What thoughts, images, or feelings pop into your head when I say the word shark to you?
Likely, the connotation you have with sharks is not that positive.
For some of you, the movie Jaws may come to mind. A movie about a shark causing death and destruction.
We also know stories about human beings being attacked by sharks close to beaches resulting in death or body parts lost in the attacks.… Read the rest
We’re all a bit mad.
Acting as if the things we’re engaged in in our lives are all cleverly thought through.
Acting as if we know exactly what we’re doing.
We’re not.
Money is made up. Democracy is made up. The recipe for your dinner is made up.… Read the rest
What do you do with milk that has expired?
What do you do with clothes that are no longer in fashion?
Recently I heard the term ‘old school’ again from two different sources within two days.
It had been a while since I heard the term, so it triggered a reaction. … Read the rest
Sometimes you must create deliberate pain to get something you want to do in motion.
I remember vividly a conversation with my mentor Joyce who often talked about CEOs having to create organizational pain once in a while to shake things up.
When things are becoming complacent, and they often do, you need to create pain.… Read the rest
The only way is up.
Until it’s not.
From the moment we’re born, our eyes are focused upwards unless we’re lying on our belly.
Our age goes up. Our length goes up. Our weight goes up. At school, grades our counting upward (in most countries).
With our first job, our income goes up.… Read the rest
“A fish stinks from the head.”
Rumi
Rumi, a Turkish poet who lived towards the end of the 13th century, wrote “The Third Book of Masnavi,” where the phrase appears as follows: “Fish begins to stink at the head, not the tail.”
We often hear this quote in a business environment.
I’m sure you’ve heard it before, and it basically means that when problems arise in a business, it makes sense to look at the top of the company first.… 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
“Listen carefully!”
“Just like in communism, I can only talk to you and give you commands and information. You can’t reply or talk back. The good old times.”
Berlin tour guide
I think it still works in many companies precisely that way (remember Elon Musk), which is another sad story in itself.… Read the rest
“If you don’t like how things are, change it. You are not a tree.”
Jim Rohn
I took a liking recently to the quotes from Jim Rohn. At the risk of offending someone, I had never heard of Jim until a few months ago.
Thanks to the algorithm of Instagram, one of his quotes showed up, which was enough reason to do a little more research.… Read the rest
I’m a certified facilitator in Fierce Conversations.
That’s not a joke.
If you thought it was, you’re probably wondering why something like training in conversations exists in the first place.
Well …
We don’t listen well.
We don’t articulate well.… Read the rest
Steve Jobs ended his famous Stanford Commencement speech with this tip for the graduating students:
“Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”
Steve Jobs
My interpretation:
Always look for opportunities to make ‘things’ better, starting with yourself. Always be curious about yourself and the world around you.
Curiosity and change are the fun parts of being alive and growing as a human being and leader.… 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
We have a little coffee place in the next village over that we like to go to. It’s small, authentic, has excellent coffee, the best cakes, and started selling fresh bread last year as well.
There’s only one of it. It serves its unique purpose to people in the village and those who like to walk or bike in the forest nearby.… Read the rest
Personally, I find it hard to write about general business and leadership topics while the world is up in arms.
I’m doing a pretty good job of remaining focused on what I need to be focused on, while it’s clear that many others are continuously following the news and the latest developments.… Read the rest
I started writing this insight when the world still seemed to be sort of normal.
I have a folder with topics and draft posts that I regularly update when I get inspired by an interesting topic.
After I write my first sentences down, I continue if the words flow immediately or pause if I want the topic to evolve a little.… Read the rest
If you thought things would calm down, now that Covid seems to be more or less under control, you were in for a surprise last week. The word war has actively entered our vocabulary again.… 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
Yesterday I read a message online from an old friend about the first few coaching conversations she had this year.
She painted a picture of people looking for direction, being frustrated, overwhelmed, stuck, simply not in a good place.
Obviously, this is not a representative picture, but I also believe we have a problem on our hands.… 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
I’m aware I may have asked this question before, but I got reminded last week while participating in a webinar.
One of the speakers shared with the audience that when he woke up every morning, he planned one activity for that day to get out of his comfort zone.… Read the rest
