Some months back, I shared a post about how we’re no longer in the information age–we now live in the interruption age. Do you feel more overwhelmed and distracted than you used to? If your experience is anything like many of the leaders I work with, you probably answered yes. Part of the reason we’re so … Read more
Meetings.(Cue the groans and eye rolls.) Nobody loves them. Let’s face it, most people would rather be anywhere else than in a business meeting. Are meetings doomed to be inherently horrible? Or have we just settled for mediocrity because we know no better way? This subject of “meeting madness” came with two groups I worked with … Read more
OK, I have a confession to make. I finally gave in. After months of pleading with me, my 10 year old son Alexander has convinced me to let him join in the phenomenon known as Clash of Clans. In case you don’t know what that is—it’s a mobile massive online multi-player strategy video game.It’s hugely popular … Read more
Has this happened to you? You’re leading a meeting. You’ve got 25 people scheduled to attend. (For simplicity, let’s assume all of your attendees are meeting in person together.) The meeting is supposed to start at 9 am. It’s pouring rain outside.At 8:58, you look around. Only 14 of the 25 people are in the … Read more
Who wouldn’t want to be an All-Star? We’re not talking strictly sports here: let’s broaden the definition of an All-Star as someone who’s recognized for being an outstanding performer. All-Stars aren’t just especially lucky. Their achievements are based on some key fundamentals, ones that we can all replicate. My 10 year old son, Alexander, has played … Read more
I’ve traveled to Europe twice in the last month: to France and Germany. Both times, I stayed in hotels with a master key. You can see it in the picture above. (This is from my hotel in Munich.) The master key works like this: when you get into your room, you put the … Read more
Our social world is governed by unspoken norms. Want to freak someone out? The next time someone says “hello” to you, just ignore them and don’t reply. (Just thinking about doing that probably freaks you out.) As someone who wants to influence others, you need to be particularly attuned to what people say to you. When … Read more
Emotional Intelligence. For more than a decade, it’s been shown time and again that Emotional Intelligence is a bigger predictor of success than education and skills. So why do so many emotionally stupid leaders still walk the earth? Last week, I was at a conference of a Fortune 50 company in the Energy Industry. Over 1,500 of their … Read more
An early Monday flight got me into a North Carolina hotel for a Tuesday program with free afternoon of time to get a few things done. That afternoon, I had three tasks on my list: Work out. Print a document that I had emailed to myself. Fax above document to a client at another location. In … Read more
Sometimes connections show up in the most unlikely of places. This past Saturday, my family played the chore game for the first time in a very long time. The chore game works like this: All of the household chores are written up on strips of paper. All the strips are put in a bucket. Each … Read more
