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“You guys should go national!”
I used to hear that all the time.
When I was the Executive Producer of Seattle’s hit comedy TV show Almost Live!, I used to hear that on almost a daily basis. Eventually, I started to believe it. I mean, why not? We were a hit in Seattle. We had some of the best comedy writers in the business. We already had a TV studio. Why shouldn’t we go national?
And then, one day, we got our chance. ...
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Why is it that leaders feel they have to wear this veneer of invincibility? News flash: it’s okay to show a bit of vulnerability with your team!
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I remember my first performance appraisal. This was back in the days when companies still made this an annual event. (Some companies are still back in those days.) It went something like this:
BOSS: Here’s the stuff you’re good at. [reads small list]
ME: Thank you.
BOSS: Here’s the stuff you suck at. [reads much longer list]
ME: Um…okay.
BOSS: So for the next year, I need you to focus most of your energy on ...
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Do you, as a leader, want to get the best thinking from your team? Then you need to start incorporating this simple technique into your team meetings.
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I was having a conversation recently with a friend, and she posed a question that I’ll bet you’ve considered at some point:
“Why is it that most people will put more time and energy into planning a two-week vacation than they’ll put into planning their entire lives?”
Have you had that thought? Have you ever wondered why it’s true (and you and I both know that it is true)?
Well, since my friend posed that question, I have been wondering why ...
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Stop sabotaging your team’s input! Here’s a simple technique to get more accurate and honest input from your team.
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I wasn’t going to write about Robin Williams today. So much has already been said. But when I sat down to write, I couldn’t get him out of my mind. Maybe it’s because I’ve spent so much of my professional life in the comedy business, or maybe because it’s such a rare thing when a big national story hits you on a personal level. I don’t know. Anyway, I’m writing about Robin Williams.
But rather than focus on the news of ...
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Warren Bennis, the “father of leadership,” died last month. Here is the single greatest idea that Warren Bennis taught us about leadership.
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I’m writing this from an airport lounge, which is where I (and many of my fellow motivational speakers) spend an inordinate amount of time. There’s a TV on in the background (there’s always a TV on in the background), and I just heard the words “How do you define success?” I don’t know the context—probably a commercial for some erectile dysfunction drug (in which case, I would think that defining success would be self-evident). But it’s actually a pretty good ...
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As a leader, have you ever thought, “I wish my team were smarter?” (And, if so, hopefully you only thought it!) Well, it turns out there’s a way to increase the overall intelligence of your team—and it’s a way that many leaders unconsciously ignore.
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