Sacrifice, discipline, honor – those were Bill Walton’s core elements of team dynamics. Whether you are on the basketball court, in a crew shell, or on a professional team going through change – these fundamental elements make a difference in daily performance and long term results. How do these influence what you do and more […]
Want a quick check to see if you are growing or stuck? Take note of the nouns vs verbs in your mindset. Nouns often leave us stuck in a fixed state – our titles, roles, recognitions, and status. Verbs are dynamic and ever changing – centered on our actions, behaviors, and learning in the moment. […]
Your annual scorecard success will be challenging to sustain if you don’t keep our focus on the one metric that matters the most: your people. This quote from Clayton Christensen sums up an argument for our true purpose as leaders: “The only metrics that will truly matter to my life are the individuals whom I […]
When I ask people to tell me a meaningful story about a leader from their past, I get consistent responses. The stories I hear are almost never about the grand accomplishments and recognitions we usually see on resumes and LinkedIn profiles. The stories are about the little things. The small moments that lifted up, or […]
Want to work on being a better leader? Practice following the follower. This lesson from improvisational legend Viola Spolin helps us to live in the place between command and passivity. We give up the need to control every step in an interaction while still remaining fiercely present and engaged. The true magic of this concept […]
“There is nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency, something that should not be done at all.” – Peter Drucker The paradox of “yes, and…” is that – the better you get at responding to what is required in the moment – the more often it might result in a “no.” Drucker’s quote […]
For many years the 2004 book “If Disney Ran Your Hospital” by Fred Lee captured a form of conventional wisdom for healthcare leaders that Disney was the gold-standard for anyone seeking to create exceptional organizational cultures and customer experiences. I was thinking of this book this past weekend when YouTuber Jenny Nicholson posted a viral […]
Yes, we need to be better at listening…and sometimes that well-intentioned desire can cause us to miss the message altogether. The uncomfortable pause of a trusted collaborator. An angry outburst from a critical stakeholder. A warm greeting from a new acquaintance. What isn’t being said in these interactions? The often-quoted formula for communication claims that […]
“I had thought the destination was what was important, but it turned out it was the journey.” I love this quote, among many other pieces of wisdom, from Clayton Christensen’s book “How Will You Measure Your Life?” How’s your destination looking as you start the week? Clear, foggy, in need of a U-turn? Wherever you […]
Women’s basketball is having a much deserved moment in the sun the past several months. The NCAA tournament was a huge hit and the highly anticipated WNBA season tips off mid-May. While Caitlin Clark has received much deserved praise for her talent and calm under pressure, some of the best leadership lessons this year (and […]