How often do you jump over your shadow to get what you want done?
How often do you have to compromise some of your values, principles, or beliefs to make progress on your ambitions?
Your shadow reveals who you really are. Your shadow is the perfect reflection.
Sometimes, a TV show can help us see our business clearly. If only we were receptive to the cues we got.
I started watching the TV series Succession a while ago.
Then, I gave it up for a few months. And I continued last week when I was awake at night because of jet lag.… Read the rest
Algorithms are addictive.
We live in a wonderfully dangerous world. A world that confronts us daily with multiple realities.
On the good side, the world we live in is developing so that more and more opportunity is available to us.
With the right mindset, an inspiring dose of creativity, and a healthy level of determination and discipline can turn into significant levels of achievement.… Read the rest
One of the more complex concepts to grasp is that who we are is not defined by our thoughts or feelings.
Thoughts and feelings come and go. They’re as fluid as the water coming out of your faucet. You turn it on, and it’s there. You turn it off, and it’s gone.… Read the rest
A life without pain is impossible.
Every human being on this planet will go through pain at some point in their life.
We may experience death, sickness, violence, accidents, wars, relationship issues, get fired, be discriminated against, get bullied, etcetera, etcetera.
If you’re heavy, you will have pain.… Read the rest
In one of my earlier posts, I spoke about organizational pain.
Companies and leaders that can create organizational pain leave nothing on the table.
I wrote this story to give you food for thought and to help you decide whether you’re leaving anything on the table in your life.
Nearly all companies worldwide have some version of integrity as a value. Only a few have clearly defined what behaviors they expect when they speak about integrity. And even fewer companies reinforce and live by those behaviors.
Just for fun, let’s say that 80 out of 100 companies have integrity as a value.… Read the rest
During a visit to the NASA Space Center in 1962, President Kennedy noticed a janitor carrying a broom. He interrupted his tour, walked over to the man, and said: “Hi, I’m Jack Kennedy; what are you doing?” The janitor responded: “I’m helping put a man on the moon, Mr President.”
As we all know, Kennedy’s dream was to put the first human being on the moon.… Read the rest
“We don’t have time for that stuff.”
I’m not a data freak. I’m not a research expert. I’m not a number cruncher. I’m not an analyst.
I’m blessed and gifted with a brilliant set of brains and common sense that I’m trying to use appropriately without overusing them.
Twenty percent of my brain capacity creates 80 percent of the results.… Read the rest
A few months have passed since my last post, “Maktub” in the middle of July.
It was time to pause. It was time for a break and to practice what I preach. In every profession, it’s important to rest, reflect, and recharge your batteries every once in a while.
When we travel as a family to different places and we can visit a bookstore, we make it happen.
My daughter has inherited her love for books, bookstores, and libraries from my mother. Wherever we go, one of her first things to find out is the location of the bookstores.
Are you repairing your roof when the sun is shining or when the water leaks into your house because of heavy rain?
Blockbuster video never ‘repaired its roof’ when the sun was shining. It was already far too late when Netflix showed up and started to disrupt Blockbuster’s business model.
We’re all human beings, and humans build and lead organizations.… Read the rest
I recently got reminded of this book again.
I was part of an inspiring conversation with a group of senior leaders discussing talent growth inside their organization.
We talked about the mindset to disrupt yourself, ask yourself and others the hard questions, leaving your comfort zone frequently to learn and expect the same from others.… Read the rest
To light a fire, you need a spark.
To let a fire go out, you need to kill the oxygen. Or just stop feeding the fire with more supplies of wood. It will eventually dim and then die.
Some people are sparks. Some people suck oxygen. Some people are passive and do nothing.… Read the rest
Joyce, my brilliant Organizational Development mentor, often used the following quote when we talked about Organization Design:
“Every organization is perfectly designed for the results it gets.
Joyce Wilson Sanford
In other words, if your results are below expectations, there’s a big chance your design is flawed.
And vice versa, when you’re doing great, your organization works for you.… Read the rest
Last year in December, my headspace meditation streak that lasted for over 250 days got interrupted because I did not meditate for a day.
I’ll admit that I had set a goal of reaching 365 days of uninterrupted meditation, so when I skipped a day and saw the counter going back to zero, I had a slight moment of sadness.… Read the rest
It’s been a few weeks since I read “More Time to Think.”
More Time to Think is the sequel to Time to Think. The first book addresses the theory behind creating a thinking environment culture. The second book is more of a practical how-to guide.
Both books are created on a scientifically justified premise that when companies can create a culture where each individual feels safe and encouraged to access, use and share their thinking, all performance indicators point in the right direction.… Read the rest
I listened recently to a podcast where high-net-worth individuals and tax-avoiding companies were the subjects of the discussion.
Or perhaps the subject of their rage is a better expression of the dynamics of the conversation.
Then a politician, known for progressive and more left of the political spectrum beliefs, joined the conversation.… Read the rest
There’s a commercial on Dutch TV about the risk of polarization. It’s short, cute, and full of great intentions.
You witness friends and a father and daughter argue over climate and immigrant issues. A voiceover enters the scene and states:
It was followed by making the point that our world is becoming increasingly polarized and that it’s really up to us to do something about it.… Read the rest
Are you a procrastinator?
Do you have days that go by without accomplishing anything? Days that you just looked at the work you needed to do, but in the end, you didn’t do anything?
You’re not alone.
