Tag: leadership

The Battle of Control vs. Collaboration

I think it’s a natural tendency for people to want to be in control. In fact, I read the other day that the feeling of a lack of control contributes significantly to a person’s stress level. So, it makes sense that all of us would prefer to be in control. It certainly beats the alternative […]

Is Happiness the Key to Success at Work?

The other day, a colleague shared a video from TEDx. If you’re not familiar with TEDx, it’s a video site developed by TED, a nonprofit devoted to what it calls “Ideas Worth Spreading.” Anyway, I found the video — which had been forwarded from another person inside our company — quite intriguing. The video is […]

Enough is Enough: You Can’t Make Progress Without Action

They say to never talk about religion or politics, but I’m going to risk it today. The President gave his State of the Union speech last Tuesday night. I was at a dinner event and missed it. And, I’m sad to say, I really don’t care that I didn’t hear it. You see, I’m incredibly […]

Loyalty Unchecked Leads to Headaches and Heartache

Legendary college football coach Joe Paterno died on Sunday after a battle with lung cancer. But by many accounts, some people who knew him well say the 85-year-old died of a broken heart. I think Joe Paterno’s career at Penn State University is worth closer examination because there are lessons for employers and employees alike. […]

Lessons from Martin Luther King, Jr.

On Monday, our nation celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It’s appropriate that we celebrate the life of this great American for all he did to positively impact life in our great country. A peek into Dr. King’s life and his pursuit of civil rights reveals that he can be a great role model for […]

Star Performer Says He Benefited from Firing

In the book Bear Bryant On Leadership: Life Lessons from a Six-Time National Championship Coach, one of the legendary football coach’s former players says, “The best thing Coach Bryant did for me was kick me off the team.” Now, it might seem surprising for a college football player to say being kicked off the team […]

Lessons from the Duck Blind

This past weekend, my son and I went duck hunting. Despite growing up in a rural area in the Midwest where hunting was a way of life, I never cared for it when I was young. Among the reasons was that it was brutally cold in Iowa in the winter. But, my 15-year-old son has […]

Attitude Is Key to Business Growth

Last week I was part of a CEO panel asked to discuss how to achieve double-digit revenue growth. Now, isn’t that the $1 million question! My co-panelists were highly respected executives, each with 20-plus years of experience in our industry — publishing. Yet, when we started discussing the session among ourselves, I was surprised by […]

Encourage Workplace Experiences that Inspire, Motivate Employees

I had a conversation about Christmas the other day with my 15-year-old son. We were talking about the gifts he might like to get when our conversation turned to things he’d like to do. Might he prefer tickets to a concert or a ballgame instead of a new iPod or video game? The idea seemed […]

Sometime You’ve Gotta Use the “F” Word

Recently, I was intrigued by a Wall Street Journal article — “A Four-Letter Word Schools Won’t Use.” It said that colleges absolutely refuse to use the “F” word. Yes, it’s true. Schools avoid using the word “FIRE” at all costs. According to the article, the writer analyzed 50 recent news releases announcing coaching changes in […]