The Depth of Friendship (in Business)
Hello everyone. It’s been a while. I have been very busy with both training engagements and new clients. It’s been too long and it’s nice to talk with you again.
The fires came through San Diego several weeks ago and turned our worlds upside down. Three people I know lost their homes. They burned to the ground. Another friend was displaced because the house he was renting burned. Personal friends evacuated to my home for three days. We watched the news almost 24/7 hoping against the fear that the fire would again threaten their home, as it did in 2003. It didn’t - thankfully.
Through it all, I was reacquainted with the importance and the depth of loving friendship. Many of my close friends live too far away for us to…
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Best is No Better
Communicating well is vital to success in the workplace at all levels of responsibility and influence. We need to skillfully communicate via spoken words, silence, body language and what we write in letters and emails. A skilled communicator conveys meaning and engenders trust while providing information about something important. Skilled communicators avoid platitudes and lingo because they distract the mind from what is most salient.
Lately, I have seen the word best used as a closing in emails. It looks something like, “Let’s talk later in the week. Best, Steve.” But, what exactly does the word best mean?
Best is a positive word. Its connotation is easy enough to understand. Best is as good as it can be. Maybe Steve is “sending me his best.” That idiom has been in…
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Loss of Composure Costs Team the Playoffs
Wow! What a difficult game to lose. Last night’s 9-8 loss to the Colorado Rockies in the bottom of the thirteenth inning was a heartbreaker for San Diego Padres fans.
The late night highlights and morning papers are talking about Trevor Hoffman’s back-to-back blown saves in two really big games. They mention Brady Clark’s errors in center field on fairly routine fly balls. But, any focus on only last night’s game misses the bigger point.
Back-up center fielder, Brady Clark, would not have been in the game were not regular center fielder, Mike Cameron, injured. Mike Cameron would not have been injured if not for Milton Bradley losing his cool in volcanic fashion at a crucial moment several games earlier. Milton Bradley’s explosion led to an injury that ended his season,…
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Get Real
A vice-president client we’ll call, Joe, recently presented to a group of peers and more senior executives. Half way through the material he lost his place. So, he stood there awkwardly for twenty seconds or so and tried to remember what he was supposed to say next. He cleared his throat, shuffled some papers and paced a few steps before he remembered and got him back on track.
Joe asked me what he could or should have done to avoid getting off track. I offered a few simple ideas about sticking to the core material and not getting into side-bar subjects.
A far bigger issue, though, was how Joe felt during those 20 seconds, and for four days afterward. Joe felt self-conscious, embarrassed and insecure. Why? Because “that is not…
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Roger Federer and Executive Learning
In about an hour I will sit down to watch the US Open tennis final between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. More than watching the tennis, per se, the match takes my mind to thought about learning. For me, it’s a chance to witness two accomplished professionals challenge themselves and each other to perform at the tippy top of their skill range, manage their energy in the face of intense, prolonged requirements and a lot of external distraction, and continually rise and respond to every challenge thrown at them.
US Open tennis is a fantasy for me. I am a twice-a-year hacker who can’t seem to do more than scatter balls around the court in random patterns no matter where I intend them to go. So, I don’t watch tennis…
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Leadership at the Tour de France
We may have witnessed a turning point in leadership at the Tour de France this week. It did not come from Tour officials. It was not instigated by the French media. It was not the result of a drug test. Rather, the leadership moment was siezed by a team captain who decided a team member’s refusal to play by the team’s ethics rules was enough to expel him from the team. The reason: he allegedly (protecting my backside with that word…) lied to his teammates about his whereabouts, saying he was in Mexico while he was observed in Italy just before the Tour.
The implication, of course, is that he was doping (taking performance enhancing drugs), and that is a major no-no at the Tour de France. (As it is in…
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A Learning Vacation
I started planning a summer vacation recently. Like many Americans I know, vacations are sort of stressful events, mainly because slowing down and walking away from work is hard to do. Americans are addicted to work. We equate personal power–and, dare I say, our self-esteem is tied–to work productivity. I’m no exception. While my friends in Europe take several weekly breaks throughout the year without any guilt or concern about not working and truly enjoying their preferred recreational activities, I think I should keep working.
Like many of you, I have a backlog of work that needs to get done in order to achieve my annual goals. I have two big engagements coming up, both of which require that I learn new material. Plus, there are a couple subjects I…
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Extending Influence and Goodwill
The longer I live the more I realize a big part of life is about relationships. If relationships are a big part of life, they are a big part of business. We all know that. But my point today is that relationships are not just something that we have or flop into by virtue of our jobs or group associations. They are to be made, built and cultivated. How? The first step is connecting the people we know, love (oh dear…did he actually use the word LOVE in the context of business? Is he nuts?!) and respect with others we know, love and respect.
Last week I finished grad school. At first I thought that getting a masters degree was not a big deal. But, the people who love and like…
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Happy Graduation!
I’m pleased to announce that I have completed graduate school and received a Master of Science in Executive Leadership degree. MSEL for short.
I felt great walking across the stage after my name was called, shaking the hand of the university president and smiling ear to ear.
It is not that graduate school was all that difficult. Nor was I glad it was over. My smile and pride came from achieving an important milestone and from enjoying (most of) the process.
Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows I enjoy my work immensely. I enjoy learning and applying what I know. This degree had made me a better coach for the executives and companies I serve. I am proud of that and feel blessed to have had the means to take another…
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Do Doctors Care Anymore?
Since the advent of the Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) decades ago, the connection between patient and doctor has become increasingly slight.
As a kid I went to a family doctor whose office was around the corner. His office was in a single-story building with cedar shingle siding. All the machines inside stood out like 10-penny nails on a plank of pristine pine because of their bright white color and modern shapes. My hometown was very rural and going to the doctor was like going to an important meeting in a science laboratory. What was most pleasant about going to the doctor was that he remembered me, seemed to take his time finding out what I was suffering from and asked about my family, school and all the other stuff. I felt…
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