I try to give people the benefit of the doubt in email or online. We can’t see the other person’s facial expressions. Or hear the music in the language. However, I flip the Bozo bit when I receive a message from someone as I did this morning on LinkedIn: Based on your profile, we think […]
What Causes You to Flip the Bozo Bit on Someone? Read More »
Do you ever reflect and realize you didn’t accomplish something you wanted to? I don’t regret much in my life. I have one big exception to that—when my mouth says something before my brain realizes I’ve even said anything. (Some of us extroverts have the mouth-engage-before-brain problem. Infrequently, introverts also have this problem.) If I realize what
What Do You Want to Accomplish so You Don’t Create Regrets? Read More »
I’ve noticed this pattern in the news. A murder/fire/something bad happens in a normally quiet neighborhood. The news people interview the neighbors, and each one of them says, “This isn’t who we are. This doesn’t happen here.” Except, it did. We literally just saw that occurrence on the news. I see this pattern all the
When Do We Say, “We Need to Change Who We Are”? Read More »
You’ve seen leaders contribute as professionals. They excel and create a cohort that grows beyond anyone’s expectations. They become famous. Then, you notice personal behavior that makes you nervous. They might: Drink too much at public events. Make jokes about sexuality, origin, or some other personal aspect. Attempt (or do) use their position to attract
When Do We Consider People Beyond Redemption? Read More »
The US Thanksgiving holiday is tomorrow. Many people will offer thanks for their families, their lives, their work. I’ll do that. And, I won’t stop with my immediate family. I’ll also give thanks for our unsung heroes. Too few of us realize how many unsung heroes exist. They rarely make the news or social media.
Who Are Your Unsung Heroes? Read More »
As of this morning, the possible swing states are still counting the 2020 election votes. We knew this would happen. Why? Because back in the spring, when election officials planned for the fall, they thought the virus would be gone by now. Or, that we would have a vaccine. Or some other rosy prediction. Note
How Do We Unite for a Common Goal? Read More »
I’ve been thinking about perfection these days. As a society, we seem to want it all. We want everything open. We don’t discriminate between schools and airplanes. And, several people have written to me, saying they want to be perfect in some or many areas of their lives. I wish I was perfect. Not only
How Much Imperfection Can We Live With? Read More »
We often talk about a few “bad apples” in teams, groups, or even society as a whole. We use the term “bad apples” because that metaphor helps us see that one bad apple can poison an entire container. Should we tolerate one bad apple? Are there other options to help us create a culture that
How Do We Create Culture? Read More »
In these COVID times, some people think they need to play zero-sum games. Those games are the ones where “I win, you lose.” While we might win short-term, we often all lose with zero-sum games. That’s because the game ends. However, there is another kind of game: infinite games. The point of infinite games is
Are You Playing a Finite or an Infinite Game? Read More »
Right now, in July 2020, we have several problems: COVID-19 the disease, the effect of the virus on our economy, and a reckoning of our culture. Each problem shares a common characteristic. We can’t see the finish line. We might know what we want, and we can’t see how to get there. This is related,
How Do We Operate When We Can’t See the Finish Line? Read More »