Fall is back. The morning air is crisp and children are back in school. Friends, neighbors, and business acquaintances reconnect and ask one another about the past few months. So, how was your summer? What did you do? Where did you go?Wouldn’t it be more interesting to instead ask, What are your plans for the Fall? What will you do? Where will you go? What will you accomplish? These sorts of questions are just as good a sta...
My children love eating at Applebee's. Their food selections are remarkably consistent - chicken nuggets for my daughter and mac 'n' cheese for the little guy. You might say my kids are real creatures of habit. They'd never guess - nor would they care - that Applebee's has been under fire for sagging performance. The restaurant chain has, in fact, recently been called a study in stagnation. Performance has declined and prof...
Let’s be clear. I’m no bodybuilder. I go to the gym a couple of times a week to keep myself fit and energetic. But you don’t need to be a gym rat or a personal trainer to notice that some people work out properly and effectively while others are headed straight for a lifetime of chiropractic care.What is the difference between those making all the right moves and those who are simply wasting their time? More often than not,...
Twenty four hours. That’s all we get. No amount of wishing, complaining, or creative time management will ever change that. Each day contains only so many hours, each week just so many days. Yet the amount of work we must try to squeeze into those hours can be mind-boggling. Not to mention the family responsibilities, household maintenance, social commitments, and life in general.We sometimes comfort ourselves with the noti...
Nobody works for nothing. That is to say, people work because there’s something in it for them. Financial remuneration, prestige, recognition, pride, a sense of doing the right thing. The preferred rewards for a job well done vary from person to person. But the need to get something for one’s hard work is universal.Great leaders know all about this. They realize that they cannot simply expect their employees to do their bes...
Now more than ever, savvy business owners, managers, and senior executives are discovering the benefits of working with a coach. Whether top performers looking to accelerate their progress, entrepreneurs navigating the rugged terrain of self-employment, or new managers learning the interpersonal complexities of their work, smart business people are reaching the same conclusion. Mentoring fuels success.Call it coaching or ca...
Can leadership exist where there is no vision? For perspective, let us review the Story of the Three Stonemasons.Three stonemasons were busy at work when a passerby asked them, “What are you doing?”The first stonemason responded, “Laying bricks, sir.”The second mason answered, “Earning a living.”But, when asked by the passerby what he was doing, the third stonemason said, “I’m building a cathedral.”The third craftsperson ha...
If leadership is about influence, what is the conduit of influence? How do great leaders gain the support and commitment of their followers? How do they convey their ideals, goals, and strategies to the people who can help them bring it all to fruition?Simply enough, it all begins with outstanding communication. Superb communication is the cornerstone of great leadership. Whether you are a corporate executive, a team leader...
How do we begin to understand the art of leadership and its indisputable importance in today’s world? Research, theory, and general musings on the topic can be found in abundance. In fact, if you were to do an online search of “leadership,” you’d find literally millions of entries. We tried this recently and unearthed 173,000,000 on Google alone.We read, hear, and talk about leadership all the time. We read about the execut...
Now more than ever, savvy business owners, managers, and senior executives are discovering the benefits of working with a coach. Whether top performers looking to accelerate their progress, entrepreneurs navigating the rugged terrain of self-employment, or new managers learning the interpersonal complexities of their work, smart business people are reaching the same conclusion. Mentoring fuels success.Call it coaching or ca...