One of the most popular words in the business lexicon these days is collaboration. Everyone’s eager to flatten the organization, get rid of hierarchy, eliminate command-and-control structures and collaborate across broad multifunctional teams. Is There Anything Really New about Collaboration?...
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You’ve Got to Dream While You Eat.
There's nothing more important ... or more challenging ... than the need to balance short-term results with long-range plans. H ow is your organization focused? Are you encouraging long-range thinking or only what happens this week? Do you have the...
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The Ante is Simple. Action!
Andy Grove, the former CEO of Intel, wrote the book, Only the Paranoid Survive, a testament to his relentless drive and devotion. Two of the quotes attributed to him are a good way focus your energy ... and to be...
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Don’t Let Hope Become an Embalming Agent
Hope isn't a strategy. Action IS! For most of us, Spring is the time of the year when hope springs eternal. The sun is out ... the flowers are blooming ... and this year it seems we're finally emerging from...
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The Power in a Blank Sheet of Paper
Most of the time when we sit down to work, maybe in our favorite chair, we have a stack of papers or files and a list of some kind. We then proceed to "work" as we've always defined it ......
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Not enough resources … or Not Resourceful?
Resourcefulness has nothing to do with access to resources. W e have more resources than ever before. That’s not what makes us resourceful. Early this morning, I headed to a favorite place just down the street to bring home a...
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It isn’t Technology Creating all the Distractions. It’s us.
We’d like to think that its technology that has become our enemy and is the cause of the distractions and our struggles to get things done.
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The Single-Word Concept You Can’t Live Without
PREPARE to Win … or get ready to get your butt kicked! In our travels, we’ve seen plenty of obstacles to success, from making the tough decisions to staying focused on execution. As if all that isn’t enough, there are still...
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What’s Keeping You from Making the Tough Decisions?
One of the most pervasive challenges that arises in my coaching sessions with CEOs and other business executives is the struggle to make the tough decisions. I t's a deadly disease that cripples personal productivity. It’s usually a decision that’s...
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What Would You Do on Captain Flint’s Ship?
Your Decision-Making Style will determine a lot about the success of your decisions. Are you able to make the tough calls when you need to?In an episode of Black Sails, a compelling saga about the Golden Age of Piracy in the...
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Choices vs. Decisions. Any Difference?
Photo by Brandon Lopez on Unsplash What's the difference you ask? ' There can be quite a difference and I'll share with you a different perspective on this seemingly simple question. What are choices? Choosing is simply a matter of...
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Ever think you’re thinking too much?
I have. Too much lately, so I decided to think about why I'm thinking too much. In part, I think it's because we simply haven’t made a firm decision about what we're doing or where we're going. As a result,...
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How Are You Doing with that “Vision Thing”? Got One?
You may think you’re a pretty good communicator. B ut, have you clearly communicated the purpose of your organization so everyone in your company can recite it? Do your customers clearly understand who you are and why you're here? Communication...
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Can You Prevent the Toxic Flavor of Public Discourse from Infecting Your Culture?
D o you think the the Presidents we most revere are repulsed by how we have dispatched decency standards from the public conversation? I sure do. Have I got your attention? I debated using the image alongside, but I decided...
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The Lack of Momentum may be the Most Lethal Force in Your Business
When all else fails, could motion masquerade as leadership? For a while … yes. Momentum Has Super Powers In my experience, momentum is an inescapable force, both for good as well as harm. I’ve seen terrible business "deals" get done...
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Competence. Confidence. Caring. Done.
In an interview several years ago, William Green, the former CEO of Accenture, a Global 500 firm with current revenues in excess of $44 billion, recounted a 3-day training session for new managers in which they were told 68 things that were...
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Making Mistakes Because You’re Pressed for Time?
Many years ago ... and after coaching senior leaders for many years before that ... it became clear ... crystal ... that the senior leaders I was coaching had never taken the time to develop a trusted productivity system to...
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Find Yourself Immobilized by the Pandemic? Riots? Politics?
When I'm talking to leaders these day, I find an unusual level of inaction. Maybe immobility is a better word for it. Today, the pandemic officially begins Month #11, and has people frustrated, bored and uncertain of their future. The...
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Looking with Envy at the Success of Others?
All too often we look at others ... why is he a millionaire? ... how come she makes more than I do? ... why do athletes get paid so much more than teachers? It doesn't matter how true those statements...
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10 Things You Can Do in 2021 With No Talent
Sure, talent is always a plus, but there are a lot of things you can do that require no talent at all.Since the New Year is just beginning ... and let’s face it, we couldn’t get rid of 2020 fast...
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What’s the Hallmark of Superior Performance? Focus?
By any other name, FOCUS is the one thing we all struggle with. There is too much to do, too much coming at us and we want it all. We want to work hard, perform well, love our families, dote...
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Ever Wonder about the 2020 Cost of the 12 Days of Christmas?
12 Days of Christmas; Source unknown The cost of the fanciful mix of gifts described in the classic carol, The 12 Days of Christmas, has been tracked for over a quarter of a century. The good news is that since...
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The 12 Pains of Christmas | A 2020 Executive Sing-a-Long
The holidays are here and we’re still trying to figure out how we’re going to get it all done. You know, all the productivity stuff we talk about? So, instead of asking you to work at something – anything –...
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Planning? Is It Something, Everything? Nothing?
Have you finished your plan for 2021? Should have ... could have ... might have? If it isn't finished, any chance you're waiting for a clear view of the future? When will the pandemic end? What will the future look...
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Is What You Have Ever Enough?
As the Christmas holidays approach, it's easy to get all wrapped up in shopping, Christmas gifts and increasing our bounty of material things. While this year is a downer in so many ways ... the pandemic, fires, smoke, protests, a...
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Hmmm. Who Can I Blame for This?
If there was ever a time to be reminded of this, it's now. Let's face it. The COVID-19 pandemic sucks! It's resulting in restrictions at all levels - for your family, your business, your community, your church ... and the...
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Don’t Take Your Blessings for Granted | Happy Thanksgiving
There’s no better time to pause and reflect upon the many blessings in our lives. Believe it or not, the world will survive a few days without our business devotion, so go ahead and invest your day with friends and...
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