Your Life in Leadership

Life is too short to be little. – Benjamin Disraeli The late Fred Rogers, speaking at his acceptance speech into the Television Hall of Fame, gave a speech that I believe typifies what leadership is truly about. Rogers says, “Fame is a four-letter word: and like tape or zoom or face or pain or love,…

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Your Group Doesn’t Have to Be a “Team”

One of the best books written on teams and teamwork is The Wisdom of Teams by Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith. They make the distinction between a “team” and what they call a “working group.” The latter is the most common form in workplaces today: a VP with a group of managers, each in charge…

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Your Dance Between Manager and Coach

The trend these days is clearly for managers to take on more of a coaching role. But they still need to be the manager! These are two different roles. As a manager, you have stewardship for results in your area of operation. You ensure that your people are performing at an acceptable level and are…

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You’ve Got New Mail

It was bound to happen. Despite the Internet implosion in 2000, the online user population continues to grow not just in the U.S., but globally. Once it reached a critical mass, the natural evolution of this growing population was for its members to break into “communities” with common backgrounds, interests, and/or needs. Welcome to web…

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Words To Lead By

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. –  Proverbs 18:21 A story is told about Casey Stengel, a longtime major league baseball manager who had such a unique way with words that it became known as “Stengelese.” He once said, “I’ve always heard…

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Winning Well

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 –…

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Why Lunch Is A Bad Setting For Real Business

One of worst techniques you’ll pick up in business is “let’s do lunch.” It sounds like a great device for conducting business, be it a pitch or project work.  Often, your offer is accepted, after all, we have to eat!  It sounds less ominous than, “I’d like to setup a meeting to come talk to…

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Why Giving Thanks Matters

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…

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Why Giving Thanks Matters

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…

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Why Everyone Should Invite Google+ To the Party

For the last few years, business owners and fellow bloggers have asked me whether Google+ is “a good investment of my time.”  Up until last year, unless you were in the technology, social or dating services business, I’d say, “not very good.” Why?  Although they have 100 million plus users, the demographic is: Most likely…

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Why Do Some Leaders Experience Burnout?

Like as the waves make towards the pebbl’d shore, so do our minutes, hasten to the end. – William Shakespeare Architect Frank Lloyd Wright once told of an incident that may have seemed insignificant at the time, but had a profound influence on the rest of his life. The winter he was 9, he went…

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Why Appreciation Matters

The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated. – William James A story is told that Napoleon’s genius had been attributed to many things, but above all, he was a superb natural leader of men. Like any wise leader he was aware that his own success would have been nothing had…

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