National Politicians May (Not) Be Global Leaders
Note: This post is not about Sarah Palin. Some of her recent expressions are merely grist for the leadership mill. My intention is that this post be about the distinction between a national politician and world leader, between parochial and inclusive, about individualism and collectivism (or communitarianism, more accurately), between a closed and an open system, about globalization and our role in it.
LINK: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/16/europe.palin.oakley/index.html?iref=newssearch
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The issue discussed in this CNN article is not parochialism, per se. It is an apparent disinterest in being part of the world community, a…
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Life in the PhD Lane…Sure to Make You Lose Your (Old) Mind
Well, it’s official; I’m a doctoral student. I just can’t keep away from the universities around here, I guess. I plan to finish in 2013.
I love it. It’s a little tough to blend school and work, but it’s no more complicated than for those of you who combine work and a vibrant family life. And to those of you who do all three - hats off!
The best 7 things about doing a PhD are:
1) Being a member of and really feeling part of a learning community of scholar- practitioners who are dedicated to making work life much easier, more productive, and truly fulfilling for everyone, not just the people in the C-suite;
b) Having access to the minds and hearts of some really bright and accomplished people;
3) Having access to world-class research…
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Thanks for the Ideas But That’s Not What I Asked
Have you ever noticed how frequently someone answers a question that you never asked? I’ve noticed that when I ask someone to help me with something I have wrestled with for a while I commonly get back a bunch of recommendations about how I could proceed on my own were I to continue trying to figure it out.
Recently, I asked a computer expert for help with my computer. I’m no expert in the IT area, nor do I want to be. My request went something like, “Would you help me figure out how to make blahdiblah work? It has been not working for a while and I need to get this handled soon because I’m concerned about suchnsuch.”
What I got back was a) an explanation that I really don’t need…
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Olympic Lessons - More Than Keeping Score
There is so much to enjoy about the Olympics. So much to witness - so much dreaming, competition, parity among competitors, so much drama. There is so much excitement there that I can feel it here. I’ve been wondering if there could be even more than meets the eye, and than is felt inside when we watch “our team” compete.
It is easy to cheer on the American team if you’re American, or the Brazilian team if you are from Brazil.
That’s easy. In our minds and hearts we “feel” connected to our home nation’s team, and then our bodies create physical feelings that register in our minds as excitement, anxiety, fear, jubilation. So yeah, it’s easy to - in fact - it takes no conscious effort to cheer on our favorite…
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Happy July 4, 2008 to Everyone Around the World
One Song
Every war and every conflict
between human beings has happened
because of some disagreement about names .
It is such an unnecessary foolishness,
because just beyond the arguing
there is a long table of companionship
set and waiting for us to sit down.
What is praised is one, so the praise is one too,
many jugs being poured into the huge basin.
All religions, all this singing, one song.
The differences are just illusion and vanity.
Sunlight looks a little different
on this wall than it does on that wall
and a lot different on this other one,
but it is still one light.
We have borrowed these clothes,
these time-and-space personalities,
from a light, and when we praise,
we are pouring it back in.
~ Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi-Rumi (1207-1273)
…
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Best Business Apology I’ve Ever Received
I had a few problems recently with my mortgage refinance. See, I began the process after the sub prime mortgage meltdown. By the time my application was begun, banks had started to look at all applicants pretty much like criminals. They required a bazillion more times the evidence of income, net worth, liabilities, and blood type than before. Jumping through hoops is not one of my favorite things anyway, particularly when someone tells me “that’s the last one,” and there is then presented one more, and another, and one more. You get the picture.
Then there were a few errors made my my broker, who happens to be a client and a friend. He’d missed some important information and that, too, contributed to the delays and collective frustration.
Eventually, I shared…
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Susan, Dinner, and Some Really Important Questions
Last night at dinner with friends at a local Asian restaurant, a friend of a friend we’ll call Susan, lamented that she wanted to change jobs but did not really know to what. She definitely felt she did not want to remain in her current sales role, but when asked what she wanted quickly replied, “I don’t know.”
Breaking attention from mixing my Larb with the heart-shaped mound of brown rice I added to the order, I asked if I could make a raise a few ideas that might help her get the answer she wanted. She politely agreed.
All Available Answers
First I told her that the inkling she felt that something was not quite right about her current situation was a very useful and special feeling. In it lay…
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Dreaming in Dubai
I just returned from my first trip to the Middle East. I trained a dozen leaders in an executive development program for a telecommunications company on behalf of The Ken Blanchard Companies.
Many Westerners know of Dubai because of the country’s ambitious constuction programs. Three new islands, a seven-star hotel built on another new island, and more new high-rise construction than can be found in most American cities combined.
What fascinated me more than the construction per se is the imagination and audacity that fuels it. The hard-core pragmatist would say it’s not imagination and audacity that made the buildings possible, it’s money, and the United Arab Emirates has a lot of that because of oil prices. It’s true; there is a lot of money pouring into the country’s coffers.…
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How Time Flies
I was shocked when I looked at the last entry and discovered it was written on 12/07/07.
While this may not offer new readers any insights (if any entries really do!), I’ll share with you what’s been going on in the pat three months.
I have been working with some terrific executives in financial services companies - some of whom are young and looking to accelerate their progress through the mid levels of management. Others are seasoned and more senior executives who are looking to adjust to shifting company values and norms and continue their high levels of contribution.
I have also been working more frequently with the Ken Blanchard Companies, training both Situational Leadership II and Situational Self Leadership to corporate teams across the US. That work will also take…
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Lost Etiquette
For months now I’ve been incubating this blog wondering how to introduce the subject of politeness and propriety without coming off as someone’s nag or a reminder of your least favorite auntie. I’ll press forward undaunted, though, because I think these points need to be made.
No More I Thank Yous
Last week I hosted a party for several of my clients and friends. It was a catered doo with wine, cheese, nice nosh and a bubbly crowd around 60 or so people. Invitations were professionally crafted and mailed in the old-style US Mail. I wanted my guests to feel special by receiving a professionally prepared invitation. Several people said they loved the invites and were very impressed I did not just send an E-vite. I hate E-vite. E-vite is great for…
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