“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
Last week I asked a business partner how he was doing.
I asked him what that meant.
He explained that he was almost always busy, ranging from extremely busy to good busy.
Good busy meant that work was not crazy but did not allow much thinking or reflection time.… 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
Or let’s debate about work a lot (less).
Wow.
They’re so so so good that it’s worth adding them to my portfolio of services. I’m just unsure how to call the service and what the tagline would be.… Read the rest
How do you motivate people?
I’m asking because I recently had a conversation about a hybrid work environment that turned into a conversation about motivation.
My opinion about a hybrid work environment is well documented, for example, in this post.
But if you dig a little deeper, we get to the topic of motivation. … 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.
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
Many things in life are a transaction.
When you buy your coffee in the morning, get gas for your car, work out at a gym, or pay for a subscription to read your favorite newspaper online.
For many people, work is also a transaction. They’ve agreed to do a specific job for you, and you pay them for the job done.… Read the rest
Interesting article by McKinsey last week with the following heading:
Followed by the first paragraph:
“With endless meetings, constant emails, and casts of thousands, companies have mastered the art of unnecessary interactions. Winning in the next normal requires much more focus on true collaboration.”… 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
I consider myself outspoken and not afraid to voice my opinion when I disagree.
It’s who I am.
It’s how I was raised, and it’s part of the Dutch culture.
We’re direct, curious, and want to know why we’re doing something.
How often have you heard one of your leaders say the words “speak up”?
Or perhaps, how many times have you said them yourself?
I know that I’ve been in a few situations myself when I felt compelled to express those words. And I’ve also heard them being spoken to me a few times.… 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
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
When was the last time you made time to daydream a little and imagine something you would like to create?
What was it like to pause? How did it make you feel? What were you imagining?
Or perhaps, you didn’t do any of that and the last weeks (or maybe even months) went by in a blur.… Read the rest
Last week I wrote about my resignation.
Apparently, I touched a little bit of a nerve.
I received some nice reactions on LinkedIn, but the most interesting responses I received were through direct messaging.
Many people considered me courageous, which is not the word I would have used for my move.… Read the rest
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
Did you ever walk into a meeting with people you never met before, and you felt immediately something was off?
Nobody had said a word yet, and still, you knew what you were experiencing wasn’t right.
Then, well into the meeting, you suddenly realize what’s going on.
People are afraid to say what they’re thinking.… Read the rest
