It’s hard to believe that the second quarter of 2017 has started, I’m amazed. The first quarter went fast. Lately I’ve been busy with a long to-do list that sometimes wakes me up around 3AM; I know I’m not alone in this swirling of items to be done invading my sleep, right? I’m grateful that I can now minimize my time awake by : 1. Thanking my mind for the reminder with a smile and/or 2. I write it down on a […]
I know it sounds too good to be true, just one little thing and it will give me big improvements? Really?! Yes, I just did it yesterday. I was stuck. In traffic. It was ugly. No way to escape the jam of autos. I could feel my blood pressure starting to rise, my shoulders tensing. Ugh! Then I remembered what I share with my clients (whenever I say it I am thinking about how I am saying it to remind myself […]
In my first “real job” at Motorola, I and a coworker had a project to improve the cumbersome process for materials that were rejected for some reason or other and waiting on disposition from one of the Engineers. It was decades ago but I can still see and hear the strain in this little old man who ran this little room (picture a large walk-in closet with a half gated door with a hunched over little man who liked […]
A common way that I get lost and my clients get lost is in feeling confused or overwhelmed with large amounts of data or many different options. One of my favorite tools for cutting through the confusion is a mind map. I found this great mind map (pictured below) of all the different benefits and uses of a mind map on Flickr, click on this link to see the detail, The Mind Map by Zapckr on Flickr. The simple process […]
“Real motivation is that drive from within, you have a compelling image inside, not a travel poster on the wall.” – Dennis Waitly I coach and speak about creating a vision. A big clear and compelling vision that gets you (and your team) excited. It may start with a poster on a wall or a challenge from a customer or boss or something else externally but it will take flight if you internalize it so that it is truly […]
In 2008, a colleague announced that he was taking the voluntary severance and leaving. I was surprised, the volunteer severance was no better than the lay off severance and he was too young to retire. I asked him, “Was it a difficult decision?” I can still see the big smile that lit up his face, “No, not at all, in fact I’ve been planning this since the layoffs last year and I was afraid they weren’t going to offer […]
In 1987, I was at my desk at Motorola, trying to stay focused on the procedure I was reading when I overheard a more experienced colleague say, “He really read him the riot act….” Immediately, I thought, what act is that? I haven’t seen it in the pile of reading that I was assigned? I jumped up and asked, “Where do I get a copy of the riot act?” There was a pause and then a lot of laughter […]
“Control is a mirage. The most effective leaders right now – men and women – are those who embrace traits once considered feminine: Empathy. Vulnerability. Humility. Inclusiveness. Generosity. Balance. Patience.” This is how this month’s Inc. magazine cover story started; it got my attention. It made me think about some of my prior bosses. Sure enough, the best ones did embrace these traits. As the author mentions in the article, I would have followed them into a burning building. […]
Do you understand the messages you are sending with your eyes and how they impact your thriving? You may undermine your influence by focusing more on your electronic device or by looking down when you are forming your answer. If you hold direct eye contact you will come across as confident in your position (or whatever you are discussing), while if you pause and shift your gaze downward you will communicate weakness or disinterest. Also, if you continually focus […]
I worked through a stressful situation with a client once that I could empathize with all too well. It was her pile. The pile itself was not the cause of her stress, it was all of her thoughts about the pile. “What is in there that I should have taken care of?” “How am I going to deal with it if I am late on something in that pile?” “What problems are lurking in that pile that I have […]
