can be brainwashed by western culture into thinking that struggle is inherently bad, a stigma that gets in the way when we find ourselves facing difficult or challenging times. Fears take over,...
How To Answer a Wake Up Call
Everyone gets a wake up call at some point.The question is: how are you going to answer yours? Here are four tips:
Celebrating the 2nd Anniversary of My Blog
Two years ago, as I sat down to write my first blog post, I found myself at a loss for where to start. As a focusing activity, I decided to write the purpose of my blog. It was quite helpful, and I ended up making that the topic of my first post: The Answer to What is...
The Secret of Teams
Guest Post by Mark Miller There was a lot in the news this week about a ship adrift at sea – its passengers stranded. The ship drifted 90 miles in one night, pushed by the currents. Have you ever been on a team that felt like it was moving but not purposefully?...
Are You Ready for Your “Second Act”?
Guest Post by Don Maruska and Jay Perry Pursuing a second career in a different field can be either an opportunity for excitement and fulfillment or a nightmare. These three critical actions will help you succeed. 1. Think it through – not just on your own but with...
Alfred’s Wake Up Call or How to Create the Life You Want to Be Remembered For
Alfred came from a long line of Swedish scientists, engineers and inventors. He learned the principles of explosives at a young age from his father who owned a machine tool and weapons factory in Russia in the mid 19th century. He studied chemistry in Paris and the...
Create an Unbalancing Force If You Want To Move an Elephant
Chris is unhappy at work. He thinks the work is boring, and he doesn’t like his boss or co-workers. Why doesn’t he quit? The answer lies in Newton’s First Law: An object continues to do whatever it happens to be doing and resists change unless an unbalancing force is...