As you might imagine, as a paid expert on communication and leadership, I get some well earned ribbing at home from my wife Robin because of my poor listening skills as a husband and father. Once I made the comment that she just didn’t pay me as well as my client’s did for me to…
“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.” – Albert Einstein In his book, Living Above the Level of Mediocrity, Charles Swindoll tells of meeting a man who once served on one of Walt Disney’s original advisory boards. The early days were tough; but that remarkable, creative visionary refused to give up. What…
In 2006, William Taylor wrote a book called Mavericks at Work. I devoured the book! I loved the concept of rule breakers sticking to their guns to gain authority. This, to me, is the true definition of winning. That you do not need the most gifted players but those with conviction, an uncompromising purpose, the…
You don’t have to be a professional comedian to be funny. You just have to have a willingness to look at the lighter side of life. Here are some ideas from the book, “Get Along with Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere” by Arnold Sanow and Sandra Strauss for adding a little humor to your rapport: Use humor…
We hear so much about collaboration these days. Our work is more complex. The best solutions require input from diverse perspectives. We at Fulcrum Associates have just started working with a fascinating simulation learning event, Friday Night at the ER. In it participants experience the challenge of working in a system where the unit managers…
Our career track can take interesting twists and turns. We walk the tight rope between challenging ourselves and balancing work with life. It certainly isn’t as easy as it used to be. Certain companies reward hard work with opportunity. With each step up the ladder, you gain more responsibility and advanced leadership potential. Things started…
I’m sure I used to drive my mom and dad a little crazy as a child because I used to ask “Why?” so often. It turns out that kids aren’t the only ones who want to know why. Employees are more likely to be engaged when they are informed and understand the reason you ask…
“Learn from the past, set vivid, detailed goals for the future, and live in the only moment of time over which you have any control: now.” – Denis Waitley I read with interest not long ago how a person on railroad tracks hears a train approaching, looks behind him, sees the train and then freezes…
“The Connection Zone is a dynamic balance of energy in which people honor each other’s needs and enjoy the benefits that flow as a result”. – Sandra Strauss Creating the Connection Zone experience is invaluable for short-term interactions to make enduring impressions (as in customer service), as well as for long-term personal and professional relationships,…
A recent IBM survey asked global CEOs to name the most important leadership quality they needed, but are hard-pressed to find. According to the survey of more than 1,500 CEOs from 60 countries and 33 industries worldwide, chief executives believe creativity is the most vital leadership competency. Yes, you read it correctly. More than rigor,…
There are a number of concerns and challenges presenters face when organizing and delivering presentations. Here are 12 of the most common problems we have seen over the decades in our presentation skills training programs and coaching. Based on the book, Present with Power, Punch and Pizzazz by Arnold Sanow and Henry J. Lescault. Lack…
Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success before they gave up. – Thomas A. Edison I was fascinated by a story I read not long ago about Florence Chadwick. In 1952 she attempted to swim the chilly ocean waters between Catalina Island and the California shore.…
Bill George, an author whom I have reviewed and whom I respect, has just come out with a new book, True North Groups. This is a more structured version of the classic “mastermind group” which many of my speaker colleagues have formed or joined. This new publication just reminds me to urge you to form…
Last week I attended Salesforce.com’s annual cloud computing conference with 40,000 others. The conference is unconventional in that Sales Professionals, Hackers, Admins and Marketers come together under a common cause. Salesforce.com has clarity of organizational purpose which makes sense to a lot of people. Marc Benioff’s vision seems to be to promote collaboration of ideas…
“Courage is fear holding on one minute longer.” – Gen. George S. Patton As the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks draw near, like so many of you, I can vividly recall where I was and what I felt as I watched the horrific events of that day unfold. It’s been said that…
“Never interrupt someone doing what you said couldn’t be done.” –Amelia Earhart The book, The World’s Worst Predictions, records some of the worst predictions ever made in history. Among some of the more notable bad predictions include how in 1773, King George II said that the American colonies had little stomach for revolution. Another reveals…
Today we look at the one or two bottom performing employees you might have on your team or in your company. It could be job performance related or it could be negativity or behavior problems. Can they be ‘fixed’ or should you let them go and move forward with hiring a replacement? An HR Manager…
The circumstances of life, the events of life, and the people around me in life do not make me the way I am, but revel the way I am. – Sam Peeples, Jr. In a Sports Illustrated story years back, Gary Smith relates the suffering of the late North Carolina State basketball coach Jim Valvano…
Last week we revealed a tale of Leadership Lost: A man, who dedicated his life to a cause he believed in, employed thousands and put his grandchildren’s children through college. And yet, if you walked out of college on to his team you might be met with less vision and a whole lot of limitations.…
Type in the words ‘succession planning’ into a Google news search. Most likely, you’ll find several articles discussing succession planning, or lack thereof, at Apple, Inc. Now, I don’t mean to pick on Apple here, but the issue of succession management appears to serve as a constant woe to Apple stakeholders and the company’s board.…