Not long ago, I was working with a senior team, in a session being held at a country club. Most golf clubs try very hard to provide a top-notch client experience, and this one was no different. Our past experiences there have always been terrific. Breakfast was scheduled for 8:00, and everyone was going to fill [Read More]
The Other Side Of Change
January 31, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Change can be a pesky creature. One of my favorite sayings, attributed to Yogi Berra, is “the future ain’t what it used to be.” That pretty well sums up the truth about change. In fact, of all the words written about the topic, the one most accurate is likely “inevitable.” Not too long ago, I [Read More]
A Lesson from the Past
December 5, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Many of you may recall hearing about the famous one-word mantra, popular at IBM years ago. Having read several renditions of this story, it seems this single word statement was started by former CEO Thomas Watson, and served as a beacon of guidance and leadership for all. Apparently when things did not go as planned, [Read More]
Entitled or Engaged
November 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment
A few weeks ago, author Jim Kouzes (The Leadership Challenge) was in Cincinnati, talking about the ties between effective leadership and higher levels of employee engagement. An interesting question was posed by one of the attendees. He asked, something to the effect, if levels of engagement might be different in those who have a strong [Read More]
No Shortcut to Success
October 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Jim Kouzes, co-author of The Leadership Challenge, spoke to an enthusiastic audience in Cincinnati, a couple of weeks back. During his talk, he posed a question, which really got people thinking. He asked how many in the group either were – or knew of someone who was – a very good, even exceptional athlete or musician [Read More]
Lessons About Credibility
September 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment
We seem to be going through one of those cycles when everyday we are reminded of people or organizations falling off the credibility wagon. You likely recall the example of the local news station in San Francisco, who apparently got duped and reported joke-like names, when attempting to identify the pilots of the Asiana airliner [Read More]
Transferring Practice to Game Day
July 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Many years ago I played on a soccer team. And, I clearly remember practicing everything – passing, shooting, trapping, head balls, defending, you name it. In fact we would spend quite a bit of time at practice working on skills and hopefully building muscle memory. I also remember something else – that has stayed with [Read More]
A Red Letter Day
May 15, 2013 by 3 Comments
April 25th was a red letter day for me, because I got to meet Brennen. Let me provide a little background before introducing you to him. As many of you know, we conduct The Leadership Challenge® Workshop at a unique outdoor education facility just outside of Cincinnati. It is called Camp Joy, and camp is [Read More]
True Servant Leaders
March 22, 2013 by 1 Comment
There is that expression, “like tennis, nothing happens in life, until someone steps up to serve.” Earlier this month, I was privileged to offer The Leadership Challenge Workshop to a number of leaders from various non-profit organizations in the greater Cincinnati area. It was a wonderful experience for all of us. They enjoyed and benefited [Read More]
Strengthening Confidence
February 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment
I have begun to detect a dip in the level of self-confidence people have. Two merging observations which have led me to this. First, I less frequently hear people describing their work as a slam dunk or similar term, indicating they will have no trouble with it. Work these days is a struggle, with plenty [Read More]
