Direct statements
Listen to this (3½ minutes) We all have things we wish we could come right out and say, but often don’t for our own reasons. We may want to preserve a relationship, not hurt someone’s feelings, or reveal what we truly think. We beat around the bush hoping that they might pick up what […]
How the way we end conversations leads to confusion or action
Listen to this (2 minutes) Have you ever worked with someone who uses confusion and complexity and avoids action? Instead of figuring out the next thing to do, they talk about how big a problem is. Instead of taking action, they freeze. I had a work colleague that used this tactic. In critical conversations, […]
There will always be opposition
Have you ever encountered someone who doesn’t agree with your point of view or see things the same way you do? I’m sure you’ve experienced the tension that lies when you have an idea but know someone is going to challenge you. This is what makes the world a beautiful place, but it can […]
Decide to focus
- You must make a choice to focus your attention on something specific.
- If you don’t choose to focus, someone else will — or you will be driven by the what’s current and catastrophes.
- The best leaders and thinkers are disciplined about focusing daily.
Influence and impact
One thing you can keep in mind each day is that you have influence and impact as an individual person. It can be common to think that on your own, you can’t impact or change much anything unless you’re in an “official” position of leadership. It turns out that the most influential individuals leverage their influence exactly where […]
Asking “how might we” questions
A powerful tool to help your leadership is to ask great questions. Yes, there is such a thing as a bad question. In school, teachers sometimes say there’s no such thing as a bad question. Good advice for young students. Bad advice for adults. There are many WRONG questions that we can ask that we don’t need to […]
