With an British mother and an American father, comparing the US and Great Britain is simply a way a life in my family . . . plus it gives me a bit of street-cred in this department. In this story, in my opinion, the Brits clearly win! Sunday mornings with Fareed Zakaria on CNN are…read more
Are You Settling for a Pale Version of the Possible?
Monday, May 31st, 2010
“Settling for a pale version of the possible” is my favorite line in Tony Schwartz’ new book, The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working. It’s in essence the question that we so often avoid because it gets to the core of our most intimate desire to be the best that we can be. Those with the…read more
People Risk: What Most Companies Fail to Understand
Sunday, April 18th, 2010
If you read my blog on a regular basis, you know that I feel strongly that the global financial crisis and ensuing economic recession was not necessarily due to too much risk taking, but more to do with a glut of certain types of risk taking and a real lack of other types of risk…read more
The Naked Truth About Lencioni’s Latest Book
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
The first time I read a Patrick Lencioni book, I was the COO and Managing Director of a global corporate finance company. I hadn’t been there long and was already regretting the move. My first thought after finishing The Five Dysfunctions of a Team was, “How do I leave of copy of this for the…read more
Individually AND Together
Monday, February 1st, 2010
“Individually and Together” — three words I heard this weekend from Will.i.am being interviewed as he fondly remembered the journey of success for his group The Black Eyed Peas. Yes, I am over 40 and a fan of the Black Eyed Peas! As a writer, sometimes you hear a group of words in one context…read more
Being the Best vs. Constant Improvement
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010
Just as we must be careful of the words we use with ourselves, so as not to unintentionally sabotage our own motivation; we must also be careful with the words we choose to exemplify our commitment to excellence inside our businesses. There is a big difference between a goal of being the best and one…read more
Can the US be the Kind of Leader the World Needs?
Tuesday, November 17th, 2009
It depends really on the US’ ability to recognize that the type of world leader required in the last century is quite different than the world leader that is needed in the 21st century. Just as in business, what qualifies as effective leadership changes over time as the constituents being led change not only demographically,…read more
Innovation From the Inside Out
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
If your company is following suit in a growing trend and starting an Innovation campaign, beware of the pitfalls. Many companies assume they can create a few goals, advertise the idea, provide a bit of training, and expect that greatness will appear. If it is unbridled success you are after, and you are trying to…read more
No Lights, No Signs . . . No Deaths
Monday, October 26th, 2009
A Business Lesson from the Dutch The Dutch town of Drachten removed most of their traffic lights and traffic signs with remarkable results. Intersections previously adorn with traffic lights and directional signs have been replaced with round-abouts (traffic circles) and all signage removed. Deaths related to traffic accidents zero since the program started seven years…read more
