Make your deficit your greatest asset
Have you ever struggled with identifying what unique qualities and characteristics you bring to...
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Category: Personal Development
Notice: 5 ways to improve your observation skills
I do my best to take daily walks in the park near my home. This past week I happened to walk by a father with his two young children on a couple of occasions as they traveled the same path as me. One thing that struck me was...
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Are you a Decathlete or Specialist at Work?
At work, do you do one thing really well or have you developed the ability to do many things with a high level of proficiency?
I look forward to watching the Olympics every four years – not only to watch the amazing athletes who have trained so hard to get to this point – but to also observe how the athletes manage the pressures and intensity of the competition. How they express “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat”. While locked in battle, how well do they work together and demonstrate respect?
This past week I was glued to the track contests and noticed the difference between what I would call the specialists (athletes who train solely in one sport) and the decathletes (who are required to master 10 different sports).
Read MoreImprove your Presentations with an Actor’s Moves
When we go to the theatre and see actors on the stage communicating a story we get wrapped-up in the action and forget that the lines that are spoken are scripted and the movement on stage is choreographed. If the production and talent are good it all looks and feels organic and yet it was orchestrated well in advance.
Read MoreAli: The Go Big or Go Home Communicator
Muhammad Ali was a triple threat. He had personality, passion and principles – an unbeatable knock out punch in any ring. I grew up in Louisville, KY. where Muhammad Ali was an ever-present reminder of the impact of...
Read MorePassion Re-boot & Reclaiming your Game
My sister Ellen has been kicking some serious butt lately. She re-booted her passion for tennis after abandoning it for several decades. Ellen grew up playing tennis. Between the ages of 13 – 18 she was on the tennis court,...
Read MoreLeadership Lessons from the Boy Scout Handbook
Sometimes what is old is new again. The Boy Scout Handbook was first published in 1910 and it has recently been used to turn around a troubled school and transform boys into men.
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In a recent episode of 60 Minutes that aired on March 20th, St. Benedicts Prep School in Newark, New Jersey was featured. The school, once a mostly white, prestigious prep school had fallen on hard times. Today the all-boys school is 50% African American and a third Hispanic – with the remainder white. The majority of the student population live in poverty and gangs, violence and drugs rule their neighborhoods. The odds are against these kids.
Read MoreBryan Cranston on How to Fake It
You’ve all heard the expression, “Fake it ‘til you make it.” In essence it’s a technique to avoid the trap of a self-fulfilling prophecy related to a lack of confidence. For example, you are getting ready to deliver a big speech at your company’s conference. You are nervous but that won’t help you. Instead, you “pretend” to be confident. You “act as if” you’ve got this one nailed! To accomplish this you might reach out to a mentor or coach to get some last minute advice.
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Professional Presence is just a Tweet Away
You are new to the organization. You are learning the ropes and trying to figure out the culture and the politics of the company you are now working for. You wonder how to fit in while standing out. You begin to find yourself in networking situations, company meetings and hallway conversations where it is important to be your authentic self while also demonstrating your professionalism.
Read MoreResuscitate your interpersonal acumen in the digtal age
Over this past weekend, visiting with family friends, I noticed my friend David’s 10-year old son, Carter, immersed in his iPad during the entire afternoon’s get-together. Carter sat in the living room surrounded by guests but in his own separate world playing games on his device, never really interacting with the group. In an attempt to engage him, I presented him with a good-natured challenge – for every thirty minutes he did not engage with his technology, I’d give him a dollar. Excited to earn some money, Carter took the challenge and by the end of the afternoon, devoid of the temptation of technology, he was interacting with guests, played outside with friends and even managed to do some homework. He earned five dollars and remarked that it was “more fun than I thought it would be.”
Read MoreSomething to Ponder by George Carlin
A colleague shared this great piece written by George Carlin which reminded me how brilliant he was and such a keen observer of the human condition. Enjoy.
George Carlin’s wife died early in 2008 and George followed her, dying in July 2008. It is ironic George Carlin – comedian of the 70’s and 80’s – could write something so very eloquent and so very appropriate. An observation by George Carlin:
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.
Read MoreCoaching in action at hbk
What if there was an established channel in our organizations where the senior people could learn from the junior people and the junior people could be coached by their senior counterparts?
Recently I had the opportunity, along with my colleague Richard Pearlman, to work with Ron Kaminski, CEO of hbk Engineering, and his senior leadership team. After we completed a communication exercise together, we were chatting in the hall with Ron, asking about the company and how he develops leaders.
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