How is the Clarity of Your Conviction?
“Then I asked: Does a firm persuasion that a thing is so, make it so. He replied: All poets believe that it does, and in ages of imagination this firm persuasion removed mountains; but many are not capable of a firm persuasion of anything.” William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell To achieve a […]
Hurriedness, Kindness, And Organizational Health
I was driving to a meeting a few days ago when I noticed a young woman, with two children in the back seat of her car, stopped on the side of road attempting to change a flat tire. Ordinarily, I’d like to think that I would never pass someone by like this without stopping to […]
Love And Profit: Do You Care Enough To Lead?
In my work with executives, I am continuously struck by how those who have the credibility and the respect of their employees and colleagues are those that practice what I refer to as ‘caring leadership’. It was Voltaire who referred to what I discuss in this article as a “triumph of humanity.” Innumerable triumphs of […]
Organizational Culture: Lessons From A High School Musical
This past week our seventeen-year daughter, Hayley, performed in an amazing high school musical production of Les Misérables. Months of preparation went into this production. As these young people prepared themselves for a performance, I witnessed organizational culture at its very finest. Here it was: a group of ninety youth (from grade nine through twelve), […]
Easter… A Time For Reflection
Easter, especially in recent years, has been a time for reflection for me. A time for taking inventory. A time for letting go. A time for renewal. A time for resurrection. As we grow and evolve, things in our lives need to die to make room for something new. Hanging on too tightly to our […]
Finding Balance And Health In Your Culture: Wisdom From A Yogi
Did you ever have a bad day where everything seemed to go wrong? Although our tendency is to blame something in our external environment, it is the state of mind that you bring to your work or your life that determines whether the day is “bad” or “good”. You can train your nervous system to […]
The Art of Building A Strong Culture
Learning to build a culture is an art, and you can master building a culture if you are willing to invest the time and energy. The practice of any art, whether it’s music, carpentry, or athletics, requires four practices: First is discipline. To become good at something, you must undertake it in a disciplined way. […]
Accountability: Getting A Grip On Results
Accountability – Free Whitepaper
Transforming An Organization Into A Community: A Leadership Vision
Leadership is about transforming your culture into a community. A community is a place where work is meaningful, not just menial, where you support people to be genuine contributors, not just “task doers,” where people are honestly valued, rather than used up, where you invite intentional conversations, not just superficial exchanges. Communities are places where […]
The 80% Principle Of Leadership: Managing By Making Room
An astute executive passed along some good wisdom not long ago. “The problem with leaders today is that they expect 100% from their good people, and not enough from their poor performers.” This statement initially puzzled me, but after he explained what he meant, I was inspired. Let me illustrate the principle with an example. […]
