How often do you hear someone say, “I’m just working with the hand I was dealt” when referring to their strengths and weaknesses? It’s a pretty common phrase. Well, Steve Shapiro, an innovation expert and author of 24/7 Innovation and The Little Book of Big Innovation Ideas, has taken that idea one step further. Shapiro …
Read more “Are you playing with a full deck? Personality Poker will help you find out.”
Verizon Wireless recently found itself in an uncomfortable position. It seems that a “software glitch” was accidentally charging data use charges when the customers weren’t using any data services. The story made its way into the local and national media. Verizon is now issuing credits to its customers.However, the back story of this situation is …
Read more “What ever happened to doing the right thing just because it was the right thing to do?”
A week ago Sunday, September 26, was the 50th anniversary of the first Nixon/Kennedy debate. Many consider this event to be a major turning point in U.S. politics. It was the first time a presidential debate was televised. Many also consider this a turning point in Nixon’s career. The general consensus seemed to be that …
Lately, I’ve been talking quite a bit with leaders about expectation setting. Interestingly, the conversation doesn’t always start there. Usually it starts with concerns about employee productivity and performance or disappointment that the organization’s culture seems to be at odds with the leader’s vision. Yet, after peeling back those issues, we often find the same …
In the October 27, 2008 issue of The Guardian, Alexis Petridis makes an interesting observation “Last night came final and irrevocable proof that the country is entering tough economic times, unseen since the 80s: AC/DC have returned to the top of the album charts for the first time in 28 years. . . Those keen …
Have you ever noticed that sometimes your ideas blow everyone away and then, in the very next meeting, you seem to be the only one who doesn’t “get it”? What’s going on? Your ability to think can’t be changing that quickly. Can it? No, it can’t. In fact, your ability to think changes very slowly. …
We all have unusual relatives. You know the ones. You try to avoid them at family gatherings. Sure, sometimes they can provide a good story or an entertaining observation. But, in general, you know how to manage them. When you see them coming, you head for the kitchen to wash the dishes. Unfortunately, we aren’t …
Well, summer’s over and it’s time to go back to school. It seems like the right time to re-run this entry (from a couple of years ago) on what we, as leaders, could learn from our teenagers.———————————————————————————–I know that we were supposed to have learned everything we needed to know in Kindergarten. It’s hard to …
In his book, Reckoning with Risk, Gerg Gigerenzer tells the following story about computing risk: “A few years ago, I enjoyed a guided tour through Daimler-Benz Aerospace (DASA), which produces the Ariane, a rocket that carries satellites into orbit. Standing with my guide in front of a large poster that listed all 94 rockets launched …
When I was younger, my friend Brian and I used to go fishing a lot. Boy did we look the part. We both had an incredible arsenal of fishing gear: multiple poles, waders, bait catchers, and tackle boxes so big we needed a wagon to carry them. We could have graced the cover of any …
Read more “Do your tools just help you do the wrong things more efficiently?”