Posted on November 19, 2009
Earlier this year, I gave a keynote for Fidelity Information Services to a few hundred community bankers. Many, if not all of them, were severely impacted by the recession. During the talk, I explained how the mood state was tied to future cash flow (Primal Leadership). From there I made a challenge to the …
Posted on November 17, 2009
Today, a WSJ Article (Thor Industries: On The Road Again) highlights a bright spot in the embattled automotive industry. Sure, they had layoffs, but they didn’t have debt – which was key. Thor Industries is a Phoenix company, that will emerge from the 2008-2009 great recession stronger and more profitable than ever. Two of its mega …
Posted on November 16, 2009
On November 6, I gave a keynote speech at a small business conference in Mexico City. I did a great deal of research to prepare my remarks. I looked into the state of the Mexican economy, the climate for small businesses and consumer trends. The idea was for me to leverage my global expertise …
Posted on November 13, 2009
Napoleon Bonaparte once said, “the leader’s role is the define reality, then give hope.” In that statement, Napoleon captures the essence of sustainable leadership — balance. Balance between good and evil, upside and downside, opportunity and risk and happiness and anguish. The balance, though, is difficult for leaders to maintain, especially during challenging times. It’s …
Posted on November 12, 2009
Last year, I gave a talk at Best Western’s annual conference for hotel managers. I shared advice on how to differentiate during these times. It came from the late great Stanley Marcus Jr. It’s good advice for anyone in business: The customer has an experience when they do business with you. Make it attractive. …
Posted on November 11, 2009
Yesterday, I gave the opening keynote at a Nokia Siemens Networks event in Washington DC (Environment As Economic Engine). During my talk, I identified Cloud Computing as a mega-trend that would foster egalitarianism and Green IT. It’s the buzz of the tech-blogosphere, where the common perception is that “the sky’s the limit for cloud …
Posted on November 5, 2009
Confidence is the rocket fuel for success. When you stamp out uncertainty in your point of view, confidence rushes in and gives you resilience, power and boldness. Show me a successful entrepreneur and I’ll show you a consistently confident persona. Confidence gives you risk tolerance. It fills you with charisma, attracting others to follow …
Posted on November 3, 2009
Last year, I met one of my heroes, coach and motivational speaker/author Phil Jackson. I introduced myself as a fellow speaker and we shared a glass of wine. During the course of the conversation, he shared his favorite piece of public speaking advice: “Be brief, be seated.” This quote, originally from Franklin D. Roosevelt, underscores …
Posted on November 2, 2009
From my email etiquette training program, here’s a simple but hard to follow rule: Don’t use email to get your way via escalation. I’m sure all of us have either used this passive aggressive technique or been abused by it. Using email to pull rank on someone is a prescription for disaster. This is …
Posted on October 30, 2009
One of the most zen things you can do for your mind is to do a deep-clean of your entire work space. Mine is at home, where a 3 year renovation is reaching its end. Over the last few months my desk became a holding place for cards, receipts, gadgets, coins, pens, pads and what …
