[Life Back West] April 2013 – Boat Rockers Wanted: Are You One of Them?

Branch Rickey in 1914

There are boats to rock, and boat rockers needed to rock them. Are you one of them?

Avoiding questioning existing conditions in a dynamic, changing world is a recipe for mediocrity if not disaster, but who has the moxy to ask the obvious?

Pay, fame or thanks, if any, varies, and while you’ll be respected by some, others will scorn you for disturbing their status quo.… Read the rest

[Life Back West] January 2012 – Paging Amelia Earhart

Trailblazer, aviator and stereotype breaker Amelia Earhart once said “When a great adventure is offered, you don’t refuse it.

Amelia, however, wasn’t helping raise a son. She also hadn’t just rebuilt a coaching practice working with individuals and teams back to pre-Great Recession levels.

Taking a risk for her, covering a gamble, was perhaps easier, with less downside to go along with any upside.… Read the rest

Kobe and the All Stars: When the Tail Wags the Dog

I Want a Dog
Image via Wikipedia

There are a number of reasons to avoid the temptation of a people management approach like “Tograding” – where its often simplistic application is to divide the world of your employees into “A,” “B,” and “C” players – and where the 65% of employees who are “C” players are released and managed out. (Fault me but when someone says an approach is “the silver bullet” I cringe.Read the rest

[Life Back West] July 2009 – The Road Trip

Life today seems to move ever so quickly. Though it’s likely an observation shared by people throughout the centuries, our Twitter / 24 by 7 news cycle lives seem to almost eliminate the time to pause, to think, and to talk deeply. It seems true for people, and it seems true for organizations.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

Earlier this month I had a chance to catch a reunion of college friends from the small liberal arts college (“the first university in the West”) from which I received my undergraduate degree.Read the rest

“Making New Friends (The Interview)” – Part 4 of the series “Choose Me, Hire Me!”

Part 4 – Making New Friends

Headlines blare: “Why You Should Hire Me.” While times may be challenged, there is work (and jobs) to be had. I’ve been in the people (and teams) assessment business for over 25 years, both as a coach to managers and teams and as someone directly responsible for hiring thousands of people through roles running large staffing / recruiting operations.Read the rest