David Bowie existed before Ziggy Stardust, but it was Ziggy Stardust that put him on the map. The striking, glam costume; the red hair; the over-the-top Spiders from Mars tour—all these elements, plus, of course, the music, shot David Bowie into stardom. But the glam rock era eventually faded. And if David Bowie had stayed there, he would have been solely of that time, and faded along with it.
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Smart people are lazy. (No, not all smart people. I understand that you are different. It’s the others.) Now, this can be a good thing, which is why Bill Gates once said, “I will always choose a lazy person to do a difficult job…because he will find an easy way to do it.” But it can also be a bad thing, because there are few things sadder than unfulfilled potential.
You all know Bill Nye the Science Guy. If you’re of a certain age, you grew up watching him on TV. If you’re beyond a certain age, your kids grew up watching him on TV. But did you know that Bill Nye the Science Guy was invented out of desperation on January 10, 1987? And it all happened because a low-paid comedy writer asked a different question.
Social media and technology have made it easier than ever to connect with others. It’s great to know that with tools like Skype and others, you can connect instantly and in real time with a colleague or family member across town, across the country, or across the globe. That said, nothing beats (or ever will beat) face-to-face, in person contact.
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What does award-winning performance mean to you?
I mean specifically.
In your business, in your work, what does award-winning performance look like, sound like, feel like? How do you recognize it in yourself?
It’s been said that what gets measured gets done. Others have said that what gets measured gets managed.
I disagree with both of those statements.
The truth is this: What gets measured gets measured. Nothing more, nothing less.
What gets measured gets measured.
What happens next is entirely up to you.
Measuring is just a ...
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If your team isn’t performing at the level you’d like them to, maybe you need to look at where you’ve set your own bar.
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A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I used to write monolog jokes for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. One day after the show I happened to be sitting with Jay (no doubt having pizza; with Jay, it’s always pizza), and the conversation turned to fame. Specifically, the double-edged sword that is fame. At one ...
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In an earlier post I talked about why you should try to spend 80% of your time, energy, and resources focusing on your strengths. In other words, focusing on the stuff you do best. But what about the “other” stuff? What about the weaknesses? What about the stuff that, let’s ...
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It seems there are new books on leadership, sales, customer service, and every other topic coming out every day. So how do you decide what you really need to read? It turns out it’s actually pretty basic!
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I used to believe that squabbles, dissent, and fighting among my team members was a bad thing, but not any more. In fact, team in-fighting can be one of your greatest leadership allies!
Now it’s your turn. What experience have you had when a disagreement within your team has led to a ...
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