Roughly 80% of our decisions are based on our emotional state and 20% are based on logic. There are three reasons for leaders to know what drives decision-making: During corporate workshops, we have great conversations around this topic. Participants see a change in team effectiveness when they embrace this concept. This topic has been coming … Read more
One of my first experiences with Alan happened in October of 2018, when I enrolled in the Madison County Leadership Institute. During the class, Alan taped a large piece of paper on the wall and asked everyone to write down words to describe a good leader. The list included the following words: I admit I … Read more
Following a recent training session, a manager expressed their frustration about not getting buy-in from a team member. “Almost everyone on my team puts this into practice, except for a few. What am I supposed to do when someone doesn’t buy in—especially when I know how well it works?” We dug into the problem and … Read more
My daughter Mara makes astute observations. During a conversation about the importance of self-care, she said, “Even when you do something in your time off, it’s focused on reaching goals. “Do you ever just do something to do it?” I proceeded to give her examples of how I practice self-care. Mara was unimpressed. She pointed out the intentions … Read more
I love systems. My bookshelf contains several books which show the importance of processes such as The E-Myth Revisited, Traction, and Good to Great. More recent reads, Atomic Habits, Yes to the Mess, and Inner Game of Work also stress the significance of systems. These books illustrate how the combination of clear systems and the ability to operate within the process leads … Read more
Leaving a good job isn’t easy. You’ve built relationships, learned valuable lessons about yourself and others, and developed new skills. Your job becomes part of your life story, whether you were there for one year or for ten years. Therefore, when it’s time, leave your job with respect, dignity, and gratitude. As I reflect on … Read more
In Atomic Habits, James Clear shares one method for working on a new, intimidating habit: the two-minute rule. Instead of picking an overly long or complex habit, choose one aspect of the habit which takes two minutes. I apply this rule to writing the weekly blog. Writing the weekly blog intimidates me. I have published … Read more
After 30 years of teaching and facilitating workshops, one lesson is abundantly clear: people learn more when exploring with others. This can be in practice, breakout groups, and table discussions. Side conversations make learning real. Applying learning to real-world situations and breaking it down with the people you actually work with is the way to … Read more
I’ve been reading Atomic Habits by James Clear, and I love it. Clear emphasizes our accidental efforts to sabotage our goals by focusing too much on them. We keep trying to make goals better. For example, if our goal is to make more sales, our first inclination is to create a SMART goal. Simply making … Read more
It’s not new information to remind people of the importance of listening. We have reiterated the power of listening on this blog many times. So what’s with another post about listening? Listening is power. Active listening, aka curious listening, is first and foremost about connection. Whereas listening can be used for evil, the intention of … Read more