Breaking Habits that Led to Success Every so often I find that little nugget of oxymoronic brilliance that leaves me even more impressed by its unusual packaging. You know the ones I am referring to – they usually come as absolute surprises, speed up the greying process, and bring a rush of “Uh oh, what […]
Mattering More Today I want to share some thoughts on a different type of economy. We are consumers, so everyday we trade our currency for products and services that we want or need. There is another, more hidden economy that we interact with daily as well. Remember, we are people first. Matters of the heart and […]
Standing Corrected With all of the mistakes and misunderstandings that happen every day, it’s pretty easy to spot the endearing trait of great leadership. Witnessing humility in action just seems to put me at ease. Seeing someone step into a situation and stand corrected takes great courage and a certain kind of humbleness. I respect […]
The Future of Retail Maintenance Facilities Maintenance is on the cusp of shining brightly in the new dawn of retail, shedding it’s role as the compliance officer of marketing or the go-to place for financial savings. The adversity and change these folks have experienced has forged strengths in nimbleness, adaptability, and economy. These skills are quite handy for retail […]
A Pit Bull, a Child, and a Moment of Clarity A couple of times a year I have those “Aha” moments that help me pivot from the frustrating track that defines insanity. Its funny how when there is an elephant in the room, if it sits still and quiet long enough, people will forget that it […]
Demerits, Notions, and Avoiding Comprehension Building great managers and future leaders of a growing service business is all about teaching people to create and celebrate progress, to find the smart paths through alienation, and make it simpler for the next guy. Think about it – how would you define the performance of a manager that […]
Ambitious Advancement of Expectations As providers of construction services in an industry buffeted by disruption, I have learned, and re-learned our opportunity lies in our ability to advance. How we deliver our services matters. The expectations set by the client are too often called “goals“. This is the part where excellence becomes elusive. Our clients’ […]
The Bias of Neutrality I have been busy trying to initiate and deliver progress to the company. The uncommon sense of the activities is to remain balanced between the robotic strength of progress and the compassionate side of the disruption I am causing. Leading through change can be a lonely existence. The excitement of progress […]
“How do you want to see this?” This question is like a key artifact – its very important and even more rare. Much like finding that key relic, understanding how someone needs to see something can unlock the invisible force that prevents the dots from being connected. The other day I had a conversation with […]
I am finally back from my road trip. I spent a lot of focused time thinking about two things – our clients’ needs and our strategy to meet them. The following words are reshaping the way our company is structured. Connect every activity to how it impacts our client’s experience. Know our strategy. Our company […]
“A personal choice to rise above one’s circumstance and demonstrate the ownership necessary for achieving desired results – to see it, own it, solve it, and do it” – Connors, Smith & Hickman in The Oz Principle. Bad joke tellers know the entire joke inside and out. They have everything they need to succeed – […]
What is best or right, is often overlooked by what is convenient. One of my pet peeves is finding myself revisiting the same challenges over and over. My mantra is “Tomorrow’s challenges better be different than today’s”. I’ve been receiving a lot of feedback to remind people about prior messages and encourage discussions about them. This […]
I am a car novice. My skills with cars are limited to driving them. I cannot tell if I need a tune-up, oil change, maybe I can tell with an alignment, but thats about it. My guess is this is true of more and more drivers. Changing car oil at home used to be much […]
Can you believe we are in the homestretch of summer? Time is moving so fast! This week I will share a few of Thomas Watson’s quips that will hopefully make you laugh, think a bit, and put your ideas to work. It’s really about raising your game. Hopefully Tom’s tips will help. He was known […]
It’s amazing how much you have to do with what happens to you. Reading about or noticing ways to make a difference – do you seize them? Do you help others find their way, their success? There are limits to folks flying solo. T ogether E ach A ccomplishes M ore. Do you go looking for […]
We’ve been confronting our struggles of pointing fingers at goals rather than people. Last week we read about how we need to be respectful of one another, especially when we work together. We will definitely let one another down, so providing a bit of grace and understanding can help us find success more easily. With […]
Preparing a project to be successful is one of the most important tasks of a project manager. There are so many times where we endure what we anticipate and planned around, all because someone didn’t dot, their i’s, cross their t’s, or read their simple instructions. Have you ever made the assumption that since you have […]
“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” Walt Disney sure had it right. Overcoming naysayers and the limits of what has been done gives me that kind of joy that is personal, satisfies the fire in my belly, and shared with the very few others that were there during the quest. Walt Disney created […]
Six months til Christmas…Wow! Where has the time gone? I need to slow down and learn something. This week I have a couple of statements from management writer Bruce Tulgan for you to read and process. Most everyone is a manager of a group at some time during their week – whether its a project, […]
I hope everyone had a great Father’s Day Weekend! I spent mine enjoying some mid-summer type fun – a little yard work, swimming, and, of course, some barbecuing. I noticed something interesting while I was working in the yard. The sun was beating down on me as I tried to dig into rock to plant […]
Clients look for their vendor partners to be an extension of their team. In our zealousness to find ways to help, we run the risk of missing what is on the table to discuss versus what is currently acceptable. Here are thoughts on how to identify situations to question processes/methods of others. When a process […]
“The best story wins.” – Bess Gallanis, Public Relations specialist