by Breaking Down the Bureaucracy Within
From Volume 5, Issue 6:A client I worked with about 20 years ago recently discovered something shocking. The carefully created process his company developed to get from initial meeting to satisfied client—a process that worked well when I was working with them—had ballooned from 40 steps to more than 600! It had become a monster. As we discussed his problem, I realized that organizations are just bigger versions of ourselves, and that we’re all in danger of creating these kinds of monsters within.
The Question That Can Change Your Life
From Volume 5, Issue 6:Wow! Yesterday, I participated in a branding strategic implementation meeting with a client and his new branding gurus, goBrandgo. They covered all the usual questions—How is your industry perceived?, How are you perceived?, etc.—and then they asked something that left my client dumbfounded and impressed the heck out of me.
You’ve Got Two Cheeks. Use Them!
From Volume 5, Issue 5“But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” Matthew 5:39
Some years ago I was involved in an organization with a terrific leader who had a habit of verbally dressing down a subset of direct reports. She said that she couldn’t get these direct reports to do what she needed to fulfill her commitments to her superiors without yelling, but yelling wasn’t creating any lasting change. So certain was she that these people needed her to yell at them that I could not get her to modify her behavior, so I resorted to Plan B.
The Art of Repairing a Broken Connection
From Volume 5, Issue 5You might relate to this experience. The other day, after scouring my databases for the phone number, I tried to call an old contact, only to be greeted with “You have reached a number that is no longer in service. Please check the number and try again.” I’d invested so much time in trying to connect, and now I was nowhere, faced with having to keep looking for a way to reach this person. And then I realized this happens all the time in our interactions, and simply because we don’t know how to reconnect, we lose the deal, the promotion, or even just our cool.
A Moment of Clarity, April, 2012: What hiccups and arguments have in common
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How to Change Your Luck
From Volume 5, Issue 4 A University of Pittsburgh study has concluded that optimists live longer, healthier lives than pessimists. The study followed 100,000 postmenopausal women over eight years. Those who expected good things to happen rather than bad were 14% less likely to die from any cause and 30% less likely to die from heart disease. If this has you worrying about an early death, you might just be a pessimist who needs a little lucking.
Proper Use of the F Word
From Volume 5, Issue 4In a recent conversation I had with an associate in the national rallying community, my friend waxed poetic about his current dissatisfaction with his job. I countered that he might benefit by looking for the fun in the job. His response? “Fun” isn’t a word he associates with employment. I know many people who feel that way, and my sense is that they need to take another look at how they are using the F word.
A Moment of Clarity, March 2012: Bucket List
Google “Things to do before I die” and you will see references to 100, 50, 101, 200, 1000 things. Seems like people have at least dreamed about a lot of things to do before they die.