Posted on January 30, 2012
Last year, a conference attendee asked Tony Hsieh (founder of Zappos) what he’d do differently, if he knew then what he knows now. “Build culture from Day One,” was his thoughtful and profound reply. Not technology, partners, product lines, marketing – culture building! In his book, Delivering Happiness, he described several ways he and his …
Posted on December 14, 2011
Since reading Primal Leadership, I’ve been a fan of this topic and a student of the discipline. Later, as Yahoo’s Leadership Coach, I studied the areas of excellence in leaders both inside the company, and throughout our customer and partner base. Some, like Howard Stringer of Sony, had very clear skill sets, such as people …
Posted on December 3, 2009
A few years ago, I read Benjamin & Roz Zander’s book The Art Of Possibility. Today, that book is still in my all-time Top 20 list. It’s point of view was powerful: Find passion in the possibilities. Be bold in your abundance. In 2004, I met Ben Zander while speaking at a leadership conference in …
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 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 September 22, 2009
Today’s post will offer a free excerpt from Saving The World At Work. For the rest of September, I’m continuing my relaunch campaign for the book. If its message resonates with you, please consider my special offers during this period, or better yet, join the campaign and help spread the word. In the book, I …
Posted on July 2, 2009
If you feed your mind poison, you'll eventually poison your mind. Today, it's easy to feast of negative news, gruesome events and scare-talk. The commercial media has no incentive to be uplifting. Bad news draws headlines. Macabre coverage goes viral. Social media is much the same — other people's fears surround you like sharks, circling …
Posted on June 25, 2009
During my lectures, I always stress the importance of reading. "Readers are leaders!" is a popular battle cry during my talks. Why? Because reading great books will expand your mind and ultimately give you total confidence. Personal confidence is to effectiveness what business confidence is to economic growth. Increase it and you will grow, thrive …
Posted on April 15, 2009
Today's thought is parsed from a recent talk I gave to a large group of hotel managers and owners. The message is straightforward: If the culture at work stinks, it is likely the leader's fault. That Fish Stinks From The Head (YouTube Clip) Bring me in to speak at your next event
Posted on January 27, 2009
More than ever, we need to find ways to avoid scarcity thinking. In my experience, there is a big difference between being paranoid and practical. When scarcity sets in, you forget about the Law Of Abundance and sink into a lower place. You push people away, become self-needs centered and react to all change like …
