2016 was quite a political year in the United Kingdom and the United States. The outcome of the UK’s BREXIT vote and the US Presidential election came as a shock to millions. Conventional wisdom, pundits, most of the political cognoscenti… Read More ›
Self-Management
MANAGING YOUR ATTENTION SPAN
In Michael Lewis’ book “The Big Short” he describes the listening style of a major character Steve Eisman thusly: “Eisman had a curious way of listening; he didn’t so much listen to what you were saying as subcontract to some… Read More ›
CONVERSATIONS BEAT PRESENTATIONS ANY DAY
When we hear the term presentation we tend to think of something prepared; something formal; something thought out and through ahead of time. In essence, something created in advance. We also tend to think of something of length rather than… Read More ›
KNOWING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS TO ASK: CONNECTING THE DOTS
In her fascinating book entitled The Silo Effect; The Peril Of Expertise And The Promise Of Breaking Down Barriers author Gillian Tett– a social anthropologist, an award-winning journalist and a senior editor for the Financial Times — describes far too many… Read More ›
WHEN IS IT TIME TO ACT?
If there is a more challenging question for any of us in life, I do not know what it is. Deciding when to act, especially in important situations where the stakes of our decision are high, is stressful, complicated and… Read More ›
THE POWER OF AUTHENTICITY: THE COURAGE TO BE YOURSELF
There are countless books and articles dedicated to listing and exploring the qualities possessed by outstanding managers. However, I believe there is far too little attention paid to the one quality that creates an important degree of comfort we personally… Read More ›
THE NON-OPEN OPEN DOOR POLICY
No manager in my memory has ever claimed he or she had a “Non-Open Door Policy”. Claiming to have an open door policy is so automatic for most managers, announcing it rolls off their tongue soon after assuming almost any… Read More ›
AN ETHICAL TRIP WIRE
Throughout human history, mankind has proven quite capable of ethical breaches that inflict harm on one another. Examples of everything from minor offenses to serious ethical lapses easily come to mind. Professional men and women with influence, power and authority over others,… Read More ›
A PLUG FOR TEAM MANAGEMENT
In their most basic form, organizational work units consist of four parts: (1) a named entity of some size (i.e. a team, branch, staff, division, etc); a service or mission focus for that unit; (3) an assemblage of human talent and skills to… Read More ›
BALANCING THE VISIONARY AND THE PRACTICAL
Having a vision for the future of your organization, a big idea, a grand goal! It is hard to argue against the importance of these things when it comes to inspirational management and leadership and to the success and continued relevance… Read More ›