Category Archive

I read an article recently – and I’m kicking myself for not making a note of where it was and who wrote it – in which the author, a consultant, commented on an executive meeting he was attending at a client site. The meeting included people of different ethnicity, religion, color, and gender. Partway through the meeting, the consultant looked …

I know someone who equates leadership with power-over, and vehemently rebels at any sign that his business partner wants to encroach on his territory or take an active leadership role in their business. (I’ll call him James.) I once worked with someone who didn’t have and didn’t want an official leadership title, but who by the simple force of her personality, intelligence, and insight was a powerful thought leader …

At a planning and strategy meeting the other day, a client gloomily confessed that she’s going to have to do something about one of her employees. “She’s always very busy, but she’s not getting anywhere,” she said. “She’s great at writing reports …” “That say nothing,” I finished for her when she trailed off. We’ve all been there: the challenge …

There’s an old joke that goes, How many therapists does it take to change a lightbulb? Answer: One, but the lightbulb has to want to change. And it’s true that change of any sort – personal or organizational – starts with desire. But that’s not enough, as anyone who’s watched New Year’s resolutions fall by the wayside, or corporate change initiatives …

Before you read further – what do you think the most important thing is in your business? Some might say it’s your product or service. After all, without something to sell, you’ve got no business at all. Others might say it’s the people – your employees. Or your mission, vision, and values. Or your organizational culture, and how you establish shared …

You’ve made sure everyone understands your organization’s mission, vision, and objectives. They know their individual goals and they understand their job descriptions and responsibilities. That’s great. And it’s not enough to inspire individuals and teams to their best performance. If it were enough, there would be no lack of follow-through on decisions, no actions out of alignment with the vision, no misinterpretation of …

A couple of Saturdays ago, my sweetheart Arthur and I were talking business. (One of our many points of compatability is a shared passion for business geekery!) Having attended a leadership conference the day before, I asked him for his definition of leadership. (I believe leadership skills can be taught, and I also believe that, just like anything, certain people have a special …

Organizations fail to succeed because they haven’t defined success. I don’t mean they’ve failed to set goals or have no vision of what they want to accomplish. I mean they haven’t defined success as a concept in and of itself. And it’s a tremendously loaded concept. The problem with the concept of success We all have psychological and emotional baggage around …

It’s one thing to have the courage to ask for help, as I mentioned in my last post about Amanda Palmer’s book The Art of Asking. It’s something else again to be able to form a question that actually elicits helpful answers. We’ve been discussing this in my Facebook group, the Clarity Kitchen, and there have been some interesting and insightful comments. …

The Art of Asking, by musician/writer Amanda Palmer, hit the bookstores just before the holidays last year. Having watched her TED talk months before, I knew I wanted to read the book. I did not expect to have an addition to my Must Read list for business owners. And yet, here we are: this is a Must Read. You don’t have …