Thoughts on people, teams, organizations, communities, effectiveness and success
It may simply be that time of year but I’m being “soft vetted” for board of director / board of trustee seats.
And whether the board seat is for an organization that is for-profit or for non-profit, there are things some things that anyone – you, me, or anybody else – should do.
Soft vetting is remeniscient of grade school (“If you did have a crush on someone in class who would it be?… Read the rest
Courtesy of Mark Brenwall via R+1 Creative a great short video clip on the leadership of influencers in our world:
INFLUENCERS FULL VERSION from R+I creative on Vimeo.
Life Back West is an occasional set of writings focused on ways people, teams and organizations can be both more effective (doing the right thing) and more efficient (doing the right thing well).… Read the rest
Sometimes the greatest risk you can take is to take no risk at all.
Or as James Dean phrased it, “Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today.”
Three events this week brought that thought squarely home.
She had been a life preserver of wisdom when my career as a senior exec hit the intersection of homophobia and high corporate politics (“I think,” she had offered, “that someone in your situation should get good legal counsel quickly.”) and now over a decade later we had the chance to reconnect over hot chocolate and conversation.
This time – unfortunately – she was the one who was on her way out, and it was my chance to offer advice and guidance.… Read the rest
“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