Dream. Discover. Achieve.
Photo by tobyleah Despite our frustration at running into limitations on our behavior, those same limitations can be the rich soil that produces an entire garden of ingenuity and innovation. There is a wonderful scene in the movie Apollo 13 where the engineers back on earth confront a major problem: their astronauts, floating through space [...]
Photo by Jeffrey Beall Secrets. Of. The. Universe. When I taught high school students, we often talked about “secrets of the universe” – those enduring, but not always well-known, principles of success. You can ignore them if you want, but they’re still out there. One such “secret of the universe” goes something like this: Causes [...]
Meetings are maligned almost as frequently as doctors and lawyers. Just about all of us, whether volunteer or employee, have suffered through horrible meetings that can range from a pure waste of time all the way to destructive and relationship-ending. And yet, we are social beings. We need to exchange information, problem solve, and build [...]
Photo by Sadie Hernandez Not everyone is meant to be a part of every team. On the surface, this may seem self-evident and yet, most of us have probably been a part of organizations or teams that suffered because those with the responsibility to ensure fit and mission alignment did not do their job. It [...]
Photo by Tela Chhe Many emerging leaders and managers don’t take advantage of one of their best, most effective, and readily available learning resources. Lacking this resource, many never will increase their influence. Recently, I posted about the vital role a focus on results plays in effective teams. Staying focused on results requires leaders and [...]
Only strengths are useful for building – nothing is built on weakness. This is another of Peter Drucker’s succinct messages to managers. Quit fooling around trying to eliminate people’s weaknesses and begin building on their strengths. It is a vitally important message made all the more so because emerging leaders and managers often do not [...]
Have you ever led, managed, or been a part of a team/organization that was: a) constantly bickering?b) so tied up in bureaucracy that every form had a form to request the form?c) hamstrung by office politics?d) full of people lacking passion and energy? If one or more of these characterize your organization or team, it’s [...]
Photo by Catherine V I am writing this sitting beside a Colorado mountain stream. The air is crisp, the water cold and clear, and morning sun shines through the willow and aspen leaves until they almost glow. Rivers and streams are something of a minor miracle to me. Perhaps it’s because I’m a native of [...]
There are a number of different team-work formulas that have circulated over the years. Some of them rhyme, some require sophisticated knowledge of varied personality profiles, and some rely on boundary-pushing activities to bring members together. Most of these frameworks have an element or two that are worthwhile, but none of them have the simple [...]
Photo by HuNo I recently spent time with a group of nonprofit leaders discussing a wide variety of issues relevant to the sector. When I reviewed their written evaluations of our time together, I was surprised at the frequency with which one concept was mentioned as their most valuable take-away. The prized concept of the [...]
