I’m not a big believer in a sense of urgency as a driver of culture.
Every time I hear that sentence, the hairs on my neck raise, and a shiver runs through my spine.
Don’t get me wrong, I do believe in speed. Just not in urgency.
Almost always, when managers (not leaders) utter these words, there’s more to it than just urgency. … Read the rest
It’s a Thursday, shortly after noon.
I planned to write for one hour before I headed out for a massage.
I’m now thirty-six minutes into my hour of writing, and these are the first sentences I’m writing.
I scanned through my list of open topics, I have about twenty available at any time, but none inspires me.… Read the rest
“I don’t pay you to think; I pay you to execute.” — Old School CEO.
Earlier in my career, I spent four years in a company where that was the culture early on.
I was on an expat assignment abroad, and part of my responsibilities was helping design en deliver interventions that would change the culture. … Read the rest
What’s the best team you’ve ever been part of?
You can think about this question in the broadest meaning. Not just business teams, sports teams, and perhaps a team of friends or family at home.
I classify people ‘working’ together as teamwork.
I often ask this question as an introduction to teamwork. … Read the rest
What’s your first reaction when you see this headline?
When I read this quote last week, my brain went into a pirouette that would have won gold at the most recent Olympic Games.
Meaning that for me there are different twists to this quote with both positive and negative implications.
While the author’s intentions were positive, it’s easy to point at the downsides of demonstrating vulnerability as well.… Read the rest
People leave managers, not companies.
Read that again.
People leave managers, not companies.
NB. The quote does not say: people leave leaders, not companies.
Leaders vs. Managers. A subtle difference with significant consequences.
This week, I was personally confronted with a few stories of people leaving companies because of their managers.… Read the rest
Why it always boils down to trust
There are days I start writing, and twenty minutes later, my insight is nearly ready. I do a grammar check, then leave the text for a few days.
A few days later, I reread the text, make some corrections, and then schedule it for distribution to my readers.… Read the rest
Yesterday the health minister in the Czech Republic got fired.
The official message was that he resigned, but everyone knows he was not aligned with the prime minister on the Covid vaccination strategy.
Up to the next health minister. Number four in one year’s time.
Number one ‘resigned’ because he didn’t handle the first wave well (lowest numbers in the EU).… Read the rest
Yesterday evening Bayern Munich won the Champions League edition 2020. No worries, I’m not going to talk about football (soccer) in my blog. I’m just starting the blog of this week with a simple statement: the team that plays most like a TEAM wins.
You can build a team of stars, hoping that their quality, in the end, will prevail for the win, but more often than not, it’s the best team and not the group of best players going home with the trophy.… Read the rest
Are you finding yourself in a healthy debate now and then? A fierce conversation between people who passionately fight for what they believe? Fierce to the extent that it may look to an outsider you’re fighting with your conversation partner. And when the conversation is over, you leave the room shoulder to shoulder as if nothing ever happened.… Read the rest
The past blogs I wrote primarily about self-development and awareness. Understanding self is the critical foundation for building better relationships at work and in our personal lives.
Those relationships only thrive when there’s trust between people. Without trust, no relationship, team, or business performs according to its potential. Billions (pick your currency) are wasted every year because there’s no trust between people.… Read the rest
