Do you feel lucky? If you’re old enough, you might remember Clint Eastwood asking this in a Dirty Harry movie as he points a gun at a perp. That’s not quite the frame of mind I want to put you in. Rather, try this: Think about something that recently caused you to feel happy and […]
The lawn care crew came yesterday to do fall cleanup on our yard. We have a few trees that don’t drop leaves until December, so I’m often one of the last in the neighborhood to do this. I walked down to breakfast and as the sun came up, I thought, “The yard looks great!” Half […]
As I sat in the dental office awaiting my appointment, I pulled out a business magazine from the rack—Fortune, I believe. It was over a year old, but something on the cover caused me to peruse it. Inside was a feature article about a woman who was going to “crush” the cryptocurrency space (I suspect […]
A view of the owners’ box—with a new ownership group and president—at a Denver Broncos game surprised me (a Minnesota transplant from 30 years ago makes me more Broncos fan than Vikings). Several owners and the team president had their heads buried in their phones. I suspect they weren’t calling plays down to the new […]
“Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance!” —Unknown It’s a good idea to understand what happened when you fail. Not to dwell on it, but to learn. As an individual and as a business. It’s also valuable to understand what happened when you succeed. Not to claim the title […]
I recently heard a piece on National Public Radio celebrating the 40th anniversary of “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.” In his recap, the reporter highlighted the children’s transition from fear to curiosity in response to meeting the alien. This concept struck me. What a wonderful perspective! Perhaps not if you encounter a ravenous grizzly bear by yourself […]
A client recently said, “The one on ones our managers are doing are turning into counseling sessions! How much is too much?” Great question. As a guy who grew up with a single parent, a mother who was very much a “pull yourself up by your bootstraps!” type of gal, my natural inclinations are skewed […]
I had a good chat on Memorial Day with my son, a retired Marine. I had war on my mind as I read the news that morning with updates on the conflict in Ukraine. He’d been in a particular battle in Fallujah, Iraq, that I knew little about, and I finally asked him more details […]
While preparing to review a CEO, the chairman of a board I worked with said, “He doesn’t lead; he just presides!” It was a brilliant description of a CEO who was loved by his people but ineffective in his role. It’s about balance. Lest I get off on the wrong foot, I passionately believe that […]
I’ve coached folks who probably have an IQ that’s double mine. Some are linear thinkers who are process-oriented, and some are more entrepreneurial and rely heavily on intuition. Both can be great leaders. But process orientation and intuition can, as with most strengths, be disabling. Highly process-oriented leaders can create a bureaucratic mess by […]