Sometimes, we are our own worst enemy. We set high performance standards for ourselves – which is great, but then beat ourselves up when we do not meet them – not so great. Recent research, as reported in Harvard Business Review*, shows that we should instead treat ourselves with “self-compassion.” This includes: *Be kind rather than judgmental with ourselves about … [Read more...] about The Power of Self-Compassion
Strategy Overload
We know we can’t do everything – but that does not seem to stop us from trying. At the organization level – this can create Strategy Overload. That is, too many goals, initiatives, and projects to the point that none of them are truly “strategic.” Everyone in the organization should know the top three Strategic Goals that should be completed in the next three years. The … [Read more...] about Strategy Overload
Building Organizational Grit
Grit – the exceptional stamina that individuals demonstrate to achieve high performance – is the topic of a recent article* in Harvard Business Review. People strong in grit are always striving to improve, make the sacrifices necessary to achieve, and remain in love with what they do. Research shows that grit predicts high performance in a variety of domains. Given the … [Read more...] about Building Organizational Grit
No Risk Strategy
When I share examples of strategies from other organizations with people, I often hear “that sounds risky.” I respond “Absolutely!” There is no such thing as a “no risk strategy.” Certainly some strategies are riskier than others, and we need to be responsible about the amount of risk we take. However, I think that most organizations err on the side of playing it too … [Read more...] about No Risk Strategy
AARs & Learning Journals
The frenetic pace of work life seems to continue to increase. We move from one project to another and multi-task as much as we can. One of the casualties of this hectic pace is – learning from our experiences. Yet, we know that future success is greatly dependent upon making sure that individuals, teams, and organizations learn from successes and failures of their … [Read more...] about AARs & Learning Journals