Most of my days start with the question: What do I have to do today? I run a series of filters that includes deadlines, unfinished projects, obligations, schedule, correspondence and personal needs. These filters create a specific focus for the day: Get these things done. Recently, though, I began an experiment by considering what might
One of my good friends from college is a successful entrepreneur. The company he founded is nearly doubling in size every year. He is highly ambitious, running a lean operation with offices in Boston, Denver and San Francisco. It’s intense, to say the least, and I wanted to learn more about how he manages it
I aspire to brave-hearted leadership, both courageous and emotionally connected. This hinges on whether I am asking: What will enhance my own image? or What is my role in a story larger than myself? The questions played out through the historical relationship between Robert the Bruce and William Wallace, depicted in the movie Braveheart. Robert
Self-image drives behavior. As Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t—you’re right.” Leaders who promote a positive self-image in others maximize potential. Period. The leaders I’ve followed in my life—managers, coaches, mentors, parents—have each communicated to me “messages” about who I am. Keep in mind, communicating a message isn’t
In his book Give and Take, Adam Grant provides abundant research to support his thesis that givers are more successful than takers. He qualifies that these givers are “strategic givers.” While people who are selfish don’t get far, he also points out that people who are selfless get run over. People who are otherish, on
I’ve been talking about why and how people stay and leave organizations, so the unique retirement letter outgoing Google CFO Patrick Pichette wrote and posted to Google+ caught my attention. I was particularly struck by this admission: I am completing this summer 25-30 years of nearly non-stop work (depending on how you wish to cut
What risks and challenges will you face in the new year, and how will you respond? Like all of us, my colleague Pat Griffin has been broken several times in his life. The hardest might have been seven years ago when he moved his family from Iowa to Montana to start a consulting practice and
I’m a bit paranoid about work. My internal and external customers have short memories, changing demands and long expectations. That’s why our senior leadership team’s unpublished philosophy is: “We are always six months away from mediocrity.” I’m not trying to be a sky-is-falling pessimist, but if you think that “what got you here will get
“Leadership is an intense journey into yourself.” – Bill Hybels The scene: An auditorium filled with thousands of leaders from around the world, gathered for the 2014 Willow Creek Leadership Summit. We watch as a group of kids with disabilities presents an honest, sometimes heartbreaking video that begins with each answering the question, “What’s hard
Why do we immediately check email when we get up? Or dig our heels into an opinion before sincerely trying to understand another’s point of view? Or set our alarm with just enough time to do what needs to be done before our day begins? Because we rush our swing. I’ve recently discovered that after
Matt Norman is president of Norman & Associates, which offers Dale Carnegie Training in the North Central US. Dale Carnegie Training is a global organization ...READ MORE