Slowing Down to Speed up #32 I travel quite a bit. I observe people for a living. Going to the airport is a virtual overload of people, behaviors and adventures into human interactions of the best and worst sorts. Because I’ve accumulated enough miles, I’m often in First Class when I travel. It’s nice, it allows me to work as…
From Seth’s pen to my Ears (#31) Below is Seth Godin’s blog post from today. If you’re playing along on this blogging journey with me, you may recall that I took Seth’s challenge of writing 1,000 blog posts just a month ago. So far, it’s been relatively do-able. I’m keeping up with my 5/week promise and finding my awareness heightened…
They’re Not the Same #30 Information, knowledge and wisdom. They’re not the same. Often, people treat them as if they are the same. Our world is filled with information; you can “Google” anything, watch a YouTube about how to do most things and learn without interacting with anyone or anything other than a screen. Many people think this is the…
Teamwork is not a Cliché #29 I work with teams, I celebrate teams, I watch teams and enjoy helping teams in my work. It’s entirely gratifying to work with talented people who contribute their unique skills and talents to a common goal generously. It’s even more gratifying when that team is your family. When you work together in what seems to be a coordinated dance, with each…
Well Intentioned Doesn’t Mean It’s Helpful #28 I’m wrestling with something. It’s my own well intentioned yet non-helpful behaviors. While I like to think of myself as an open minded, open-hearted, helpful person, the reality may be that while my intentions are good, they’re not as thoughtful as they need to be for those I’m trying to help. As a…
Squishy Issues? #27 Why tackle squishy issues like self-doubt? I was asked this question in an interview. First of all, I don’t think doubt is a squishy issue. 75-80% of successful people feel like imposters at times. It’s called Imposter syndrome and it’s a real thing. And if you are one of these people and you don’t have a peer…
Losing Track of Time #26 Meditation is one of the practices most documented as imperative to becoming a great leader, so why do so many high producing, goal-oriented people struggle with it? It feels NON-productive, that’s why. Wellness expert Dan Miller was working with one of my groups and defined meditation by saying, “you are meditating whenever you lose track of…
On BEing Human #25 Who are you? Minus what you do, what you produce, minus your title; who are you? It’s a big question; can you be still enough to answer it? Will you remain quiet, uncomfortable, and open to all that floods into your brain like a freight train out of control to sit with the question? For the…
#24 – Avoiding a Destination you Weren’t Intending When working with clients on setting goals and accomplishing them by chunking them down to manageable 90-day increments, I use stories and metaphors to make the point. I often ask teams: “what portion of a plane trip is the plane “off track?” Guesses from leaders range in the 10% – 50% range…
#23 Simple, Not Easy Discipline. It’s not a popular subject. It often gets confused with punishment. It’s not at all the same. In my mind, discipline is closest to commitment. The kind you make to do something even when it’s challenging; when it’s not convenient; when it’s unpopular; when you’d rather not. It’s a rare thing to witness discipline in action. Ask anyone…