In the past few days I saw a simple truth about the language of leadership. Ned and Nancy were trying to get their son to get into the pool. Their son, Niles, was scared of the water. "Do you want to get in the pool?" asked Ned. "Do you want to try to stand on the first step?" Niles froze at the decision point. He was anxious and uneasy. His answers came non-verbally. Niles stopped and backed away from the pool's edge. Parents are leaders. The leaders were putting the child … [Read more...]
The problem with the perfect plan
July 2, 2011 by
I was listening to Car Talk on NPR. Click and Clack were following up with a caller from an earlier show. The caller wanted to transport a chicken coop via the highway on a snowmobile trailer. Click and Clack told him it wouldn't work. They were right. Chicken Coop guy's perfect plan was changed in real time as they tried to implement it. They managed to move the coop with the snowmobile trailer. But not where they needed to move it. The snowmobile trailer died in town after a valiant … [Read more...]
Find meaning and significance in life
June 30, 2011 by
The breeze blew firmly off the lake. We sat. The breeze brushing briskly in our faces. The hot sun bathing us from behind. Our church met at the Lake this weekend. We celebrated the lake's 100th anniversary. Andrew, our Pastor, started speaking. He suggested that we all want to have a life that was meaningful and significant. He was right ... at least to me. I want to have a life filled with meaning and significance. Sometimes I have it. I just finished another Boot Camp. I saw lives … [Read more...]
Wish in one hand and Sh***d in the other?
June 28, 2011 by
There's an expression that conveys the powerlessness of wishing. "You've got 'wish' in one hand and 'sh*t' in the other." You can wish all you want. Until you do something you won't produce anything. 'Should' is worth less than wish. 'Should' is like 'wish' dressed up in intention. It doesn't lead to much either. I hear people use should all the time. They use it more often than wish. It's usually in the form of "I should start that project to change the world" or "I should … [Read more...]
Stand still or step forward
June 8, 2011 by
Do you want to succeed? Of course you do. Who doesn't? Even if you have a fear of success, somewhere inside whispers a voice that yearns for success. I've tried to suffocate mine with a pillow. But it keeps talking. I've come to accept it. Your definition of success might be different than mine. You still have a definition of success. You might as well pursue it. You will screw many things up on your way to succeeding. If you don't, you probably won't be succeeding. You might as … [Read more...]
Be the squirrel.
June 6, 2011 by
Squirrels gather nuts for the winter. There's no food in winter. The nuts are a solution to a problem. Squirrels gather solutions. They don't grab broken nuts and empty shells and bring them to their squirrel lair. They bring good, hearty nuts that will keep them fed. Most people gather problems. "The website is down." "We can't find the shipment." "The client can't meet on Friday." "The customer won't let us do that." Problems don't feed anyone. Solutions do. What do … [Read more...]
Be smart. Write better.
June 4, 2011 by
The screen flashed the report. It told me that I write at a post-graduate level. It compared my writing to insurance documents. I was proud. I scored high. No one could follow a single 62 word sentence I wrote. But the computer told me I was smart. Truth was I was being dumb. I made things overly complex to feel smarter. I remember teachers coming to ask me what a word I used meant. They didn't know the word (It was "Reify"). I thought I was smart. Truth was I was being dumb. I … [Read more...]
Who do you think you are?
June 2, 2011 by
"What if I turn into one of those really happy people who I can't stand?" My mom replied "What's it matter? You'll be happy!" I had a hard time with that. I was thinking about buying a self-improvement program that promised extraordinary happiness. I was 19 or 20. I was angry. I was depressed. I wanted to change. I didn't know how. I resisted the very change I claimed I wanted. What a mess ... I wanted something different for myself. But I wasn't willing let go of something to … [Read more...]
Mirror, mirror on the wall
June 1, 2011 by
We design the book cover of our autobiography. Our cover tells others the essence of who we aspire to be. People reflect back what they see on our cover. Then we become more like what is reflected back to us. So what we project to others grows in our lives at home and in business. We are all autobiographies. Our books are written by our actions, our thoughts, our feelings and our beliefs. Your autobiography is the work in progress that is your life. Most people won't ever get past the … [Read more...]
