With respect to an issue related to COVID-19, a colleague recently emailed me “Thanks for your leadership on this.” My immediate reaction was “I don’t really feel like I’m leading anything. I feel like I am riding in a whitewater raft – and the waves are treacherous!” The current environment is a lot like a whitewater raft voyage: *Lots of unknowns – who knows what is … [Read more...] about “Leading” a Whitewater Raft
Lessons from the Spanish Flu Era
We are in uncharted territory in these COVID-19 times, but can still learn from the past. The last World Pandemic we had was the Spanish Flu in 1918. So, I thought I would interview my two grandfathers who were born in the 1890s and lived through this. What can we learn from their experiences? My paternal grandfather, M. E. Sheehan, essentially invented the gig … [Read more...] about Lessons from the Spanish Flu Era
The End of Racism
Wow - what a bold title for a blog. What kind of a world do you want to live in? Would you like to live in a world without racism? I know that I would! While it is a very aspirational vision and will likely take a lot of time to get there, it is important to start taking steps in that direction. One thing we can do is to learn a lot more about racism. The better we … [Read more...] about The End of Racism
Make an Innovation Attitude Adjustment
Experimentation is a backbone for Innovation, yet many organizations do not have a culture that supports it. Thus, they lose out on important opportunities. This is the conclusion of a recent article in Harvard Business Review*, that success in innovation through experimentation is more about culture than understanding complex methodologies to run experiments. Here are … [Read more...] about Make an Innovation Attitude Adjustment
Compassionate Coaching for Change
At some point, one of your direct reports or colleagues is going to need to change their behaviors in order to meet a challenge or move to the next level. You have an opportunity to support and assist them using “Compassionate Coaching.” The “Compassionate Coaching” approach is detailed in a recent Harvard Business Review article* and includes the following ideas: *Spot … [Read more...] about Compassionate Coaching for Change