Thoughts on people, teams, organizations, communities, effectiveness and success
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
There are at least two ways to view the people with whom you work, live, and associate. One end of that spectrum is to think that every engagement point with somebody is a transaction, which may, or more likely may not, be repeated. Think of it as the one-off date mindset. The other end of the spectrum is to think that each engagement is merely one step of many, and that how things work at Step A informs and influences what happens at Step B – the relationship mindset.… Read the rest
There are a lot of ways for hiring managers to foul up their interview process, and the easiest one is to fall into what I call “the interview trap.” It doesn’t have to be that way, and with a little thought, and a little modesty to offset any natural hubris you carry, you can miss that trap and get more accurate data when you interview.… 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
Richard Florida, author of the must-read books The Creative Class and Who’s Your City? has a new post titled The Density of Smart People. It’s based on his review of analysis done by Rob Pitingolo that looked at something called “educational attainment density.”
Richard begins his post with a simple statement: “Clusters of smart people of the highly educated sort that economists refer to as “human capital” are the key engine of economic growth and development.… Read the rest
If you catch the right seat at Cafe de la Presse, you can get a full view of the Dragon Gate, boldly guarding the entrance from the shopping area along Post and Grant Streets to San Francisco’s Chinatown. When I took my seat to collect some interview data in my coaching consultant role I had more than the conversation at hand, and the Dragon Gate on my mind.… Read the rest