“Have you implemented this somewhere else already?” I hear this question a lot. As my friend Mark McDowell of Accenture once told me, “Most people want to be first to be second. Few want to be first.” It’s no wonder that most companies find themselves in a constant state of “catch up”. In the April, …
Don’t you hate it when you painstakingly lay out your vision and expectations for a project only to have your team fall way short of your expectations? It happens to many of us and it’s frustrating. It’s frustrating for you and for your team. Often we chalk these situations up to miscommunication. However, recent research …
Read more “Miscommunication – it might just be different memories”
Why is it that despite volumes of research to the contrary, we generally think that we can multitask? Some of us even believe that we are good at it. The problem seems to be that the research contradicts our experience. We’ve all multitasked in meetings without problems. Perhaps we’ve driven a car while texting without …
Think about the most recent change in which you’ve been involved. Was the change itself a surprise? Was the problem that precipitated the change a surprise? Most changes occur in response to a growing problem or issue. Rarely do those changes come out of the blue. So why would we need to create a case …
Read more “If you have to make a case for change, you’ve already lost”
Conventional wisdom says that hitting your targets is good, but beating your targets is even better. Recently, I’ve come across two examples that counter such wisdom and provide a good reminder that targets and metrics have to be understood within a broader context. The first example is personal. I recently joined a health club. I …
Read more “Beating your targets doesn’t always produce results”
The other day I was offered a free, first class upgrade on my flight. Naturally, like any reasonable person I turned it down. After all, the upgrade was a change and people don’t like change, right? I explained to the agent that it would be too disruptive for me to switch. I had been anticipating …
Change management is a hot topic in many organizations. People are seeking workshops, books, and anything they can get their hands on to learn how to manage change. But, I think that we might be approaching this wrong. By treating change management as a unique discipline, we create more tools, models, and frameworks for leaders …
Read more “Change management – different context, not a different discipline”
In my workshops and in my blog, I often talk about Viktor Frankl and his book, “Man’s Search for Meaning.” This book should be required reading for all leaders. A leader’s job is to create meaning and purpose for those around him or her. Frankl speaks eloquently about the power of such meaning and purpose …
Read more “Man’s Search for Meaning: When Theory Meets Practice”
Guess which of the following cities has the larger population a) Cairo or Alexandriab) Kano or Johannesburgc) Ibadan or Nairobid) Johannesburg or Dakare) Tripoli or Addis Ababaf) Dar es Salaam or Soweto The answers are a) Cairo , b) Kano, c) Ibadan, d) Dakar e) Addis Ababa, and f) Dar es Salaam. How did you …
There is an old story about a man walking through the woods and marveling at the expert marksmanship around him. Every tree has a target with an arrow right through the bulls-eye. He reaches a frail old man sitting on a rock. The old man is holding a rickety old bow and can barely stand …