Business
How Reckless Leadership Leads to Distrust
I was driving home from an entrepreneur’s workshop this afternoon (thank you UW-Parkside, BizStarts Milwaukee, Kauffman Foundation, and selfless experts and coaches), thinking about what it takes to start a business or survive today as an early stage company. The economic and political climates are challenging, to say the least. Breaking into my reverie was […]
Continue ReadingAre We Measuring Ourselves to Distraction?
… and Tracking Ourselves to Ill Health? We live in a data-gorged world, where most everything can be measured in microns and progress can be tracked real-time. In theory, this rich availability of data should enhance every decision by helping us base judgments on data, not supposition, and logic, not emotion. Unfortunately, this very condition […]
Continue ReadingWhy Truncated Thinking is the Confidence Killer
To all who face a challenging decision or dilemma: Keep on thinking! Truncated thinking is the all-too-common phenomenon in which the thinker encounters an aspect of a decision that is really tough and decides to postpone additional thinking in order to ‘do something more productive.’ To illustrate, let’s say a new product design reaches a […]
Continue ReadingWhy the Popularity of Executive Coaching Continues to Grow
The popularity of executive coaching continues to grow, in part as a result of heightened expectations placed on executives with leaner staffs. Companies recognize the benefits a coach can bring to beleaguered leaders. Some companies use coaching as a development strategy for potential leaders. Some include it as a promotion benefit. In all cases, the […]
Continue ReadingLeaders, Find Out How to Open New Doors of Opportunity
Everyone is familiar with the Comfort Zone, that place of safety and predictability that we like to inhabit, especially during difficult times. The Comfort Zone consists of our daily routines, opinions, assumptions, and accumulated knowledge that guides most of our behavior. There are two other zones that I would like to introduce to you: the […]
Continue ReadingTips for Improving Culture in Your Organization
A lot of people spend a lot of time thinking and talking about improving the culture of their organizations. Many find, in talking about it, that culture represents a paradox. One on hand, people want to know “how things are done around here.” On the other, they don’t want to be thwarted in expressing their […]
Continue ReadingJudgment is the core competence to develop for your Business
If there’s a core competence that every organization needs to develop it’s this: Judgment. That’s a bottom line directive. People at all levels of an organization make decisions all day long. In many of those decision-making moments, a judgment of some kind is called for. Should I trade this stock now or later? Should I […]
Continue ReadingTo Improve Performance, Celebrate Discipline
There is something absolutely thrilling about watching a really good marching band, so imagine my delight in seeing eight drum and bugle corps from around the country perform at the Rotary Music Festival in Cedarburg, Wisconsin on Tuesday evening, July 3. What a perfect way to celebrate the 4th of July! The performances were awe-inspiring. […]
Continue ReadingHow Commitment Eliminates Excuses in a Business
Lots of people “really want” to do things. Start a company, upgrade talent, buy a beach house, lose 10 pounds, get the kids to bed on time each night, control their anger. The “really want” stage is an important precursor to commitment. As people reflect on the things that could make their lives better, they […]
Continue ReadingWhy a Job Candidate Would Say He Doesn’t Want the Job
When a job candidate says he really doesn’t want a position he interviewed for, after saying beforehand that he was the PERFECT candidate… and the hiring company says the candidate really doesn’t have the specific qualifications they are looking for, after saying beforehand that he was the PERFECT candidate, what’s going on? I was in […]
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