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
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
I got some direct feedback recently that I was not always nice and nuanced for the corporate world. A world that has given me a lot in my life.
Both statements are true.
I’m grateful for my corporate time, and I’ve always said, ‘Never say never’ because I miss the team aspect of my work. … Read the rest
Do you have, get, make time to think?
Or is your head mainly a six-lane highway full of traffic and trucks trying to make their way through day in and day out?
The highway metaphor and the cultural components from the book More Time to Think by Nancy Kline.
Proverbial highways with trucks that create a constant noise always seem distracting, preventing you from focusing. … Read the rest
Over the past weeks, I’ve had three conversations where my conversation partner mentioned the phrase:
“We’ve set this person up for failure.”
Hiring manager
Otherwise said, we’ve failed ourselves to set this person up for success.
But that sentence you won’t hear very often. Both sentences imply the same, but only one puts the blame directly on the people responsible for this person’s success.… Read the rest
Work looks dramatically different in 2022.
The real question is whether it will ever change back again to where it has been.
Change back.
I don’t believe in things changing back to where they were.
So in my head, by definition, when things change, the status quo is left behind and will not return.… Read the rest
For visionary leaders, one size fits all is over.
These leaders understand that people are different, with different needs, different contexts, and different aspirations for the future.
You can’t lead these people as if they’re all the same.
Erikjan Lantink
Last Tuesday, I wrote to you about my regret for not pursuing opportunities to exploit this model.… Read the rest
My biggest regret is something I did not do nearly fifteen years ago.
I was working in food retail and was part of a group of talents asked to define the organization’s future work strategy.
I had that feeling then, but now fifteen years later, I’m sure.… 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
By now, you must be familiar with the term The Great Resignation.
The Covid pandemic has caused people en masse to leave their jobs looking for a different career. It was the crisis people needed to open their eyes and seek new opportunities.… Read the rest
When I started writing this story, conversations of (partial) lockdowns were just starting to heat up again.
As I finish this story (I left it brewing for a few days), it looks like it’s going to be a winter full of lockdowns and working from home (again).
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
Let me start with a bit of a disclaimer. I only do this when I believe it’s necessary to warn you that you may be exposed to some opinions that may provoke you.
Overall, I think my insight today is a balanced rant.
You may think that a rant, by definition, is not balanced, but I disagree.… Read the rest
If you believe the pace of change will slow down at some point, you’re dreaming. We live in a world where change is constant, and the only person who can make the pace slow down is you. By making change work for you and not vice versa.
If you would have been ahead of change and ensure change works for you, a full-blown transformation is not needed.… Read the rest
