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Feedback Leadership Learning Qualities Reflection Self awareness

Why should anyone be led by you?

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

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Behavior Culture Leadership Learning Mindset Qualities

Are you a spark?

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

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Communication Leadership Learning Qualities Self awareness

Simplifier or Complexifier?

I’m not a finance guy.

But I’ve done enough finance in my life to understand the principles when I put my mind to it. My brain can build many connections fast, but when it comes to finance, I need to think.

That’s why I’ve always admired people who can make complex stuff easy to understand. … Read the rest

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Courage Culture Leadership Mindset Qualities

Whose sandbox is it anyway?

Did you play as a kid in a sandbox?

Was it your sandbox, the sandbox of a neighborhood kid, or perhaps a public sandbox?

What do you remember about your sandbox adventures?

Was there ever a territorial fight about the best part of the sandbox? Or perhaps some kid entered your sandbox, and you were not pleased with the uninvited intruder.… Read the rest

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Asking Questions Curiosity Learning Qualities Self awareness

Curiosity is a superpower. 18 qualities of curious leaders.

Should I ask this as a question or make a statement out of it?

That’s the question I’m asking myself, pondering the title for this insight. 

If I’m true to my point about curiosity, I should write it as a question. 

Why is curiosity a superpower?

But today, I prefer a statement.… Read the rest

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Courage Life Mindset Qualities Self awareness

What’s your superpower?

We all have a superpower.

That’s my belief. 

Every human being on this planet excels at something. 

Something that makes this person stand out around the people around them.

Having a superpower is not exclusively for people with a high IQ. That’s an assumption some people have that could not be further from the truth. … Read the rest

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Disruption Mindset Qualities Self awareness Vision

From failure to genius in 90 minutes

Some years ago, Microsoft claimed that the attention span of a human being had evolved so dramatically that it was now shorter than the attention span of a goldfish.

Eight seconds for us human beings.

Nine seconds for the average goldfish.

I added the average word.

Why average?

Because I can’t imagine that every single goldfish is the same.… Read the rest

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Authenticity Disruption Kindness Mindset Qualities

Wildfires, DNA, and life lessons

What a week it was.

Our vacation started with spending the night in a different place than planned.

Our rental for the week was not accessible because of wildfires near the house.

We got this message as soon as we landed in Heraklion, Crete.

First thought? Here we go!

Murphy’s law.
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Leadership Qualities Team effectiveness Vision

Qualities of Visionaries

Recently I spent a few hours in one room with a highly visionary entrepreneur.

Frequently, I seek the company of visionary leaders because they’re a breath of fresh air in a world where target-driven managers dominate.

A visionary’s biggest asset is the belief that the world can be manufactured. Visionaries often see a new reality right before them like it’s already there.
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Execution Growth Qualities

We all need a little bit of this in our lives in 2022

First Chaos. Then Structure.

I just completed ten stories about each growth cue in my playbook.

It was fun to do. It gave me some structure for five weeks in a row. I basically knew what I was going to write about next.

Sort of.

I knew the topic, but the story still came from what was happening around me.… Read the rest

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Culture Human Resources Leadership Qualities

Chief Whatever Officer

In 2007 we moved to the United States from Belgium. I had accepted a role at our local business in North Carolina.

While discussing the opportunity, one of the arguments to convince me was that I would be an officer in the company and get the title of Vice President.

The only Vice President I knew at that time was Dick Cheney, and I was not impressed.… Read the rest

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Leadership Qualities

3 differentiating traits of connected leaders (you want to follow)

What do the leaders you want to follow do well? 

Notice the word, want.

There are many leaders in our lives we ‘follow’. After all, we would make our lives hard if we didn’t. But that does not mean we like the way they lead.

Of course, we can choose to leave the companies we work for or the countries we live in (it’s election time), but that’s simply not always an option. … Read the rest