Before I sat down to write this column I had just finished a coaching session with a newly promoted mid-level manager. Julie started our conversation with “It’s true, it is lonely at the top. With my promotion I enjoy the opportunity to make a greater impact, but now my actions are scrutinized, former peers are […]
For reasons that include fear for our own well being, companies that measure and reward individual instead of team results, a new generation of employees who feel more entitled than their older peers, and a US culture that reveres individual success, it appears we’ve entered the age of narcissism. Let’s face it, some amount of […]
Why do so many people start a new business, only to fail? According to the Commerce Department 80 percent of all new businesses close their doors within the first five years. Of those that survive another eight in ten will fail in the second five years. There are thousands of books, tapes, seminars and lectures […]
How Do I Start Strong as a New Leader? She was not unlike many others. In fact, her challenges were the most common I have seen in more than 18 years. Debbie was an accomplished worker. She was smart and motivated and after five years in her position, she got the nod to head the […]
Even with all the assessments, scorecards and performance reviews, there appears to be a growing chasm between performance and perception. Why just yesterday a coaching client of mine – we’ll call him Tom – scratched his head when saying, “I thought my work would speak for itself. Now it appears, that in addition to my […]
Would 30 billion in cost savings or added productivity make a difference to our lagging economy? I think so.  To get that huge number wouldn’t require a government bailout or an act of Congress. It’s would be much simpler than that, involving ground-up involvement. Consider these facts.  Each day 11 million meetings take […]
As I boarded the first of three flights from Atlanta to Bangkok my only thought was how I was going to best serve my client. Traveling internationally had become routine. Little did I know that the teacher would become the student and I would be served up lessons I could never have seen coming. Twenty […]
The setting couldn’t have been better: The training room windows inside the lodge pole looked out onto a thick forest. At the other end of the room cushy leather chairs faced a fireplace. The food was gourmet-organic and during breaks we could take walks on the beach. The environment was harmonious. Perfect! For the 15 […]
Imagine you’re a mountain climber. Your goal is to scale the world’s top three peaks. Each will require great effort and sacrifice. However, you determine you only have enough energy to climb one. So you choose the most popular mountain. You make it to the top and experience the thrill of success. However, a deep […]
As tragic as they were, what lessons can the space shuttle Challenger and Columbia disasters teach us that we can apply in business? According to the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, NASA never fixed the underlying institutional problems that led to the 1986 Challenger tragedy. As a result, many of them played a role in Columbia’s […]