August 2011
“Twitter and Facebook … can help citizens rise up against their dictatorial...”
– “My freedom fighter hero is someone’s murderous terrorist.”) Me
Unfortunately very true …
We cheer for the Iranian revolutionaries in the street, watch in awe as the Arab Spring blooms, and love the inroads of social media into parts of the world we consider in need of...
“People are more predictable than you might think.”
– Robert and Dorothy Grover Bolton think so, as they discuss in “People Styles at Work and Beyond: Making Bad Relationsips Good and Good Relationships Better.”
Nice little primer on behavioral styles and a refreshing change of pace from the usual DiSC versions. The Boltons are...
“Most great people have attained their greatest success just one step beyond...”
– John C. Maxwell gives us a thoughtful and comprehensive analysis of how we might respond to failure by either “falling forward” or “falling back”.
Hint: One way is better than the other:)
As always, Maxwell is folksy and articulate, positive and realistic, simple and deep...
““An idea is never given to you without you being given the power to make...”
– Well, thanks a heap, Richard Bach. A seagull might have come up with a less threatening observation.
Let’s dissect this one, shall we?
Number One: If we have an idea, we also have the power to make it happen.
You know, I have lots of ideas and many of them involve me getting something...
Twelve Ways to Enhance Customer Service by Stan... →
Nice post on how to analyze and improve the customer service experience … and who does not need to do that?
After all, Phelps even uses “Lagniappe” correctly ~ gotta love articuluate posted.
Added value here ~ this matrix which shows the relationships between value and maintenance. I’m a sucker for 2X2 matrixes.
“Make sure you have time in your life just to think”.”
– Henry David Thoreau said this, probably while sitting on the bank of Walden Pond, quietly staring at the water, feeling the breeze, the quiet stillness of the woods, and pondering his existence … or maybe it was Zonker Harris, Doonesbury’s eternal man-child, as he sat immersed waist-deep...
"When Forgiveness is Hard" by Rev. Timothy Carson →
The prayer is remarkable enough just in the reading:
O Lord, remember not only the men and women of good will but also those of ill will. Do not remember all the suffering they have inflicted upon us; remember the fruits we brought, thanks to this suffering: our comradeship, our loyalty, our humility, the courage, the generosity, the greatness of heart which have grown out of this; and when they...
“Change is hard because people overestimate the value of what they have—and...”
– Said by James Belasco and Ralph Stayer in Flight of the Buffalo (1994)
Well, yes …
We think what we have is valuable or at least we cannot visualize life without it. I wonder how much of this is due to our tendency to fear change. One of my favorite examples of this very human trait is the...
"What Farm Kids Know About Leadership" by Mary... →
Maybe it’s because I grew up on a farm too …
Maybe what Mary says about values learned on farms resonates with me …
Maybe because I never thought I would miss the simple, hard-working farm life …
… for whatever reasons, I really like this post and am appalled that I missed it last month.
More of us used to be closer to the soil. We grew up on farms or in small...
"Legal Risks . . . When Blogging" by Elijah →
Three straight-forward things to be very, very careful about when blogging … or writing … or speaking … or … well, you get the idea.
Do not lie about someone or something, do not steal stuff and always acknowledge sources, and do not share information inappropriately. It really is almost that simple.
“The most radical revolutionary will become a conservative the day after the...”
– … So says Hannah Arendt, who knew something about political theory.
The change that occurs as we reach our goals IS interesting, isn’t it? What seemed to be so difficult to achieve quickly becomes yesterday’s new.
When we are campaigning for a salary increase, we often tend to...
“Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”
– Samuel Beckett said it. I believe it. That settles it.
Well, not quite …
The point that should never be lost with this observation is that failing is a natural part of the process of improvement. You cannot try without failing and you will not improve without failing.
Those who insist on...
Journey of Seeing by John Dyess →
Ever wonder how artists get inspiration, how they visualize something that conveys both the visible substance and the image of a thing, how they take the same things we all see … and create works of art that make you go “Wow”?
Me too … that’s why I enjoy John’s blog. A retrospective journal of his fascinating life’s work, this blog is just a treat for...
"Eight Measurements for Leaders" via Kevin... →
Empire Avenue Validation: {EAV_BLOG_VER:1e78487e509e1341}
I always enjoy Kevin’s thoughts, because he comes at things from a base of positive action, thoughtful analysis, and with an ability to add that “twist” to the usual leadership advice.
This post does not disappoint.
Four things that we should want more of and four things that we should want less of. Things that do not...
“I’ve made an odd discovery. Every time I talk to a savant I feel quite...”
– Bertrand Russell
In a recent post on the Strategic Learner blog entitled “Talking to the Help …”, I make a point about overlooked sources of help and information. I specifically mentioned housekeepers and janitors, but forgot about gardeners, probably because I live in a condo...
"Who Requested It?" asked by Steve Roesler →
Passing a message from child to child (children’s game) or from person to person (trainer’s game) is a surefire way to show how our words and intent become different after passing through several people. Never fails to make the point:)
Steve applies this idea to requests for a presentation and how they can change as they move through the layers of an organization. I have heard this...
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Compromise by Jane Perdue →
About as good a description of the positive characteristics and benefits of artful compromise as I have seen.
Some are equating compromise to selling out, wimping, or even losing. Jane provides those of us who believe in civil discourse and reasoned discussion as American values over win-at-all-costs and “my way or the highway” approaches, with the ability to respond intelligently...
Mike Myatt of N2Growth →
Mike Myatt is one of the names you learn after playing attention to the leadership development field for a while.
He is insightful, articulate, thorough, and very easy to read. Since I happen to agree with his perceptions and ideas about how to become a better leader, he is also one of my favorite sources of inspiration.
… but don’t take my word for it. Click on the link to read...
Infographic: Education and Entrepreneurship →
Okay, so maybe my two master’s degree’s and doctoral credits ARE overkill, as I have sometimes been informed:)
This image still confirms that having a college education is important, especially for those who want to run their own show. If you keep in mind that higher education is cumulative, this means that most entrepreneurs have AT LEAST a bachelor’s degree.
Now I want to...
“Please use the comments to demonstrate your own ignorance, unfamiliarity with...”
– The speaker is Barry Ritholtz who blogs at The Big Picture on mostly financial and economic issues. On this occasion, he is employing sarcasm quite nicely to decry the lack of civil discourse in our society by poking fun at what passes for commentary sometimes in online forums.
This is funny... 