The Day I Gave My Wife Instruction

Yesterday my wife said, “You drive weird.” In a professorial tone, I told her, “That’s judging, not observing.” She got instruction she didn’t ask for.

She was laughing too loud to hear me.

Grasping the relationship between Feedback-Correction-Instruction-Coaching-Mentoring

Why Good Leaders Fail (and Don’t See It Coming)

A one-string banjo doesn’t sound happy. Overconfidence in one strength brings leaders down.

Visionaries fail when they can’t get stuff done. Relationship builders fail when they don’t have tough conversations. Doers without empathy build disengaged teams.

Leaders fail by leaning too hard on one strength.

Don’t Forget the Banjo: Leading Through Crisis

The survival of Ernest Shackleton’s crew is the greatest survival saga in human history. 

AUGUST 8, 1914—28 men departure for Antarctica.
AUGUST 30, 1916—The crew is rescued.

The survival of all 28 men is a tribute to the human spirit.

One lesson: Don’t forget the banjo when leading through crisis.

Become a Pro at Ignoring Stuff

Paying attention to everything will drive you nuts.

A Life Flight pilot told me he succeeds by ignoring the patients in the back.

The secret to doing stuff that matters is ignoring stuff that doesn’t.

10 ways to become a pro at ignoring stuff.

When Collaboration Backfires

Don’t collaborate on everything. Everyone shouldn’t make every decision. Everyone doesn’t have to agree on every decision.

Collaboration backfires when it dilutes responsibility.  

Lack of accountability means collaboration stagnation.

The Silent Superpower of Conversations

“Seek first to understand, then to be understood,” — Stephen R. Covey 

“As a matter of fact, have you never noticed that most conversations are simply monologues delivered in the presence of a witness?” Margaret Millar

Before selling your ideas, try to defend theirs.

10 ways to create vibrant conversations.