Flying back from a speaking engagement in Ann Arbor last week, I changed planes in Chicago. I boarded the American Eagle flight at the appointed time. We sat at the gate for nearly half an hour after departure time when the co-pilot came on the intercom. “Ladies and gentleman, the reason we haven’t taken off … Read more
Imagine you’re dining at your favorite restaurant. The chef has prepared your favorite dish. You savor the first bite – delicious. But it needs just a little salt. As you reach for the salt shaker, do you think the chef is deficient because she hasn’t fixed this dish exactly the way you want it? No. … Read more
The line of hungry patrons waited patiently to place their order. The newly opened neighborhood burger establishment, Mojo Burger, had already created a buzz by their quality food and their top-notch service. But it wasn’t just that they served Meyer Natural Angus beef and fresh, not frozen, fries. I’m always interested in what makes one … Read more
Often times I find the staff of businesses don’t know how to think beyond pre-described processes. When they get a question outside the norm, they just seem to shut off their brain, resulting in either no sales where there could have been one, or elongating the buying process if they could just think. I was … Read more
It is so easy to intellectualize about leadership, risk taking, and team communication when you are safely in an air-conditioned training room. So I decided to lead leadership retreats at the world-famous resort, Miraval, to integrate their outdoor challenges into my curriculum. When you are focused on the activity, your primal brain takes over. There’s … Read more
My friend, bestselling author Sam Horn has a new book out, POP!: Stand Out in Any Crowd. There are many great techniques in the book you can apply to make your ideas, proposals — and yourself — to get acceptance. Over brunch a few days ago (where we serendipitously were served POPovers), she shared some … Read more
Sounds like a dumb question, doesn’t it? Of course, it is the individual who is responsible and accountable for improving their skills. But I’ve found it is not often seen that way. Recently, a corporate group I’ve been telecoaching has not been showing up for their monthly calls. There have been reasons, some valid, some … Read more
I know this may sound like common sense, but even the best of us forget it. Or we forget to teach our mentees this lesson. I was serving on a Board of Directors and was one of three Board members running for President, elected by fellow Board members, not the membership at large. In the … Read more
Once I used an assessment as part of a training program I conducted for a client’s managers. Everyone really liked the assessment and the insights gleaned from it. The owner of the company told me he’d like to use the assessment on everyone in his company. “Great” I replied, “I can work up a quantity … Read more
You’ve decided your staff needs training. You know it will cost you some money, even with an internal trainer. So how do you make sure the training has the biggest ROI possible? There are three key people responsible for making the training a success. Unfortunately, most people only think of one — the trainer. If … Read more