Once upon a time I knew a guy who, everytime I would ask: “Hey, how are you doing?” He would answer: “Not too bad.” Just think about that. I’m sure he didn’t really mean that things were bad, but they weren’t SO BAD that he was going to be terribly upset about it. But then again . . . How many things in your organization are “okay, fine, not too … [Read more...] about “Not Too Bad” vs “Extraordinary”
vision-setting
Building Shared Vision
You are very excited about your vision for the future of your organization. You have some great ideas! And you want to get people “on board.” What should you do? First, slow down a bit. I know that you are fired up about your ideas, but you need to get others involved early on. It will make the vision even better and people will own what they help to create. Invite … [Read more...] about Building Shared Vision
Create Your Future
Many individuals and organizations look into the future – and make their plans to adapt to it. They allow their current circumstances and predictions of the future to determine their plans. That’s one way to go and it is a very reasonable thing to do – as we are reminded by this quote from George Bernard Shaw: “The reasonable person adapts themselves to the world. The … [Read more...] about Create Your Future
Productivity vs Creativity
Are you obsessed by “productivity?” I think I might be. To me, productivity is not about being a workaholic. It is about getting the most out of every second of every minute in the day. That way I can get my work done more quickly and have time for fun (as I wonder if I will ever see a live baseball game again). Many of us want to be as productive as we can. But we … [Read more...] about Productivity vs Creativity
You Can’t Announce a Shared Vision
More than one enthusiastic new CEO has told me “I plan to announce my vision at our first staff meeting” (usually said with a grin - sort of like “announce my presence with authority”). My general rule is that I don’t provide advice unless asked, and when I have been asked by a new CEO about this plan I have said “Well, you might consider holding off on that for a while.” … [Read more...] about You Can’t Announce a Shared Vision