Curiosity is a wonderful thing. Being open to new ideas and pursuing new topics is largely beneficial. But is there ever a downside? There is, and it is to be distracted by the interesting. I know. I’ve experienced it. Because I am interested in so many different things, I sometimes follow rabbit holes that are entertaining,…
Growing up my mom often used the phrase, “This will cure what ails you!” The “cure” varied widely as she said it about everything from bad behavior to an upset stomach. As my mom believed, there might be a universal cure to whatever ails you. So, what is it? First, consider: Writer’s often complain of…
I was in the gym yesterday. A guy roughly my age was “working out.” Except he wasn’t. I thought it was a hidden camera show. What he did was so nonsensical, so wrong and so unhelpful as to be laughable if it weren’t for the fact he thought he was exercising. My writing skills aren’t…
The first hours of the day have the power to shape the rest of the day. A frantic or frustrating start can diminish the hours that follow. Successful people tend to have morning rituals to create a solid base for a productive day. Here are four things I suggest you consider doing: Start by recounting the good…
A good leader wants to do those things that create results and make them effective in their role. At the same time a leader needs to be aware of the common problems and pitfalls that detract from their effectiveness. Here are 12 of them: 1. Winning at any cost. Winning matters. How you create the…
“My kids are natural multi-taskers!” a friend exclaimed. She bragged that they could listen to music, watch TV and do their homework all at the same time. She might have been proud of their efforts, but she wasn’t accurate about their abilities. Research has concluded that it will take her kids longer to do their…
Ockham, the scholastic philosopher of the thirteenth century is credit with Ockham’s Razor: make things as simple as possible but no simpler. Anything over-simplified becomes simplistic, and of little or no value. Sometimes in the pursuit of cleverness or clarity we accidentally oversimplify. As a communication tool, that isn’t necessarily bad if we are knowledgable enough…
(Life Lessons from Calvin & Hobbes) What do you need to know about life to live life better? It isn’t always fair, but it always worth living. The only person responsible for you is you. You can’t control everything that happens to you, but you can always control how you respond. As long as you…
Revisit why you lead. Get clear on your purpose, not just your strategies and tactics. Refocus on the most important things you should be doing. It won’t be a long list. Tend to important relationships. Repair for some and renewal for others might be in order. Set a few big goals. Aim for the big…
Do you have fringe people on your team? The leader of a volunteer group once asked me, “What can we do get people involved and committed. How can we move people from the fringe of the group to the center?” It is easy to hang out on the periphery. There are few risks. You can come…