In Memory of my Mom – A Leader in Life
My mother passed away on Monday at the age of 96. Although out of college she worked as a fashion illustrator and shoe designer, and for some years as a young widow she worked in the business world, it was in her life that she was a true leader. So in what way was Pearl a leader? A leader makes a difference in people’s lives, acts as a role model, is ready to look outside themselves and their immediate world to have a wider vision, is willing and able to support the growth of others,...
Read MoreIntroverts in an extrovert world?
The United States is one of the world’s most extrovert culture, and business is a place where it is particularly prized. Do we lose something from that? What if you’re an introvert in an organization where the extrovert behaviors are the benchmark? Some say that the single most important aspect of personality is where you sit on the spectrum of introversion/extroversion. It influences career and spouse choices, how we communicate, make decisions, resolve conflict and show love. It...
Read MoreChanging a culture of bad service, or any other culture
How do you change the culture of an organization if it isn’t working? I’ve thought about what I’d do if I took over the large ophthalmic practice where I suffered through an unpleasant experience this week. What is culture?: John Kotter wrote in a Forbes Magazine blog on September 27th that organizational culture is often misunderstood, both what it is and how it works. He defines it as “group norms of behavior and the underlying shared values that help keep those norms in...
Read MoreNifty Free Visionary Thinking Tool for Business, Nonprofits and Individuals
You’ve got to take a look at this elegantly simple Business Model Canvas. It could help you gain clarity whether you’re creating a whole new business, a new product or service, getting your non-profit to think more like a business, or even looking for a new job. Use it to strategize and communicate to others. Here’s what it looks like but don’t underestimate it! You...
Read MoreGetting a wider perspective; big picture seeing
Leaders need to think big picture. Have wide angle vision. See the curves in the road up ahead. Clients ask me, ‘how do you do that when you’re caught in the day to day?’ Shift your focus to looking at the background, not just the foreground of what’s in front of you. Because we can’t possible take in everything around us all the time, we develop selective filters. Those filters start to become habit. Think about how you don’t notice the background noise of your...
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