Goal Setting for Goallessness
My friend Susan wrote, “Although I am ashamed to admit it….I don’t think I have any goals right now. At least there are none that have crystallized for me. I am a goal-setter, always have been, and have achieved almost all that I have set…. What I am trying to do is...
7 Things I Learned About Goal Setting in 1999
In 1999 I decided to re-prioritize my life. My children were five- and ten-years old, and my career was approaching a peak. I travelled two to three days a week and worked an additional 30 hours a week in my home office. I squeezed work into every crack - joining a...
Lessons from the Costa Concordia: A Case For Company Values
The events before, during and after the January 13 tragedy aboard the Costa Concordia point to a true failure of leadership at every level, from the captain who ran the luxury liner aground during a drive by “salute” off the island of Isola del Giglio to the chief...
What Team Members Can (and should) Do to Help Their Team Become High Performing
Team members make two common mistakes: Mistake #1: Thinking it’s the team leader’s responsibility to pull the team together and waiting passively for that to happen. Mistake #2: Accepting mediocrity because they assume there is nothing they can do. Ultimately a...
No More Boring Meetings, Please!
I spent my 50th birthday at the most boring meeting of my life. At one point I had to pinch myself under the table to keep from falling asleep. I’ve attended a lot of meetings that are a waste of time – it’s part of my job. (I help teams improve their performance and...
2011 in Reflection: My First Year of Blogging
2011 closes the first year of my blog. It’s been a year of learning – the biggest of which was learning how to condense what I want to say into a readable chunk. I still find the shorter the post, the longer it takes me to write. I’ve had the good fortune to connect...
Before you begin, pause…
This is a lovely week – the last week of the year. The darkest week of the year, here in the northern hemisphere. If we pay attention, we can’t help but pause. What does any great athlete do before they… …. dive into the water …. throw the discus …. grab the rings...
Let’s Harness the Power of Social Media to Help Dan Rockwell
Dan does not remember the accident, although he was later told they found his truck down a steep ravine wrapped around a tree. He has a fuzzy recollection of the ride in the helicopter. But he does not remember the EMT folks who saved his life at the scene by...
8 Reasons Why Vision Matters
Have you ever been part of a team that magically came together? -where everyone thoroughly enjoyed being part of the team, worked together in synchronicity, and where you were really proud of what you accomplished? Over the years when I ask this question, I hear...
What If You Changed and No One Noticed?
Have you ever tried changing a behavior and no one noticed you were different? It's not uncommon. Jim was a "hands-on boss." He had high standards and his team performed well. However, they depended on him for almost all decisions, and as a result he worked long hours...
Hang Your Work in a Tree Tonight
If you do what you love for a living, you’ll never work a day in your life. ~anonymous An appealing thought, if it means living an integrated life. However...there's a big difference between living an integrated life and being consumed by work. No one has yet said...
Manage the Mid-Space or Your Vision Will Fail
“Our company had a big meeting a few weeks ago where the president laid out his vision. It means big changes and a lot of us were skeptical about it. But I have to say that by the end of his presentation, he had us all sold. It was pretty impressive.” Frank had...