End the Work Day
When is your work day completely over? In the last week, there have been two times that I have ignored my kids after reading emails in the evening that worked me up and claimed my mental attention. As I mentioned in prior posts, my official email stop time is at 8 p.m., so in both […]
Getting to Know the “Other”
I often comment in the middle of posts that I write about what I think my wife, Sarah, will say to me when she edits the post. I can do this rather accurately because I know my wife better than anyone else on the planet. Likewise, she knows me better than anyone else. This intimacy […]
Organizational Pride
In any physical endeavor, there is a line between pushing yourself too far and not pushing yourself enough. As I wrote about recently, I have not only been dealing with a shoulder injury lately, I have been pushing through the pain. After all, improvement is always hard. At some point, however, I have to ask […]
It Is (Still) Supposed to Be Hard
Why am I surprised when I get injured at the gym? As I write these words, I have a shoulder injury, tightness in my quadriceps, and I feel run down. The Evernote file I use to track my lifts tells me that I have made progress the last thirty days, yet progress has come with […]
I Didn’t Have to Say a Word
In came the invitation to an emergency meeting. A prideful thought emerged that I was only being invited so that I could “make a decision.” Isn’t that what leaders do after all? The situation was that the customer had called with an emergency. In short, they needed parts by Monday morning because of a production […]
Your Organization Does Not Have to be Stuck
I often hear leaders like myself saying things like “what we really need is someone to help us with ____, so we need to go hire someone who does ____.” While hiring an expert is often a good idea, and can even reap tremendous gains for the organization, “more overhead” is often used as an […]
When the Leader is Challenged
Last month our sales team had its annual two-day strategic planning event. The team talked about its strategic goals for not only the next year, but also about where we wanted to head over the long-term. I love how engaged our team members are. They’re smart, motivated, passionate, and not only willing to challenge each […]
Real Human Beings read Feedback
“Do to others as you would have them do to you…unless you’re giving anonymous feedback online. Then let them have it!” -Contemporary Modern Translation (CMT) A friend of mine recently shared her experience reviewing survey data from her organization’s yearly event that is attended by thousands of people. “People send in their surveys anonymously, and […]
The “After Sale” Experience
A few years ago, I purchased a brand new Jeep Grand Cherokee. I have absolutely loved driving the car ever since. In fact, the car has exceeded my expectations in terms of reliability and performance. That said, I doubt I’ll buy another one. How come? The customer service at the local Jeep dealer is abysmal. […]