Thoughts on people, teams, organizations, communities, effectiveness and success
“Feedback,” according to leadership guru Ken Blanchard, “is the breakfast of champions.” If that’s the case, judging by a recent survey published by the Wall Street Journal, managers are either starving or eating sugar coated Ding-Dongs at breakfast.
Great feedback involves a receptive mind wanting feedback, and people with the ability to describe behaviors, impact, and qualitative value (e.g. not-so-effective, very effective, lousy).… Read the rest
The myth that talent leads to achievement took another hit to credibility this week. The San Francisco Giants – a crew of “misfits and outcasts” – brought the ultimate symbol of North American professional baseball achievement and winning in the form of a World Series pennant back to the City by the Bay.
Talent, it turns out again, is overrated.… Read the rest
Albert Einstein noted “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”
So what’s up with the craving for the sweet smell of success people that people are determined to avoid the taint of failure?
Biotech CEO Robert Johnson told me that when he did business development at Lilly he was paid to bring deals forward for the firm to consider.… Read the rest
Stanford University professor Bob Sutton, whose work I admire, authored the book “The No Assholes Rule.” Good book, great topic, and some wonderful thoughts about how to work with and / or avoid workplace assholes.
Unfortunately the “rule” doesn’t work in most firms. And even while asshole behavior is corrosive and cancerous to the effectiveness of most companies, here’s why jerks and assholes will continue to exist in the workplace.… Read the rest
Comebacks, from Carly Fiorina (and Jerry Brown), to Mickey Drexler, Henry Blodget, Martha Stewart, and even Steve Jobs, are in full form and fashion these days. What do all these people tell us? They tell us that you can make mistakes, get sacked, and like the nine-lived cat still return to center stage another day.
Hit a career bump (or mountain) or two?… Read the rest
The title seems either simplistic or insulting: “How to Ask a Question?” Who needs to know that?
Turns out, plenty of people do, and the post below will walk you through some ways to make your questions, and your time, both more valued to others and valuable for you.
While we all learned (or should have learned) the grade school lesson of the 5 W’s and 1 H, the reality is that asking good, effective questions that surface information and quickly cut to the core of an issue is part art, part science.… Read the rest