Archive for July, 2006
Perception Isn’t Everything (but is sure is a lot)
Nothing quite bugs me like hearing platitudes like “perception is everything.” While I appreciate a pithy one-liner as much as the next guy, I bristle when they over-simplify things to a level that makes progress harder, not easier.
Perception is not everything. It is one part of the picture. What we perceive in, say, an interpersonal conflict is real to be sure. But, it is not the entire picture of reality. Your perception of me is not all of me. My perception of some attribute or quality of yours is not the whole picture of you. Nor is it the whole picture of you and me.
Recently, I was on a project team formed to produce a few short-term and quick-hitting results. During the process, another member accused me of making…
F,F,MO,DLB
Have you ever been in a situation when someone, undoubtedly to assuage some need of their own for less pain, less anxiety, a sense of control or a desperation to reach out however ineffective the means used, tries to pull you back into a situation you long since put behind you and have forgotten?
That just happened to me. A situation two years old was dredged up by someone I actually have a great affection for, in spite of the reality that the past situation and the decisions we made after it have made it implausible for us to be in touch with one another.
What were my reactions? I was surprised to get the email. I was eager to read it - until I did. Then I was this close…
Targeted Behavior Change
Over the past year I have shifted the focus of my executive coaching work to targeted behavior change - helping successful executives be more effective, and even more successful.
It sounds simple. I mean, what can be challenging about helping people who have already established themselves as successes in their fields, companies and careers to be even more successful? The simple answer: What gets a man to a place does not necessarily keep him there. Put another way: The way I did it yesterday may not be what is needed today. I may need to learn, grow and act differently.
The choice for these up-and-coming-senior executives is between behavior that is comfortable and behavior that is effective.
Notice I’m not making any statement about the ends someone is trying to achieve. While…
Better for Having Been Here
As my work becomes more focused on helping individuals grow into the fullness of their leadership potential, including eliminating problematic behaviors (something I have direct experience with - and will be writing about a lot in this blog in the coming months), the more my attention gravitates to the words and deeds of men and women commonly accepted as successful in their fields.
I am no patsie when it comes to equating success (which usually means financial success) and leadership; many a financially successful man has been found out to be a lousy leader. Most of the men and women my middle management friends work for would fit this category. And, we all know at least one man or woman in our personal, if not professional, lives who would not…
