The changes the pandemic created will remain long after the pandemic is over. According to a recent study, most workers will work from home about 20% of the time. That is an increase of 400% from 2019. Employees said that working from home was a perk worth 7% of their paycheck. …
I was asked by a consultant what I thought about a guy that we will call Bill for anonymity’s sake. I told him that I struggled to trust Bill. The consultant was surprised. After all, Bill kept his commitments. He didn’t act deceitfully. I shared that Bill didn’t practice what …
I am a data geek. I love it because data is objective, free from individual influence. Two plus two is four. I can’t just tell you that it’s nine. You wouldn’t believe me. You’re no fool. But what if the numbers are right, but the analysis is wrong? When does …
There was a dog that stumbled into what seemed like an abandoned house. It barked, but there was no answer. The dog went up the stairs and saw dozens of dogs sticking out their paws just like him. “What a nice place!” thought the little dog. “I’ll come back whenever …
Being a middle manager is kind of like being in the middle seat on an airplane. It’s uncomfortable in both directions. We’ve got to take strategy from above and communicate it into tasks for front-line workers. Then we need to provide advice to the workers about how that’s going, and …
I worried all the time. The only thing that I didn’t worry about was worrying too much. Ironically, worrying too much was exactly the thing I should have been concerned about. I thought it was just part of everyone’s nature. But it doesn’t have to be. If you’re anxious all …
Once I was at a fancy party at a Dallas mansion with a lot of important people. I went up to the host to thank him for his hospitality. I smiled, stuck out my hand and the host’s friend said “Qualify yourself. Tell him why he should talk to you.” Instantly …
When trying to build lasting transformation for a company, many company executives choose the same comfortable systems that miss the mark. So 70% of company-wide transformations fail. Three common pitfalls plague executives executing change. First, they underestimate how difficult meaningful change is to achieve. Second, executives are unrealistic about the company’s …
Once Abraham Lincoln was giving a speech when he was interrupted. “You’re two-faced!” a heckler yelled from the crowd. Lincoln responded, “if I had two faces, do you really think that I’d choose to wear this one?” Lincoln understood that using humor could disarm his enemies. Leaders with a sense …
Failure rates of between 27 and 46 percent exist for leadership transitions. Organizational politics are the main challenge. Nearly 70% of leaders wish they had moved faster to change the culture. Leaders must prepare for the transition by acknowledging the contributions of the prior leader, creating space for forgiveness, and seeking to understand their …
