Reaching Your Goals: Thoughts From 14,000 Feet
Leading yourself is part of being able to lead others. When you show you are capable of reaching your goals, you demonstrate the potential to help others do the same. In this short video we look at the similarities between mountain climbing and reaching your goals, and motivate you with a few simple steps you […]
Book Notes: “Chains of Command” in Jamestown
Unity of command is crucial for the success of an organization, yet the colonists settling Jamestown seemed to be actually trying to make it hard on themselves. In fact, the colony nearly failed several times as a result of their strange approach to establishing leadership. Here’s what they did, and what we can learn from them […]
Commitment: Turning Promise into Reality
Where does commitment come from, and how can I get some? Beginnings are fun – there is excitement, optimism, the promise of something new. Successful endings are great, too, as you watch your idea bear fruit. The tough part comes in the middle. It’s the part that involves effort, and sacrifice. Today I’ll share some […]
Burning the Pancakes: 7 Steps to Empowerment
“I will let your son burn the pancakes.” This is what I tell visiting parents who are trying to decide if their boy should join our Scout Troop. What I’m really telling them is that we do our best to empower the boys, and that the process can be messy. Here’s my thinking on that […]
How to Find Creative Solutions: The Case of the Falling Egg
Got a problem and having trouble finding a solution? Not long ago I was invited to work with a local youth group on leadership skills. But though I was the “teacher,” the students managed to remind me of something very important about leadership and problem solving. Today we’ll look at three ways you can approach […]
Influencing the Decision: How to Transition from Doer to Decider
There are the people who have to do what they are told, and then there are the people who get to decide what people do. Doers and deciders. Which would you like to be? Even if by position you are supposed to be a doer, there’s a way that you can take on more and […]
Walking with Equanimity: What to do When the Rain Comes
One rainy morning recently I received a wordless lesson in equanimity when a few long-distance backpackers showed me what it looks like to handle a challenge with composure. Here’s how they turned a negative into a positive and how you can do the same with the rain that falls in your life.
Doing it Best but Doing it Wrong!
Have you bumped up to the next level recently? Taken on a leadership role? Congratulations! Just keep in mind that what got you there might not be what keeps you there. Today we’ll take a quick look at a common pitfall new leaders often succumb to, and some good questions to ask that will keep you headed in the […]
How Not to Quit: 8 Tips to Help You Persevere and Succeed at Anything
Any goal worth taking on is going to require effort, and somewhere along the way you are guaranteed to find your path getting hard. When the going gets tough, you might ask yourself, “How do I keep from quitting?” Yesterday I had the privilege of spending the morning walking with someone who had hiked over […]
When the Plan Fails: 5 Things to Do When it All Falls Through
There’s the plan, and then there’s what actually happens. Sometimes one resembles the other, but many times not. What do you do when you find an enormous gap between the two and everything seems to be falling apart? Today we’ll look at a high-risk plan that failed badly, see what the people involved did about it, […]
Reaching Your Goals: 10 Ways to Help You Climb to the Top
Sometimes after the excitement of a new beginning, things happen that make reaching your goals seem harder than we imagined. On a recent trip to Acadia National Park in Maine with my family, we were reminded of what that experience can be like, and what it takes to keep going. With that in mind, here […]
How to Ask For Feedback: 16 Ways to Get the Input You Need
“How do I ask for feedback from the boss?” A reader posed a great question recently in the feedback section of one of my leadership courses. “I and others like me in our organization rarely hear a few encouraging words or feedback of any type. How does one approach one’s supervisor about something like this?” We’ve talked […]
