Memorable Presentations   We all know that public speaking is listed among people’s top fears. As most of us know, “Many people would rather be in the coffin than called on to speak at the funeral.” But we often think of “public speaking” as a very specific set of circumstances. Is this what you picture? You’re on a stage Probably behind a podium Delivering a prepared talk With slides and notes To an audience that is there to hear you speak And judge you partly based on your speaking ability That’s the spine-chilling fear for many people. Being on stage. Being the focus of a seated aud ..read more

Change So much of success and leadership is about preparing for, executing, and driving change. Whether changing our attitude, our direction, or our goals, we are all experiencing change. Here are a few quotes on change to reflect on:   “Some changes happen deep down inside of you. And the truth is only you know about them.” –Judy Blume     “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” –John F. Kennedy     “Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back everything is different ..read more

Do you play it safe? Do you play it too safe? What’s your appetite for risk?   In Bet on You: How to Win with Risk, authors Angie Morgan and Courtney Lynch tackle the topic of risk. From the misconceptions of risk to teaching how to build risk muscle and mitigate the downsides of risk, they offer a compelling, thoughtful, and helpful life book that will help you both in business and in life. I recently spoke with Courtney about their book.   How do you define risk? We define risk as taking action in the face of uncertainty. Since none of us can predict the future, that means risk and ..read more

  This is a guest post by Lisa Z. Fain. Lisa is the CEO of Center for Mentoring Excellence, a global speaker on mentoring, and co-author of The Mentor’s Guide and Bridging Differences for Better Mentoring.   It’s a great time to be looking for a job, and a hard time to be an employer. Indeed, everywhere you turn, you see the headlines about the Great Resignation. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 47 million people quit their job in 2021 and numbers remained steady at about 4 million monthly resignations in the first quarter of 2022. Turnover is expensive. Accordi ..read more

Assume Positive Intent We live in a world where respect is not the default setting for many people in many situations. Whether in traffic or social media, we see a lot of inherent negativity. I’ve said before that “assuming positive intent” is an important leadership practice. If you go into a conversation or negotiation or even a difficult performance evaluation with that assumption? I think you’ll get better results.     “When you meet someone who’s difficult, remember: there is something to learn there. ” – Skip Prichard     Start with Respect Why is that? Because ..read more

Do you believe success come more easily to those who are fair and decent or those who are Machiavellian and do whatever it takes to win?   David Bodanis shows a better path, one that starts with fairness and then mixed in with a good deal of human decency. Intrigued by his book, The Art of Fairness: the power of decency in a world turned mean, and its case studies and stories, I reached out to talk with him about his perspective.   “Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness.” -Lucius Annaeus Seneca     What is the Bodanis definition of fairn ..read more

Emotional Intelligence As a leader, you’re probably aware of the term “emotional intelligence” (EQ) by now—the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically. This applies to individuals, but what about EQ at the team level? Is there a similar EQ-based theory that can help teams better handle their groups’ emotions and relationships?   Teams that are emotionally aware and prepared can flex under stress and support each other to achieve the best results possible.     In, Team Emotional Int ..read more

I’m a passionate believer in purpose. Whether personal or corporate, purpose fuels us in a way that is difficult to describe. Ranjay Gulati is the former head of the Organizational Behavior unit at Harvard Business School. He is an author, speaker, and frequent media guest. His book, Deep Purpose: The Heart and Soul of High-Performance Companies , is written after extensive research on the fatal mistakes leaders make in this area. I recently spoke with him about his research and book.   “Leaders practice deep purpose when they commit to a reason for being that encompasses both financial ..read more

The following is excerpted with permission from From Conflict to Courage: How to Stop Avoiding and Start Leading (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2022) by Marlene Chism.   Three Dysfunctional Behaviors The three dysfunctional behaviors that leaders use to avoid discomfort are avoidance, appeasing, and aggression. Avoiders say “We’re all adults” and “I shouldn’t have to tell them.” Appeasers justify high-conflict behavior because “they are a high performer” or “they have seniority.” Aggressors retaliate and say “I didn’t ask you to work here. Find another job.” Some leaders put off (avoid) di ..read more

The Power of Vacations  Why do we work so hard, so long, and vacation so little? The health, creativity, social, and productivity benefits of time off are well documented. Yet many of us feel guilty for taking a day off here-and-there, to say nothing of a week or two.     “Creative breakthroughs happen when we pause and have time to reflect.” – Skip Prichard     According to a Forbes article I read recently, working 55 hours a week or more puts us at a 35% higher risk of stroke, and a 17% higher risk of heart disease than a work week of 35-40 hours. That’s just ..read more