Feb 27Theseus Ship and Sailing into Change“How are you, King Theseus?” “I’m here to make sure my ship is ready for the festival.” “Oh, I’m just replacing this plank, then she’ll be good as new.” Theseus looked at the ship. “You know I escaped from Crete with Athens’s youth in that ship. Now where is it?”…Mental Models9 min readMental Models9 min read
Dec 24, 2022Chesterton Fence, a Leadership Mental ModelThe B-52, call sign Czar 52, is flying straight and level just above the runway, preparing for a touch and go. You can’t hear it but the tower calls off the massive plane because there is another plane on the runway. It’s June 24, 1994. The crew of Czar 52…Leadership9 min readLeadership9 min read
Jul 18, 2022Behaviors, not MotivesSome leaders try to guess motivation of their staff. They try to psychoanalyze their people. We try to anticipate what people will do or why they do it. Leaders have to focus on behaviors. There’s talk about motivation. That’s fine, but we cannot control motivation. We barely understand out own motives and actions. Why do we think we can understand others? We don’t know what motivates people and they may not know themselves. Conformity trumps motivation.Behaviors1 min readBehaviors1 min read
Jun 12, 2022MultipliersBook Review: Multipliers, by Liz WisemanBook Review: Multipliers, How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter by Liz Wiseman with Greg McKeown. According to her bio, Liz Wiseman is a researcher and executive advisor who teaches leadership to executives around the world. She is the CEO of the Wiseman Group, a leadership research and development firm…Book Review4 min readBook Review4 min read
Jan 1, 2022Coach Your Team so You Don’t Need to Call the Plays.Football coaches send plays in to the players. Decision making is discouraged. Players are expected to execute plays and not show initiative. Sure, sometimes a quarterback calls an audible, but most of the game play is scripted by the coaching staff. Coaches call in plays. …Rugby1 min readRugby1 min read
Dec 27, 2021Be Prepared to Do Your Boss’ Job.If you want to be effective at your job, you have to know your boss’ job. You have to know how your jobs are connected. Anticipate what your boss needs from you and provide it. As you grow into your job, you should seek opportunities to learn aspects of your…Succession Planning2 min readSuccession Planning2 min read
Dec 8, 2021Peak Performance Can’t Last. Steady Improvement Does.Peak performance is not sustainable. Fads come and go in all areas, including in the management and leadership fields. Peak performance is one of those fads. Everywhere you look there’s article about maintaining peak performance. By it’s definition a peak is not sustainable. Some people still believe it is. From…Peak Performance2 min readPeak Performance2 min read
Dec 2, 2021These Treasures Help your Team and youA leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves. — Lao Tzu Fairly little is known about Lao Tzu, although the name we call him by may not be his name, but an honorific…Taoism4 min readTaoism4 min read
Nov 27, 2021BLUF your Way Through CommunicationI was talking to someone who talks a lot. I settled in to listen because this is the kind of person who rarely takes a breath and when you do find a chance to get a word in, they run you over with their own words. …Bluf2 min readBluf2 min read
Nov 25, 2021Don’t be Your Own Worst EnemyI knew a manager who was frustrated that his staff were afraid to make a decision. He withheld critical information. He second guessed every decision they made. He did not provide guidance and brow beat people who made a poor decision. When did they have a chance to make a…Leadership Development1 min readLeadership Development1 min read
