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The Question You Need to Start Your Day With
Does this scene sound familiar? It’s the end of the day, and you’re sitting at your desk. As you shuffle some papers around for the hundredth time, you think to yourself, “Well, I got pretty much...
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What Are You Reading?
Quick quiz: What do all of the following people have in common? Bill Gates Warren Buffett Mark Zuckerberg Elon Musk Mark Cuban Oprah Winfrey Here are some possible answers: They’re all financially set...
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Why Your Workplace Needs to Be a Classroom
I’ve written quite a bit about how and why leaders need to be continuous learners. I believe that, as a leader, if you’re not continuously — and intentionally — learning, then you’re not really a...
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Will They Be Sorry To See You Leave?
“Some people brighten a room when they enter it; others when they leave.” You’ve probably heard this quotation or some variation of it. I have no idea who said it originally, but it certainly is true....
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3 Ways to Practice Intentional Creativity
According to Fast Company, creativity is now the most important leadership quality for success in business. Why is it, then, that so few leaders do little (or nothing) to make creative thinking a...
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Great Teams Focus on the Mission, Not the Squabbles
This weekend I was lucky enough to have VIP seats to see a performance by the U.S. Navy’s precision flight demonstration team, the Blue Angels. They are, by any standard, an incredible team. They fly...
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Are You About to Lose One of Your Best Employees?
I’m angry at Janie’s boss. I don’t know Janie’s boss. I’ve never met Janie’s boss. But I do know Janie. Janie is one of the most diligent, hard-working, eager-to-learn people I’ve ever met. But...
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3 Steps to a More Collaborative Team
I was just listening to an interview with one of the world’s top leadership experts, my friend and colleague Mark Sanborn. He was asked how leadership has changed over the past several years. Here’s...
View ArticleWant Better Ideas? Then Stop Brainstorming!
I used to be a fan of brainstorming. What could be better for generating ideas than gathering your team around a table, presenting the challenge, and then letting the ideas flow! No bad ideas here!...
View ArticleDid You Know That Mowing the Lawn Can Lead to a Cure for Cancer?
If you’re wondering why your team doesn’t seem to be engaged in their work (which, according to Gallup, describes 68% of the American workforce), it may be because they just don’t give a crap about...
View ArticleWhy It’s Okay If Your Team Members Don’t Like Each Other
Have you ever worked with someone whom you just plain didn’t like? I think we all have, at one time or another. For example, there are moments when I really hate my boss—and I’m self-employed! The...
View ArticleWhat Lorne Michaels and I — and You — Have in Common
There is a phrase that Lorne Michaels, the creator and Executive Producer of Saturday Night Live, and I both share. I didn’t know we shared it—I thought it was original with me—until, several years...
View ArticleDon’t Be Just a “Good News” Leader
I never liked firing people. That may sound like a normal, human response to an unpleasant task, but I’ve known people who actually enjoy it. (One particular TV news director comes to mind.) Ogres like...
View ArticleWhat You Call “Practice” Might Be Hurting You
I used to play a lot of tennis. I was never terribly good at it. For example, some serves are referred to as a “weapon.” Mine was referred to as a “gift.” But what I lacked in quality, I made up for...
View Article3 Sure Fire Ways to Get the Best From Your Team
Eddie was a screw-up. Everyone at the burger place where I had my first job knew it. Eddie just couldn’t seem to do anything right. And because he always screwed up, the rest of us expected him to...
View ArticleHow to Become a Master of Your Work
I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that you either are, or you want to be, good at what you do. I’m going to take that even further and assume that you either are, or want to be, great at...
View ArticleThe One Thing Better Than Good Intentions
I was talking to a colleague earlier this week. Like me, she runs her own business. She told me that one of her “beginning-of-the-year” practices is to sit down in a quiet place, with a cup of coffee...
View ArticleOne Simple Equation That Will Help You Achieve Remarkable Results
Like many of you, I hold a planning retreat for my business at the beginning of each year. (I also do a smaller one at the beginning of each month, which is a practice that I strongly recommend.) My...
View ArticleHow to Make Your Team Members Feel Like Crap
Here’s the scene: You’re at a party, or a conference, or a meeting—somewhere with a lot of people around. You see someone whom you’d like to talk to, so you walk over and start a conversation. And...
View ArticleHow to Tell If Your Leader Is a Risky Pilot
This morning I discovered that the hard drive on my Mac was completely full. Zero empty space. I discovered this when I tried to check my email, and I couldn’t even download one message. I had about...
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