Two things are happening simultaneously in our organizational cultures, our markets, and our personal lives. We have established non-curiosity (“I don’t care how it works, I just want it to work”) as the new standard for engaging with the work, the ideas that interest us (or not) and the world Read more…
If work isn’t ‘driving your bus,’ then what exactly is motivating you to act with purpose in a world where emotional labor matters more now than ever before.
There is a story (probably apocryphal) that the comedian Louis C.K., burns his jokes, his stand-up material, and his writing after successfully delivering it at the end of each year. This story reads like a corollary to the idea (popularized through the constant repeating of the alleged actions of the Read more…
When the answer to the question is “Nobody,” we’ve got to reexamine what the inherent messages are in the funnel of school to work. When the answer to the question is “I already work hard enough,” we’ve got to redefine the term “hard” away from breaking concrete in the sun Read more…
It’s hard to know when you’re inside the hurricane if the storm is passing over, or stalled out. In either case, preparation, intentionality, and awareness will save your house. But only if you act and work before the hurricane comes along.
There is value is putting on a show for some audiences. Without the show, there is no connection. Without the show, there is no invitation to participation. Without the show, there is no permission to be vulnerable in ways that will create value and impact. Connection. Permission. Participation. Vulnerability. These Read more…
The disconnect between what people know about how the Internet (and by extension social media) “works” (choices, behaviors, options, etc.) and what people use the Internet (and social media) to accomplish (tasks) is underrated and massive. Part of the disconnect comes from a lack of interest and caring about how Read more…
Fear of not connecting with another person, fear of not making an impact, fear of speaking and having no one listen, is the old resistance, dressed up in a new outfit. It’s really just another form of hiding. Attempt to connect. Fulfill your promises. Try to make an impact. Speak Read more…
The equation that drives change is simple: Dissatisfaction times Vision times First Steps must be greater than the Resistance to the impact of all three combined or else change efforts falter. There are plenty of dissatisfied people in your workplace, your work group, or even just your organization. There are Read more…
The two most difficult roadblocks to success in resolving hard problems are the presence of real trade-offs and considerations of power. Most complicated problems and difficult conflicts have simple solutions. We often confuse what we believe is a hard solution with a complicated one. What makes solutions to hard problems not Read more…