How do you help people to perform at their best?One answer may surprise you.James had always been a “middle of the bell curve “employee. An engineer for a technology company, James had been a solid performer for 32 years. Solid, but never outstanding. Given his performance, James had been passed over for promotions and … Read more
Are you on a team that’s only a team in name only? If so, you’re not alone.This past week, I worked with a Executive Operating Committee (EOC) of a global pharmaceutical organization. Twenty persons strong, EOC members had flown into New York City from around the world to spend two days together. The EOC has … Read more
On a business trip to New York City this week, I stopped in at the newly opened Whole Foods Market at Bryant Park. In case you don’t know, Bryant Park sits smack dab in the middle of midtown Manhattan. It’s about as bustling a spot as you’ll find anywhere in NYC. It looked like everyone … Read more
The Miss Florence Diner, in Florence, Massachusetts is an American landmark. Literally. It’s been open since 1941, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. My family’s been going to Miss Flo’s for years. We have a family ritual where we go there for breakfast on Election Day, MLK Day, President’s Day and … Read more
It’s January. A New Year. For many companies, this means the annual rite of setting performance goals is in full swing. Sadly, some leaders are much better at setting goals than others. Over the past month, I worked with a midsize manufacturing organization to help them improve their goal setting process. In my initial interviews, … Read more
Why do kids say the darnedest things? It’s because they haven’t developed the social filters that we’re “supposed” to use. Rather than employ the more complex skills of tact and nuance, kids share what they’re really feeling and thinking: uncensored and unfiltered.This blunt honesty can be a valuable window into understanding human motivation. This past weekend, … Read more
My twelve year old son, Alexander, just got braces on his teeth. In case you don’t remember or never had them, braces hurt the first few days. A lot. Alexander is a trooper, and knew that the pain in his mouth would eventually subside.But that first afternoon, he was extremely uncomfortable. Later that evening, around … Read more
Chess is not the easiest game to play. Chess also isn’t the easiest game to teach someone else how to play. I’ve spent the past two weeks trying to teach the fundamentals of chess to my nine year old daughter, Miranda. What’s particularly challenging is explaining the idea of long term thinking. Miranda gets how … Read more
My head was in a fog. I could barely move. All I wanted to do was sleep. This wasn’t my usual week. I was in the throes of a particularly brutish cold. And still- I had stuff to get done. All the momentum on my projects ground to a halt.I didn’t feel like doing anything.In … Read more
On Saturday, I got to be a guinea pig in an experiment on leadership, coaching, and motivation.I didn’t plan for this. It just worked out that way.The laboratory? My local CrossFit gym. The experiment? A group workout, where were matched up to work in teams of two. Saturday’s workout was a 5000 meter row on … Read more
