I just returned from Black Rock City, NV, better known as Burning Man. Burning Man is an annual event where 70,000 artists, engineers, performers, and makers descend on the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. In one week, they build and inhabit a city made of...
leadership
Here are articles on leadership
Leading by Example: Walking Your Talk … Under a Magnifying Glass
In a leadership position, even the small stuff … isn’t. People watch your every move. Get used to it.
How everyone can use powerful coaching questions, with Michael Bungay Stanier
In this episode of Business Explained, I interview Michael Bungay Stanier, author of "The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More And Change The Way You Lead Forever." We discuss how to use some truly powerful coaching questions to boost your ability to help...
Growing companies: Moments of Truth
High-growth entrepreneurial companies reach points where they must fundamentally change what they do. Here are several of the events that quietly herald a need for major change in a rapidly growing company.
“Strategic Thinking” – The Meaning Behind the Buzzword
It sounds easy: my client wanted to think more strategically. isn’t that the hot buzzword? “Strategic thinking.” Oooh! Sexy. There’s only one problem: what, exactly, does it mean? You’d think we would know. But I’ve seen executive teams discuss in all seriousness what...
The Key Business Concepts Missing From The National Debt Debate
In business, if you decide to do a project you scope out the project. You estimate what it will cost, over what time frame it will produce results, and so on. Then you decide how to finance it. There are many, many possibilities: you might finance it by paying for it...
Business has a lot to learn from theater people
We wrapped up Evil Dead: The Musical this weekend. I am sad. I miss rehearsal every night. I miss singing and dancing. I miss wondering if that is water in the makeup, or whether Zach's drool was a bit too enthusiastic. Part of why I decided to start acting was the...
What Acting Teaches About Building Reputation
My first acting experience has given me a profound appreciation for how we build reputation (or "personal brand," to use the 21st century parlance). I just finished my first weekend as part of the ensemble for Evil Dead: The Musical. I play a dancing tree, a headless...
Richard St. John’s TED Talk on Success. Is it nothing but delusion?
I was just watching a TED talk by Richard St. John on the 8 Rules of Success. Richard interviewed 500 TED attendees to distill down eight principles. His recommendations are depressingly trite: have passion, work hard, yada, yada, yada. You can see the talk here:...
Can a corporation be “entrepreneurial?”
A friend of mine posted a Facebook entry saying his 30,000+ person company is encouraging people to be entrepreneurial. I replied with a remark that I couldn't imagine a less likely place to find entrepreneurial behavior. Much to my surprise, he was surprised that I...