Building an Internal Change Management Capability

Two-thirds of all large-scale change initiatives fail to achieve their expected business benefits. This failure rate represents billions of dollars in lost productivity, wasted resources, opportunity costs and rework—not to mention the cost of lost jobs and workforce disengagement. Companies that learn to manage change effectively and consistently deliver expected returns from their large-scale change…

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Are You Playing to Your Strengths?

The man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder-a wait, a nothing, a no man. – Thomas Carlyle One of golf’s immortal moments came when a Scotsman demonstrated the game to President Ulysses S. Grant. Carefully placing the ball on the tee, he took a mighty swing. The club hit the turf…

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Connect In Before You Connect Out

Discovering your value-add offering to your network requires you to take an honest look at who you are, what you value and what your core beliefs are.  It will be impossible for you to be authentic and communicate your value to others is you’re not living your life honestly. Fourteen years ago, I had my…

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Organizational Reminders

The times they are-a-changin’! Programmers with great ideas are becoming billionaires, the internet is streamlining small business ownership, and those who seek job stability are being questioned for their lack of ambition. The once normative corporation culture is becoming leaner. We travel (and even talk on the phone) less than we used to. Our conversations…

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What’s the Real Reason You Work Those Extra Hours?

Ever notice? When you ask someone how they’re doing, they rarely say “fine.” No, just about everybody says “busy.” Yeah, we’re so busy that we have to work all those extra hours–come in early, or work through lunch, or stay late, or pull a Saturday and/or a Sunday…or all of the above. Now, I’m not…

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Taking Flight at Mid-life

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream another dream. – C.S. Lewis What do Colonel Harland Sanders, Ray Kroc, William Amos, Laura Ingles Wilder, and Henry Ford all have in common? These successful people did not achieve the greatest levels of success in their respective lines of work until each…

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NetWORTHing is the New Way to Network!

“It’s difficult to connect with people while pursuing your selfish agenda. By nature, connecting is a giving experience.” –John C. Maxwell Have you ever been a victim of a network drive-by? Or been personally violated by people claiming to be networking but are just out for themselves and what you can do for them? If…

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At the Heart of Development, Awareness

A manager I was coaching recently explained (away) the behavior of one of his supervisors: “He isn’t an angry person. He means well. It’s just that he’s often sharp with people. And sometimes they take it the wrong way. He’s really a good worker. I’ve told him that people can be intimidated by him, so…

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When it’s Your Time to Shine

“There are lots of times we have to pinch ourselves and ask, Is this really happening?” – Jeremy Lin The headline from Sports Illustrated writer Pablo S. Torre sums up one of the most remarkable sports storylines in recent memory, “’From Couch to Clutch’, After being cut twice, Jeremy Lin emerged from the end of…

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LEAD DIFFERENT!

I recently heard Marc Benioff say that working at Apple changed his career perspective. The great Steve Jobs turned the hot box programming room into an extended organizational culture. Finding “doors” in programming function became a quest for a new frontier. It was no longer about writing better code; it became a mission to change…

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Reactive vs. Creative Mind-sets…and Results

At the core of The Leadership Circle (360 degree assessment) model are the Reactive tendencies and Creative competencies. If you look at the circle itself, you will see Reactive structure of mind represented by the lower half of the circle and Creative structure by the upper half. When leaders operate from the Reactive mind-set they…

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Eliminate Doubt – Maximize Positive Self Talk

Positive self-talk expands your power; negative self-talk restricts it. Your personal power dramatically shapes your professional, personal, and social destinies, all with multiplying impact. Take the situation of entering a large ballroom full of unfamiliar faces. Immediately, if fearful thoughts take hold, you can talk yourself right out of a positive experience and the potential…

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Leadership Lessons from "Undercover Boss"

A good boss makes his men realize that they have more ability than they think they have so that they consistently do better work than they thought they could. –  Charles Erwin Wilson “Undercover Boss” has emerged as one of CBS’ top-rated shows on Sunday evenings. As CBS states, “Each week, the show follows a…

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Change Your Words, Change Their Minds

I continue to be amazed by that fundamental truth about living: how we choose to see a situation dictates the choices we–and others–make about it. Take a look at this 2-minute clip that demonstrates it better than any more words I can write. You will be glad you did. How you choose to deliver feedback…

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