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 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 MoreNew Problem Solving Technique
“How do I get a new perspective on intractable problems when you’re not here?” a client asked me. I suggested he try an idea I’d just read about. Describe your problems with different words, namely, eliminate the verb “to be.” Why Eliminate To Be: The theory is that our language and our words form our abstract concepts, and they contain hidden traps. The verb “to be,” was identified as containing the most traps, and creating distortions of reality. If I say my...
Read MoreOptimism, Courage and the Power to Lead from Anywhere
Having optimism (the ability to see the best in yourself and others), and having courage (the willingness to risk failure) are necessary to be a leader (able to create and carry out a vision that takes you into the unknown). All well and good, but where do you get optimism and courage? Not at the mall, that’s for sure! I spoke on this topic several days ago at the American Business Women’s Association(thanks for the invitation, ladies). We started the meeting in the dark, a 20 minute...
Read MoreLeadership lessons from my trip to South Africa
I just returned from South Africa, a country of extremes. Extreme beauty, extreme wealth, extreme poverty and cultural divides. It took the extreme skills of leadership of many but particularly Nelson Mandela to have transformed it from an apartheid culture. What can we learn? In trying to understand more, I found a copy of Mandela’s autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, I was struck by the importance he attributed to the lessons he learned as a child because he was the heir to...
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