Everyday Leadership

From Boom to Kaboom! Unconventional Thinking and Your Future

November 24, 2008

Today’s local morning news programs, CNN, MSNBC, and FoxNews, plus, of course, Bloomberg and CNBC are all talking about the US government bailout of Citigroup. It’s all frothy and dramatic. Last night one of my 80 year-old friends told me how much money she has lost in the market (in conservative investments), and she is scared. She said she has enough money to continue to take care of herself, thank goodness. I am almost half her age, so my fear, while palpable, is less urgent; I have more time to build up what I have lost.

But, the fear we feel is met in equal measure with bewilderment. It seems to me business(wo)men and consumers alike have been remarkably irresponsible these past few years. We have been living in a child’s…

Oh, Give It Up Already!

November 12, 2008

I worked with a client today around a colleague and friend of his he says is a pain in the bumm (my word, not his) to deal with. I listened to the story I know well (he’s tells it frequently) before I got tired of it.

I said, “I could be wrong here. Throw away what I’m about to say if it’s totally useless to you - Aren’t you tired of being frustrated and angry?”

He said, “I’m not angry, He’s angry.”

“Really?” I said.

“You think I’m angry?” he asked.

“Yes,” I replied, to his surprise.

There is something real and useful in the notion that we see in others aspects of ourselves. Sometimes we project onto other people qualities that we possess (like anger) or qualities we think we do not possess (like wisdom, intelligence, beauty–and…

You’re Not Crazy - It’s Hard.

November 6, 2008

If you have ever wondered if you’re crazy because managing people seems harder than it should be, let me assure you, you are not crazy. It is hard.

Here’s the thing, if your career followed the common path (not that you’re not extraordinary, mind you!) you began early on with some academic knowledge about your field of study, took a job that allowed you to apply that knowledge in “the real world,” had that knowledge severely tested by every day challenges and problems, and managed through hard work and good old Puritan work ethic to develop a growing expertise at it. Then you were promoted based on that expertise into a role with more responsibility and authority. You did so well you were promoted into management. That’s when things got crazy.

The instant…

The Power of Perception

October 31, 2008

A 42 year-old man watches Into the Wild with his father and sees a hurt and hopeful young man on an existential journey. The man’s father sees a movie about a naive kid who tried to survive in Alaska on his own without proper planning. A 2.5 year old girl looks down the hallway in broad daylight and sees the spooky forest. Her uncle looks down the hallway and sees four doors, one open to a messy bedroom. Who of the people mentioned perceives what is real and right?

Webster’s online dictionary calls perception “the act or faculty of apprehending by means of the senses or of the mind; cognition; understanding. 2. immediate or intuitive recognition or appreciation as, of moral, psychological, or aesthetic qualities; insight; intuition, discernment. 4. a single…