Thanksgiving is when one species ceases to gobble and another begins.– -R.E. Marion A story is told of two men who were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull. Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence. The storming bull followed in hot pursuit, and it was soon apparent that…
I can live for two months on a good compliment – Mark Twain A story is told how one day the great Italian artist Michelangelo happened to overhear a group of people admiring his Pieta, a statue of Christ on His mother’s kneeafter His death on the cross. One man attributed the work to another…
When I was a child, I was often awakened by rumblings in the back of the house while the sun was still down. Occasionally, I would brave the cold air in my Incredible Hulk underwear to see my father suiting up for work. He was up early, home late and always in a suit. I…
Edgar Schein, a titan of the field of organizational development, says in his recent book, Helping, that there are four questions on the minds of new members of any team. While these concerns operate at a subconscious level, nevertheless, any team member must become comfortable with the answers before he or she can relax and…
The real test of a man is not when he plays the role that he wants for himself but when he plays the role destiny has for him. – V´aclav Havel For movie buffs, it is one of the most memorable scenes in movie lore. James Callahan, the lead character in Dirty Harry portrayed by Clint Eastwood,…
You may remember the quote from Cool Hand Luke, “some men you just can’t reach”. Being a person of true faith in human connections, this disposition made me feel hopeless. Until I started managing people….. There are people who fit into the category of “uncoachable”. Usually these folks isolate themselves into obscurity and are ushered…
The most frequently cited quality of exceptional leaders is authenticity/integrity. With the best leaders, what you see is what you get, they walk their talk, and so forth. But situations arise that call upon the leader to fake it. They have to become an actor. They have to temporarily take on a persona different from…
It’s not easy being green. – Kermit the Frog In the book, The 101 Most Influential People who Never Lived, authors Allan Lazar, Dan Karlan, and Jeremy Salter expose readers to a litany of fascinating characters who never existed. From fiction, myth, television, and movies, they reveal how these characters shaped our society, changed our…
Much has been made of the post game spat between two football a few weeks back. Jim Schwartz felt disrespected because Jim Harbaugh shook his hand with too much force after the game. I am from Michigan and I hate the 49ers, so it would be my natural inclination to side with Coach Schwartz –…
Assume the Next Message You Send Will Be Misunderstood There are over 600 or more words in the English language with 10 or more meanings. In addition, our body language and tone of voice can also be percieved in many ways. To make sure that people don’t misundertand us and they walk away with the…
Any person who selects a goal in life which can be fully achieved, has already defined his own limitations. – Cavett Robert In his book, Winning Every Day, legendary football coach Lou Holtz shares a story about a man whose car tumbled into a ditch. He called a farmer for some help, but the farmer…
If you are trying to gain cooperation from your staff, persuade or influence a client or co-worker, close a sale, make the right impression, ace an interview, or convince an audience, you must first connect with them. Below is a checklist of the active ingredients in creating lasting connections. How many of these are you…
The people’s capacity to achieve is determined by their leader’s ability to empower.– John Maxwell Bart Starr, the former quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, was describing to a group of businessmen how his coach, Vince Lombardi, held absolute power. He stated that, as you entered Vince’s office, you noticed a huge mahogany desk with…
Your greatest success might be disguised. That was the case for William Wrigley, Jr. You recognize the name from Wrigley chewing gum. What you might not have known is that Wrigley started out as a soap company, using chewing gum as a promotional giveaway inside the box of soap. Perhaps your greatest success is lurking…
Before diving into my first leadership role I was advised by a well-respected member of our Management team. She told me, “Don’t get too close to your people, you will get burned”. I countered her advising with the thought that creating a monarchy would isolate me from my team….to which she said “exactly”. I didn’t…
A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. – Winston Churchill A story is told some years ago about a young energetic man who began work as a clerk in a hardware store. Like many old-time hardware stores, the inventory included thousands of dollars’ worth of items…
Some days I feel like I’m on walking upward on a down escalator — my 25 years of supervising and managing experience isn’t getting me the results I want. This past few weeks, the managers in my own department have been teaching me a few things: 1) Know the “style” of the decision-makers in…
People finally matter at work. Lip service be damned. – Marcia Conner A story is told in The Book of Business Anecdotes about marketing whiz Stanley Arnold working at Young & Rubicam in the 1950’s. He was asked to help with a marketing campaign for Remington Rand. Its chairman at the time was retired General…
I am a sports fanatic so my Leadership style is rooted in metaphor to any number athletic competitions. With the NBA season on the brink of collapse let’s talk some basketball. I am a firm believer that there are two ways to motivate basketball players: 1. By the Bench 2. By the Basket There is…
People are not necessarily difficult but different. In other words if someone sees things different than us we might think they are “difficult.” To deal with these “difficult” people follow these rules: Realize that people who are angry feel justified in their anger -Whether it’s a perception or reality there is “real” reason for their…