Picture this: A man nervously fumbles through his wallet. He’s about to buy a large coffee, which costs $3.19. “Oh, oh, oh,” he started nervously, looking around and shoving his hand into a deep pocket. “Looks like I don’t have enough money.” He laughs in an unusual way. What’s going on? We can all look … Read more
“He would give someone the shirt off his back before they knew they needed it.“ These words came to mind as we celebrated the life of my wife’s grandfather a couple weeks ago. Do you know the feeling you get when you need help but you’re not sure what it could be? Then, suddenly, someone is … Read more
He was in his mid-50s. Unkempt hair. Tank top. Flip flops. Ripped jean shorts. No helmet. Riding a bike with a cigar in his mouth. I confess to making a quick judgment about how his cigar—before 8 a.m.—belied any effort on his part to be healthy by biking. And, I confess, I judged him quicker … Read more
In the latest book by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, Everyday People, Extraordinary Leadership, they share research showing who people identify as their most influential leader. Options included political leaders, historical figures, business leaders, and celebrities. However, the majority of people did not select famous individuals as their most influential leader; instead, they chose from … Read more
I’ve brought up this topic before, but the importance of being clear in your communication can not be over-emphasized. There’s a subtle vocal tick careful leaders avoid using–“honestly.” Often we use this word to get the listeners attention and emphasize our message. As a communicator, you lose credibility when you begin conversations with phrases that … Read more
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
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
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 has been a year since the world turned up side down. Whereas the lockdowns are easing, people are getting vaccinated, and life is beginning to look more like “normal,” we are faced with a hard truth: people are burned out and mental health problems continue to increase. One positive result of the pandemic is … Read more