There is something called Character Day coming up on Thursday, September 22nd. (Who knew?) It started in 2014 to begin a conversation about who we are – who do you want to be as a person – and spread to over 125 countries and over … Read more
In several recent discussions with clients and with the Emerging Leaders class I teach at the SBA, an interesting example of a type of blockage to change has come up. Change happens around us all the time, every minute of every day. But rather than … Read more
In my last newsletter, I recommended the new book “Grit” by Angela Duckworth as a good read. It is. However, as Daniel Goleman points out in his recent article, grit is not enough. He rightly suggests that although grit is a wonderful character to have … Read more
Sometimes organizations get lazy. This happens when they have long periods of success and start to take it for granted. They assume that the customers and money will just keep coming in and they stop doing the things that got them to that point in … Read more
A recent post in the NY Times discussed the importance of finding something you love to do for a living. I think most of us know this to be true, if you’re happy with what you’re doing, you tend to be more engaged, more productive … Read more
“Hire Character. Train Skill.” – Peter Schutz In this hyper-competitive environment where employers are battling for talent, the desire to shortcut the process and make an offer to someone is intense. However, hiring a cultural misfit will end up costing you so much time and money, … Read more
Whenever you get that “feeling” that something is off in the company, you’re right. The key is finding and identifying the issue quickly before the business culture changes in a direction you did not intend. Facebook is a good example of an organization that is … Read more
Authentic Informal Leaders or AILs as they are called is a new term that I think is important to the workplace, especially with the millennial generation. Reid Carpenter writes about them for strategy + business here. AILs are described as those who do not have a … Read more
One of my favorite columnists, David Brooks, wrote a very interesting piece called “The Edge of Inside” describing the various roles people play in groups. He was discussing politics but it applies to organizations as well. There are the insiders, those that are so rooted … Read more
When you think about the bosses you’ve had and the boss that you have become, where are the intersections? I read an interesting piece recently entitled, Is Your Boss Easier to Train Than a Dog? While the title might be somewhat insulting to some bosses, … Read more