People who are adventurous enjoy the excitement of taking risks and are comfortable with the unknown. Caution is good at times, but not in a visioning phase. Can you name any worthwhile endeavor that didn’t involve some risk? A local community … Read More
Sometimes we know we should invest a lot of time in year-end evaluation, but we’re overwhelmed or tired. Here’s an idea to make it both easy and productive: Top Three/Bottom Three Gather your team, or just your calendars, and pick … Read More
Early in my teaching career, a guidance counselor gave me brilliant advice when exploring the reasons why someone made a decision. It was counter-intuitive: Resist asking “why“. He explained the reasoning by asking me to think about what “why” opens … Read More
Last week, I shared some ideas from one of the speakers at the Des Moines Business Record’s “90 Ideas in 90 Minutes”. This week, I’ll do the same with Bob Riley, the CEO of Riley Resource Group, which is an … Read More
When I was a band teacher, we experienced a staff cut. In 10 years, the department went from 7 teachers serving about 500 students to 5 teachers serving 600. The superintended gave us that left-handed compliment that’s supposed to reassure … Read More
Leaders and experts speak highly of the ability to adapt; people who can adapt to changing situations have a growth mindset, rather than a fixed mindset, and can stay nimble in volatile times of change or uncertainty. Sometimes, though, the … Read More
I heard a great question from Des Moines business leader Nora Everett of Principal: “How would you put yourself out of business?” Whether you apply it to your entire business, or your team, you can come up with some great improvement … Read More
Change is inevitable, and so there are many resources to help organizations deal with change. The John Kotter works (Our Iceberg is Melting) are very popular, and for good reason. You’ve heard of Who Moved my Cheese? as well, certainly. … Read More
Aren’t excuses so predictable? You almost hold back from asking “Hey, Bill, have you got your TPS report ready?” because you know you’ll hear “I would, but I’m still waiting for Hillary to get the cover page ready.” If you know you’re going to … Read More
Leaders can get caught up in visionary strategic planning and lots of new initiatives. The result can be lots of overwhelming action plans or distractions from continuing “what works.” Sometimes, instead of an all-out SWOT, a simple “Start, Stop, Continue” … Read More