It’s pretty inescapable that individuals as leaders, and organizations as leaders . . . stretch. A couple examples. Amazon the ultimate elastic company just keeps stretching with almost daily experimentation – from incorporating Whole Foods to continually new advertising on its boxes to Prime Day (I was a victim of this modern day variant of … Continued
Last week I wrote about how vital it is to listen listen listen to younger folks who see things different than you might. Claire Stevens, a self-described “late twenties, government worker, wife and mother” wrote a fantastic response from her perspective, which I commend to you. Her brief comment lets you listen into these 20-somethings. … Continued
Friends, Sometimes December has the feel of the late stages of a marathon. The work, like those 26.2 miles, keeps coming, and you really start to just want it to be over. Even harder than those moments late in a marathon are the moments late in an 18 or 20-mile long training run (where there’s … Continued
Four Things to do When Leading but Losing Friends, In March Madness, 67* teams get Mad and one gets crowned the champ. Lousy odds! It gets worse, though: in every single opening round game where a #1 seed has faced a #16 seed team, the 16 seed has lost (108 in a row). Sometimes you’re … Continued
Friends, Last week I invited you to commit to making this the best year of your life. Part of making 2012 my best year on the planet is reaching the specific Big Hairy Audacious Goal of landing a TV show to engage everyday leaders around leading with their best self. And to accomplish this, I … Continued
Friends, I can’t quite figure out what to think of the fact that Kate, our oldest daughter, was the one of our three kids who seemed to need the most coaching; and now at 22, she’s expert and forthright. I look up to her for thoughtful advice. Yesterday, she was really on her game. She … Continued
Friends, I heard from two Romanians, a Hungarian, Venezuelan, Pakistani, and one American. I ran an experiment that shed an eerie light on the book that Jennifer and I have coming out in three weeks, and it also reinforced my thinking about the importance of this “Everyday Leadership” I keep writing about. The story: I wanted … Continued
Friends, My favorite leadership quote seems apropos for some current political stories, for my own personal journey, and for some readers – perhaps you – this week. Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner write, “Name any great leader, performer, scientist, athlete, activist, citizen. Chances are that the crucible of that person’s crowning achievement was some distressing … Continued
Friends, Isn’t it superb that leadership is a life long process?!! And guess what’s likely the single most important passage in that process of leadership development? I’m 100% behind Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner when they write: “Only challenge produces the opportunity for greatness.” (See the full, marvelous quotation in the first footnote below.) But … Continued
Last week on “Everyday Leadership” Dan discussed being the boss, and the different managerial styles between men and women. Different managerial styles between men and women can be a loaded question, with many different takes on it. Dan was looking to explore if there is a difference between genders, and what kind of effect it … Continued