Measuring the Right Stuff

Dear Colleague, Best-selling author Annie Lamott tells the story of her competition with another pre-school mom in her award winning book Traveling Mercies.  Their sons were best friends but the mothers were constantly locked in a competitive battle of who had the better son, and thus was the better mother.   On one occasion, the other…

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Welcoming the Limitations of a New Year

 “The one thing all famous authors, world class athletes, business tycoons, singers, actors, and celebrated achievers in any field have in common in that they all began their journeys when they were none of these.” Mike Dooley, author and speaker Dear Colleague, There is more excitement and optimism moving into 2014 than there has been…

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The 360-Degree Coaching Process

Dear Colleague, With budgets tight and time constraints even tighter, day-to-day pressures preoccupy most managers and leaders, so it makes it difficult to appreciate the value of making an effort to solicit feedback from others.  Yet, the most successful leaders recognize that they cannot sustain success without receiving feedback and being open to understanding the…

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The Surprising Outcomes of GIVERS and TAKERS

Dear Colleague, Givers and Takers….we have heard those terms since Kindergarten.  No doubt our teachers and parents encouraged the giving and warned against the taking.   But as we grew up and took jobs, there was more evidence that taking might make more sense.  Why not grab all the chips on the table when you can?…

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The Gift of Seeing Ourselves as Others Do

Dear Colleague, It’s hard to step outside of our own skin and self-evaluate. Sometimes we are too hard on ourselves, and other times we just let ourselves off the hook. The ancient Scottish saying still captures it perfectly – O wad some Power the giftie gie us. To see oursels as ithers see us! This…

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Strengths for Life

Dear Colleague, Much in the world is uncertain. Much in life we don’t control. But specifically knowing your strengths and how to access them, gives you fearlessness in an uncertain world. You get to lead your life, it doesn’t lead you. Using strengths, you have an opportunity to see who you really are. You won’t…

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Is it Ego or Self-Confidence?

Dear Colleague, I was talking to one of my banking clients and he told me about a book, It’s Your Ship, by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff. Captain Abrashoff commanded the USS Benfold during the Persian Gulf War. While his ship was armed with cutting-edge technology, his crew was pretty much a rag-tag, non-functional crew. He…

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The “Unstoppable” Leader: The Power of Activators

Dear Colleague, Have you ever thought you needed just one more insight, one more leadership attribute, or one more idea to bring it all together? In chemistry, and in business, this is referred to as “The activator.” It’s the missing piece that makes everything else work better. It’s the baking soda in the cake, the…

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Why Good Leaders Stumble

Dear Colleague, What hijacks smart people to make poor quality decisions?   Why do we continue to stumble when we know better? Patty Dunn, Chairman of the Board of Hewlett Packard, a dedicated, smart and personally courageous executive by almost every measure, stands accused of allegedly spying on her own board by hiring a firm that…

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A Leadership of Opportunities

Dear Colleague, Malcolm Forbes, Sr, was asked “How can you truly know whether a company is going to be successful?”  Forbes answered, “You bet on the jockey, not the horse.” We would suggest that the word “jockey” be made plural, because it isn’t just the CEO that wins the race.  It is the whole team…

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