A few weeks ago, I was assembling a new desk in our studio. Mostly the project was going smoothly, but one pesky bolt wasn’t fitting onto a brace for the desk.The wrench I had clearly wasn’t working well for the job, but I figured I could jus

Changed My Mind

Jun 12th, 2020 4m 54s

When I was 16 years old, I discovered that the police department in the town I grew up in had an explorer program. Since I was interested in a career in law enforcement at the time, I attended a meeting and quickly joined.I was never a sworn

Apps and Operating Systems

Mar 5th, 2020 4m 59s

Most of the devices we use each day have two essential software components: apps and operating systems.The best apps usually do a few things really well. The browser app on my iPhone makes sure I can view websites easily. The task management

Jumping In

Feb 20th, 2020 2m 35s

A client told me recently that his manager was concerned about a behavior he’d observed in customer meetings:You’re not jumping in fast enough.My client agreed with the feedback. He even offered to me that he’s noticed the awkward silence in

The Cheshire Cat

Feb 13th, 2020 1m 42s

My son and I are reading the original Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. This exchange appears in the book:Alice asked the Cheshire Cat, who was sitting in a tree, “What road do I take?”The cat asked, “Where do you want to go?”“I don’t

Did You Notice What I Didn’t Say?

Jan 30th, 2020 2m 35s

One of our Academy members reached out to me awhile back. He was handling a delicate situation in his organization, requiring him to navigate tons of internal politics.He needed to suddenly give a lot of people a company line he didn’t exactl

A Drop of Honey

Jan 23rd, 2020 4m 45s

This past weekend, I had to do something I’ve been dreading for awhile. It’s been looming over me. It’s been staring at me (literally) for years.The old paint cans needed to go.Several painting projects over the years had littered our garag

Say Less

Jan 9th, 2020 1m 59s

Mark Twain once received this telegram from a publisher:NEED 2-PAGE SHORT STORY TWO DAYS.He sent this response back:NO CAN DO 2 PAGES TWO DAYS. CAN DO 30 PAGES 2 DAYS. NEED 30 DAYS TO DO 2 PAGES.Twain’s point is as important for leaders as

Say Something

Dec 13th, 2019 4m 47s

About fifteen years ago, I was sitting in the lobby of a building at a client site, waiting for an appointment.An employee walked into the lobby and started a conversation with the security guard. It seemed they knew each other well and the s

How to Prevent Micromanagement

Dec 5th, 2019 4m 52s

Most of us have had that manager that annoyed us to all ends with micromanagement. They were in our face every three hours about a task because we weren’t quite doing it right and it had to be done their way.As a result, it’s been my experien

Appeal to the Nobler Motive

Nov 21st, 2019 3m 28s

I began my career working in a neighborhood education center. Early on in my new job, a parent called one day to inform us that her daughter, who was struggling with math, would not be continuing in our program.I spent a minute or two chattin

You’re Not Helping

Nov 14th, 2019 4m 35s

A client reached out to me recently and shared a struggle he’s been having.His organization is going through a difficult time — for reasons that have nothing to do with him, his team, or his part of the organization. Strong headwinds are at p

If You Can, Move Your Feet

Nov 8th, 2019 3m 17s

This week, I’ve heard lots of bad news. This has included things like an unexpected layoff, dealing with a mental health challenge, losing a major business deal, and an unwanted result from a doctor.The fact that bad things are happening in t

Be a Stress Engineer

Oct 31st, 2019 3m 5s

Years ago, I was instructing a training course for a group of engineers building fighter jets. During the introductions, several the participants introduced themselves as stress engineers.I was curious what a stress engineer did, so naturally

The Irony of Selfishness

Oct 10th, 2019 4m 20s

A decade ago, I responded to an inquiry from a new client who had reached out to talk about being more effective.During our first meeting, it became increasingly apparent that he was working a lot. At some point in the conversation, we got in

Get Your Emails Read

Oct 3rd, 2019 3m 52s

When I first started the Coaching for Leaders podcast back in 2011, it didn’t even occur to me to reach out to well known experts to appear on the show.At some point after the first year, I got a little braver. (Not smarter, but braver.) I st

Giving the Gift of Feedback

Sep 26th, 2019 4m 55s

When I was about six years old, my dad bought a Tandy 1000 computer from Radio Shack as a Christmas gift for our family.I remember learning how to use the floppy disks, how to connect the dot matrix printer, and the intricate details of swapp

Green Lights Always Change

Aug 29th, 2019 3m 40s

Many years ago, I was standing in the lobby of a customer’s building, waiting between meetings. An employee I had worked with years earlier noticed me and stopped to say hello.She explained that she was now working directly for one of the top

How to Run a Learning Meeting

Aug 23rd, 2019 4m 15s

There have been many meetings I have attended in my professional life that have not lived up to the intention that was hoped for when someone first put that meeting on the calendar.No meeting is more likely to cause this kind of disappointmen

Who Says So Other Than You?

Aug 15th, 2019 4m 31s

You may have discovered this journal because of the podcast I’ve hosted since 2011 called Coaching for Leaders.Although for many years producing and hosting Coaching for Leaders was very much a hobby, the listening audience has grown quite su

That’s a Great Question

Aug 8th, 2019 4m 37s

You show up for a lunch date with an old friend you’ve not seen in awhile. You share a hug or a hand shake, sit down, and start catching up.You friend asks how you’ve been and what’s been going on in your life and career. You start telling th

Good Enough is Best

Jul 25th, 2019 4m 25s

Between high school and college, I took half a dozen courses in economics. The details of these courses have long since faded from memory, but I remember well one principle that was repeated:Good enough is best.Economics is, after all, the

Neil Armstrong’s Other Landings

Jul 18th, 2019 4m 20s

You already know about Neil Armstrong’s most famous landing on July 20, 1969.It’s his other landings you might have missed.Before becoming an astronaut, Neil Armstrong was a naval aviator and test pilot. In 1951, he lost part of a wing in h

If You Build It, They Will Come

Jul 11th, 2019 3m 34s

A little over twenty years ago, I was completing my final year at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In my last semester, I teamed up with two other seniors to launch a new student organization focused on leadership development.A

People Are Watching, Always

Jul 4th, 2019 4m 8s

My first full-time management job was as a center director for an education business. Part of my role was to supervise all the part-time instructors at our location.Like most managers who get promoted up, I inherited a team I didn’t select. I