Articles

When Perfect Practice Fails: Designing a Thinking Classroom

Do you offer “fast food” training and education? How do you move beyond the illusion of perfection to create persons who can think and make decisions in complex situations/

Provocative Leadership: Beyond “Best Practices” to “Next Practices”

Have you thrown out your strategic plan yet? If you made one several months ago, I’m willing to guess that you have. The landscape of reality has already changed … . So now what?

Fearless Leadership

Organizations are only as good as the people inside. Yet the organizations and the people are under increasing stress. In the face of pressure and uncertainty, leaders want to solve, fix, and inspire. How can leaders make the choice to be fearless?

A “Stop Doing” List for Leaders

Managers are regularly encouraged to create a “stop doing” list. Let’s ask that question to leaders: What isn’t working anymore?

The Devil and E-mail

How often have you written an e-mail and when you clicked “Send” immediately wished for an “undo” button?. Thoughts on using e-mail effectively to increase connection with recipients and align with your goals.

Ten Golden Rules for Meetings

Meeting after meeting after meeting quietly corrodes our spirits and our organizations. We experience boring meetings, long meetings, meetings without a purpose. … Beyond the measurable wasted time, meetings matter.

An Invitation to Rethink Teambuilding

Teambuilding activities may be fun, but deliver little long-term value to organizations. Here is an invitation to rethink approaches to build connection and commitment.

Developing Your Personal Advisory Board

A Personal Advisory Board provides a sounding board, offers wisdom and counsel, and accountability. Read about how to develop one, including questions to ask potential members and your self.

On Football and Credibility

When we consistently act in an authentic and trustworthy manner, we will gain trust. But what do those words mean? And, how can we develop authenticity and trustworthiness in ourselves? Read about how Lou Holtz answered these questions while working with a new team every season.

Leading Volunteers

Volunteers commit their time, energy, money, and other resources because they want to make a difference, belong to a group with a common goal, and have pride in being a contributing member. It is the leader who provides the glue, attracting others to join and directing activities. Read about key characteristics of volunteers and strategic questions for leaders as identified in a two-year research project by Deloitte.

Communication that Clicks

While each person’s brain is unique, the act of communication can align speaker and listener brain circuits. We know when we are “clicking” with a person or an audience. And we know when things are falling flat. How can we increase the chances that the highest levels of communication will occur?

Managing in 2010: Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks

The old adage, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” is being turned upside-down. It used to be believed that the brain not only didn’t change, but new research is proving that humans continue to form new brain cells and build new neural connections throughout their lives. What does the new science of neuroplasticity have to do with managing an organization?

Just Tell Me What To Do!

Unwritten expectations can have powerful influences on relationships and communications within organizations. Here is a look at what some of them are and the impact they have on individuals and the organizations where they contribute.

ru comunic8N

Communication is about connecting with others.

Immunity to Change

Many people and the organizations they are a part of have an immunity to change – all change. They make a commitment to change and then seem unable to keep that commitment, either passively or actively undermining the very change they claim to want. So what does an immune system that resists change look like?

EMS Jazz

Reflections on how organizational strengths are reflected in the creativity and improvisation that are a part of the jazz music tradition.

Stories with Wings

The heliotrope phenomenon in organizations: we move in the direction where our attention is focused. What is your organization’s focus set toward?

The Power of Imagination

The power of the placebo effect in organizations. What do you believe?

Secret Decoder Ring

Communicating and connecting the generations.

From Good to Great Meetings

Tips on running effective meetings.