Ramblings From a Glass Half Full
(The scene: The fictional office of SVP “Jerry”) “I promise, I’ll do better – just give me another chance” This was the third time George was in Jerry’s office in the past 6 months. First it was for some poorly completed work. Then, it was for a series of missed deadlines. Now, he was there because of …
It was the day before Thanksgiving, 1981. I was in the back seat of my 1974 Oldsmobile ’98, sleeping soundly after driving most of the night. Four college buddies and I started in San Antonio the day before, stopped in St. Louis to drop of three off, and now it was just …
As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, it’s a perfect time to celebrate one of my favorite leadership words. A word that perfectly encapsulates many of the essential attributes of a great leader. A word that may take a back seat to its cousin “Thank You”, especially this time of year, but justly deserves its place in the sun. In …
Last Sunday night I watched with great interest as the New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, with great emotional intensity, yelled at his teammates on the sidelines. Loudly and forcefully. To say he was riled up was putting it quite mildly. His passion was way, way out there. And what happened after the rant? A great victory …
Yesterday my wife and I arrived in Portland Oregon for the first time as residents. The clouds were low and thick, and there was a steady rain falling as we entered our apartment building. There to meet us was the building’s concierge. As he helped us get our luggage into the elevator, my wife said to …
You walk into your supervisor’s office with a chip on your shoulder. You’re upset that your boss made a decision that you had lobbied against for weeks, sometimes passionately. “Why did you do this??” you exclaim. “I can’t believe it. This is wrong. And a lot of other people agree with me” Your boss, who has been …
It is a time of change for me. The company that I’ve worked for over the last 16 years is being sold, and so, next weekend, my wife and I will be moving from Connecticut to Portland, Oregon. Moving is always a surreal, scary, and exciting experience, having done it more than a few times (from …
The concept of execution in the business world is a multifaceted exercise, especially from the perspective of the leader. I call it “checking all the boxes” – moving the machine hour by hour, day by day, and year by year, towards its ultimate goal. Because it’s obviously important to do this, it often can overwhelm our brains …
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