Strengthen your core
If you have done pilates or are building flexibility and strength, you know how important it is to strengthen your core. It is not an obvious focus in the beginning – maybe you don’t even know where it is. Think of holding your stomach muscles in and you are pretty close. Stand with your head […]
VUCA Prime
Last week I talked about VUCA: Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity. The term comes out of Software Development where waterfall programming (developing the whole software before testing) got lapped by agile sprints (all hands working on one small piece, testing and repeat.) I mentioned that leadership expert Bob Johansen proposed this antidote to VUCA in […]
VUCA it is!
VUCA is an acronym that stands for volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. It’s a framework used to describe situations that are unpredictable and rapidly changing. Well, doesn’t that sound like the times we are living in! It is how Musk ran his companies and how our federal government is being run today. The volatility and uncertainty is […]
Focus on your strategy
This first week of the new administration in Washington has been full of executive orders, firings, pardons for convicted felons, termination of programs extant since the 1960’s, and senate confirmation of individuals who have never run an organization the size and complexity of what they were nominated to run. Interestingly, tariffs except against our closest […]
Future you
It is a year from now, Dec 1. 2025, and you are sitting in a comfy chair with an afghan on your lap (or a poodle). You think back over the last year, and you feel a sense of accomplishment. What goals did you set in December of 2024 that you achieved because of the […]
Don’t waste your energy on what you can’t control
This week, I have spent many hours talking Members through their disappointment and fears around the outcome of the election. Higher tariffs, anti-immigrant policies, hateful and divisive language threaten their business success and members of their families and their communities. I find wise counsel once again in the leadership principles outlined by Stephen Covey in the […]
Compartmentalize and focus
Do you have days when there are just too many distracting demands, all urgent? You realize you are jumping from one to another and essentially, not getting anywhere. We all have days like this. During Covid, it seemed there were many months like this. What is required to get through it is to prioritize, compartmentalize […]
A+ process vs. A+ players
Which is more important to your organization – A+ process or A+ players? That’s a tough question, isn’t it? You are probably thinking that you need both. And, yes, you do need both. But not every process or every team member has to be A+. Good thing, huh? How could you find all A+ players […]
Your energy
There is a great saying by Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Who you are speaks so loudly, I can’t hear what you are saying.” As a leader, this is probably magnified 10x.
The power of writing it down
What are the things you write down every day? My guess is your to-do’s and calendar/schedule comprise 90% of what you write down these days – items you record for yourself with keystrokes or by hand so as not to forget. Most of our other keystrokes are messaging and emailing with others. Communication that used […]