Recently I read an article in the New York Times by Wolf Biermann, a German singer, and songwriter who has lived on both sides of the Berlin Wall. Its title was The Tragedy of Angela Merkel. In explaining the conundrum… Read More ›
Managing & Leading
MATCHING TALENT TO TASK
Yesterday morning I watched Germany’s national soccer team surprisingly exit the 2018 FIFA World Cup finishing last in their designated group. I am certain most of their fans remain in shock. Man for man they possessed as much raw talent as… Read More ›
DIAGNOSING YOUR ORGANIZATION’S HEALTH
Imagine you are on an airplane and seated next to you is a congenial and engaging man or woman. You strike up a conversation and discover your seating companion works for the airline you are flying. At some point, you… Read More ›
THE POWER OF FOOD
You might ask what FOOD has to do with being an effective manager and leader? Consider the following scenario contained in my workshop for managers: In the past six months you have made some difficult management decisions clearly unpopular among many… Read More ›
TEAM PERFORMANCE: THE FUNDAMENTAL IMPORTANCE OF FULFILLED HUMAN NEEDS
I have focused on the topic of teams several times in this series of articles. And indeed there has been enough written about the topic these past twenty-five years to fill an entire library shelf. I return to the subject here,… Read More ›
Abilene Paradox
In 1981, I had the opportunity to view a training film regarding the “Abilene Paradox”. It featured the concept’s author the late Jerry B. Harvey — then a professor of psychology at George Washington University. I have never forgotten this… Read More ›
HARD WORK REVISITED: GRIT
Some time ago, I wrote an article in this collection entitled “Good Managers Work At It”. The point of my essay was that success at almost anything is usually related to the amount of hard work one is prepared to invest… Read More ›
THE NATURE OF FACTS
The Webster Dictionary defines a FACT as “the quality of being actual; something that has actual existence; a piece of information presented as having objective reality; something that hinges on evidence”. So when you say “in fact”, what you are… Read More ›
SEEING WHAT WE WANT TO SEE
This has been some 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 ›
HOW CAN I SCREW UP THIS SITUATION?
Perhaps this sounds like a strange question to ask yourself but believe me it has helped me avoid many a mistake as a manager and in my personal life. In any situation or management scenario there are numerous ways to… Read More ›
