Are You Creating Our Future or Just Trying to Survive?
This summer I was fortunate to attend the 20th Anniversary Celebration of Berrett-Koehler Publishers, the publisher of the book I co-authored with Ken Blanchard Full Steam Ahead! Unleash the Power of Vision. The mission of Berrett-Koehler is “to create a world that...
The Five Steps of CRISP Decision-Making
Chris, the leader of the planning committee for the next District Managers Meeting, sent an email to the company’s leadership team describing two possible venues. Emails flew around as people weighed in. Someone wrote that it looked like the decision was in favor of...
Manage The Challenges of Working In a Matrix Organization
Do you work in a company that requires you to coordinate across reporting lines to accomplish your goals? In order to complete work, are people dependent on others who report to a different boss? Matrix organizations are becoming more common as organizations grow...
HPO ASPIRE: The Characteristics of High Performing Organizations
High Performance Organizations Aspire HPO ASPIRE High performance organizations aspire to greatness. Our research revealed six characteristics of high performing organizations - organizations that sustained high levels of productivity, profitability and employee...
Leadership Drift – How to Recognize It And What You Can Do About It
Are you on track with where you want to go? You might have heard about team drift, but what about you as a leader? Is it possible you've drifted without realizing it? Why Leadership Drift Occurs A huge external shift Sometimes we are thrown off track because of a...
7 Ways to ReWire Your Brain and Become a Better Leader
Over the last few decades, studies in neuroscience have shown that you can literally physically rewire your brain. You can change the “default network” you were born with, the one that ensured the survival of our primitive ancestors who lived in a very different...
6 Tips to Increase Your Visibility at Work Without “Self-Promoting”
Guest post by Joel Garfinkle Why would you want to increase your visibility at work? Why not just let your work speak for yourself? You can’t expect to get ahead if people don’t notice you. ...and it’s never safe to assume that decision-makers are aware of your...
How to Identify Your Team or Organization’s Purpose
The window shade company was struggling. Mary, a business consultant, asked the owner, “What business are you really in?” The owner replied, condescendingly, “The window shade business, Mary.” Thinking to himself this conversation was a waste of time. But undaunted,...
Rising to the Challenge Before Us – LEADING FORWARD
I am honored that Irene Becker has allowed me to share her powerful guest post. There is an important message here - a vision of what can be, a sobering description of our challenges, and a Call to Action. Although this is a longer post, I urge you to take the time to...
Judgment Calls
I understand the desire to study great leaders. It is my own habit as well. I gobble up biographies of Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Jr., Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and currently Steve Jobs. But I read because I am...
1001 Mid-Course Corrections
I once heard that in order to reach the moon, NASA made over a thousand mid-course corrections. At first I was surprised. If you know where you’re going, why not just plot the course, like they do on Star Trek? But then I realized it's a perfect metaphor for a trap...
A Big Goal Is Not The Same As a Vision
When you have a vision, you know where you want to go and you can see your next steps - but you won't be able to see the entire path. Vision is not about the path, it’s about the destination. As you take each step, the next step becomes clear as long as you stay...