Car jack. Nail clippers. Claw Hammer. Teeter-totter. Tweezers. Nutcracker. Scissors. W hat do these devices all have in common? They create leverage, a simple but extraordinary force that increases the power of everything to which it is applied. (Whenever a word is underlined with a dotted line, there is an…
November 30, is the birthday of Winston Churchill. He was born 136 years ago in 1874 ... and died 50 years ago in 1965 ... yet his talent and prodigious output remains striking to this day. Winston Churchill has always been one of my favorite historical characters … and for…
Multitasking is our answer to getting more done. U nfortunately, the research is incontrovertible. That technique means we get even less done. I’ve got one idea you should consider. It’s not the clutter of the desktop or inbox … but the clutter of the mind that scuttles our personal productivity…
There's nothing more important ... or more challenging ... than the need to balance short-term results with long-range plans. H ow is your organization focused? Are you encouraging long-range thinking or only what happens this week? Do you have the Attention Span of a Mosquito? How many times have we asked Are…
It's the heart of the college football season and there are valuable lessons we can learn from the most successful programs.You don’t have to be a football fan to embrace them. They are timeless lessons that apply to any business.“Who’s walking on my field?”You’re lugging 40 pounds on your back in…
Start your own fires. Begin the burn so your ideas catch fire and spread throughout the organization. I t takes 3 ingredients to start and sustain a fire. Make sure you’ve got all 3 ready to go when you launch your next plan.Fire has been around since before Prometheus stole…
As leaders, we continually encounter issues over which we have no control. U ncertainty hovers over our plans. We can do something about it by focusing only on what WE can control. Did you know there is an Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS)? It was developed in 1994 by a…
Few executives will admit it’s too much trouble to Set Clear Expectations, even for their direct reports If it's true for you, make sure you’re prepared for plenty of confusion and mediocre results.When I talk to executives every day, there’s hardly a conversation that doesn’t include the same 2 things:“Why…
Do you spend too much time juggling projects and tasks you’re unlikely to ever tackle? Maybe it’s because there’s stuff in there not worth doing? S ome people call it re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. I say, throw ‘em overboard!In What is the cornerstone of your strategy?, I…