All of us are dealing with upsets in our lives.
Moments when our values, beliefs, norms, or safety are in danger. These can be real threats that might cause any harm or perceived threats that won’t physically harm us. Unfortunately, the amygdala, part of our brain, can not distinguish between real and perceived threats.… Read the rest
When was your last tough love conversation?
What was tough about it?
When and how did the love part show its face?
Before I continue, I assume you’re familiar with the principle of tough Love.
Tough Love is the ability to be direct, constructive, specific, and to the point about someone’s behavior while balancing this with a general feeling of empathy, understanding, connection, and compassion.… Read the rest
“The annexation of the four Ukrainian regions by Russia is unacceptable.”
Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs
This is a quote from a Dutch politician from last week.
He addressed the Dutch press before he went ahead and summoned the Russian ambassador to the Netherlands to convey the same message.
He got the order wrong and should have talked to the ambassador first. … Read the rest
By the time you read this story, the topic of my story is probably old news.
For most of the news outlets, that is. I hope.
I write my stories approximately a week ahead.… Read the rest
Most leaders have no clue about culture.
No clue. Nada. Nic (Czech). Nothing.
Oh yes, they talk about culture. They convey a belief that they actually don’t understand, but they don’t.
In fact,
Those leaders that talk most about culture probably understand the least.
The leaders I know who are good at culture transformation do quietly what needs to get done.… Read the rest
I wonder what percentage of companies have some version of teamwork in their values.
All the companies I was employed by had some form of teamwork in their values.
That last part of the sentence was intentional — ‘the posting on the walls’ part.… Read the rest
Some people have it by nature; others get it by training. Some never do.
Some people have a serving mentality just by being who they are.
Erikjan Lantink
This story is about them and to honor them.
Concretely, it is about two people working in the bar of the hotel I’m staying in while working in Ljubljana, Slovenia.… Read the rest
Can a company grow too fast?
The answer to that question is yes, but many will struggle to provide me with that answer because they’ve never experienced it.
When I grew up, there was a show on TV called ‘Keeping up appearances.’
The main character, Hyacinth Bucket, or Bouquet as she called herself, lived a life pretending to be well off and part of society’s elite. I still vividly can hear her over-the-top English accent as she tried to make everyone believe she was the living example of high status.… Read the rest
I am deeply disturbed by the war that Mr. Putin started yesterday.
I woke up with the news yesterday morning before heading home after a brief vacation. For the rest of the day, I was off my usual self.… Read the rest
Allow me to share a few quotes to kick off the conversation this week.
To set the tone here’s the first quote by Simon Sinek:
“100% of employees are people. 100% of customers are people. 100% of investors are people. If you don’t understand people, you don’t understand business.”
Simon Sinek
Makes sense, right?… Read the rest
Earlier this week, we went out for a coffee with the family, played a new game we discovered over the holidays called ‘exploding kittens,’ and bought a pair of running shoes before heading back home.
On the way out, we passed a store with many backpacks on display. Backpacks in all sizes, colors, and quality. … Read the rest
Happy New Year!
A new year full of opportunity. I hope that you’ll be able to see the possibilities for you, and more importantly, you will be able to capitalize on them.
We, human beings, like the nature of (hard) transitions, such as the start of a new year.
It allows us to start all over again with a clean slate.… Read the rest
