Destination or Journey?
It was school break week in our area last week. We took a day trip to nearby Niagara Falls. My wife Robin made an interesting observation as we drove. She pointed out that my son Ryan is “destination focused” while my daughter Rebecca is focused more on “the Journey.” The same thing can apply […]
MoreEngage to Change: Leading change requires focus in three areas
Why is it that many change initiatives are more stressful, time consuming and ineffective than they should be? Successful change requires the leader to engage the Head, the Heart and the Feet of employees in order to achieve lasting, significant change. A great book that discusses this topic in an entertaining and informative way is […]
MoreAssisted the arrest of an impaired driver
I wanted to share this story about how two colleagues and I helped the police catch an impaired driver… This past Monday I was driving two colleagues to an evening meeting in Toronto. We stopped at the highway service center Mc Donalds near Cambridge, Ontario to grab a bite to eat. While in line to […]
MoreLimitations of the Golden Rule
Why aren’t other people be as dedicated and motivated as you are to work hard and get great results? And, if you practice the Golden Rule (Treat others as you would like to be treated), why does that only work with some people and not others? In our recent Front Line Leadership course, when asked […]
MoreThe Perfect Leader?
Have you ever had a perfect boss? Is it even possible to be a perfect manager? A participant in one of the workshops I was teaching last week approached me with a concern because his leadership profile showed a high score in Perfection. Perfectionists, in the extreme, have such high personal standards that they […]
MoreNo time to lead
Last week I had the opportunity to spend a few hours with a manager in advance of some leadership training that kicks off this week. We were discussing how his management job had changed over the years. More automation, more communication, more regulations and fewer staff on the team to get the work done. […]
MoreDealing with abrasive personalities
Typically when we think of abrasive personalities we are talking about aggressive people who seem to have no filter on either what they say or how they say it. In some cases the abrasive person might be a no-nonsense straight-shooter who is perceived as abrasive but is actually constructive in an overly passive work environment. Let’s deal […]
MoreCulture of Curiosity
This past week I had the opportunity to read Malcolm Gladwell’s latest book What The Dog Saw. Gladwell wrote the best sellers Tipping Point, Blink and Outliers. What I like most about Gladwell’s books is that they are fueled by a curiosity about things that most of us don’t think twice about. In What […]
MoreAddicted to Being Right
Are you addicted to being right? Being right always feels nice but it could be holding you back from greater success. My wife Robin is right about many things and she is kind enough to let me think some of those things are actually my idea. We’ll explore the issue in greater depth below. Addicted […]
MoreDefending Profit Margins
In the last few weeks I have had the opportunity to work with three companies that are each leaders in their respective industries. In each case, the products and services they offer, the people who work for them and the way they conduct business are all first rate. And yet they all are facing […]
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