Author: stronglead
Posted February 20, 2020
The great philosopher Bocephus (Hank Williams, Jr.) once pined about how some people need an “Attitude Adjustment.” The wildly politically incorrect song describes various occasions when an intoxicated or otherwise out of control individual is steered in the right direction via the corrective application of physical force. In other words, a rowdy person gets a […]
Posted February 6, 2020
I was once interviewed by a regional newspaper on the topic of napping. Since I served as an internal coach for a very progressive, forward-thinking technology company, the paper thought that perhaps I’d have something to share on the topic of napping as a way to boost performance. I did have something to share. The […]
Posted January 30, 2020
A few weeks ago I found myself explaining nuclear fusion to my 12 year old son as we drove to a basketball game. I’m not exactly Bill Nye the science guy. I don’t carry around that kind of science knowledge in my head, but I had recently read a news article on fusion as a […]
Posted January 23, 2020
The Leader’s First Priority Many of the people I coach are leaders – people who by career, vocation or whatever are in a place of influence with others. I often remind leaders that their first responsibility is “to define reality.” This phrase comes from Max Depree, who served as CEO of Herman Miller and authored […]
Posted January 16, 2020
Have you ever sat in a meeting and wondered, “What is this about?” I don’t mean in some existential crisis sort of way, but in regards to the purpose of the meeting. I know I have. In fact, this happened in at least half the meetings I attended while on teaching faculty. As person after […]
Posted September 6, 2017
There is a saying in business: “People don’t leave jobs, they leave managers.” I think that’s mostly true. I hear lots of supporting evidence from those I coach – both in business and in non-profit organizations. How a manager manages can make or break the job for his or her team.
Posted September 6, 2017
There are the four types of issues faced by leaders. Listed in order of increasing complexity they are: puzzles, problems, dilemmas, and mysteries. As a leader’s responsibility increases, he or she will gradually face more high-complexity issues and fewer low-complexity ones. Knowing what kind of challenge you're facing is a key to leading well.
Posted September 6, 2017
My kids and I were watching Iron Man a few weeks ago when my son asked, “When does Iron Man sleep?” Together we reasoned that the arc reactor in his chest meant that Tony Stark needed very little sleep. After all, the arc reactor is a virtually self-sustaining power source. Forget 5-hour energy shots, Iron Man has a much longer battery life than that. If only we all had self-sustaining resources.