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
Are you happy?
Not just right now, while you’re reading this insight, but in general?
It doesn’t mean you’re always happy, but is there a sense of contentment inside of you with the way you’re living your life?
Before you start thinking about whether my state of happiness is this insight’s purpose, I want to let you know that I’m happy.… Read the rest
You have one life!
That was, in essence, the core message of my last insight.
How you spend your life is totally up to you and nobody else. Please don’t come to me with the nonsense that how you live your life depends on others.
It doesn’t.
You decide.
You want to make the best of your life, right?
Right!
Does that also mean you want to make the best of every day?
Or do you occasionally skip a day because, in the grand scheme of things, what difference can one day make?
I understand that’s not your intention.
Nobody wakes up in the morning thinking they will suck that day or mess up what they’re going to do.
My god, it’s getting worse every year.
And writing this email to you is adding to the problem, I’m fully aware.
The start of a new year is THE natural moment to bring closure to what has been and start working on what will be.
Let’s face it; when you use a paper journal that leverages a calendar, you probably enjoy a fresh new bundle of paper. … Read the rest
You love the work that you do. You’re learning and growing while contributing to the success of your business. You enjoy your life outside work. You have a great group of friends you love to spend time with. You’re able to get some regular exercise in.… Read the rest
This a common phrase when we play games with friends or family.
These words typically come out when we don’t pay attention and are somewhere else in our minds or are doing something else.
It’s your turn from the moment you’re born.… 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
Last week we spent a few days in the Netherlands.
I had work to do, we visited family and friends and had a good time in The Hague.
Sunday, we drove back.
We benefitted from one extra hour because daylight saving time ended, so we left early and returned home before it got dark (again).… Read the rest
You want to make the best of your life, right?
Right!
Does that also mean you want to make the best of every day?
Or do you occasionally skip a day because, in the grand scheme of things, what difference can one day make?
I understand that skipping a good day is not your intention in the morning.… Read the rest
The world deserves better leaders.
That’s why I do what I do.
Doing what I do will help improve our collective human experience, one leader, one conversation at a time.
Ambitious.… Read the rest
Half a second.
When we compare our time on this beautiful earth with the length of existence of earth itself, one year of earth compares to half a second of our lives.
Half a second.
One quick breath and we’re done.
Would you try to compress as many activities as you could in that short period of time, or would you instead take it all in and enjoy it?… Read the rest
Have you found your talent yet?
If I learned one thing (there were more lessons) from my fellow TED talk speaker Luk de Wulf, it would be that we all have a talent for something.
Luk’s point is that you can’t start early enough in life finding, building, and enjoying your talents.… Read the rest
I went out of my car to smell the roses.
The sight of those roses and the smell I know I would experience soon were just too tempting to pass by.
I don’t remember the exact date and time, but I do remember I was in a hurry going somewhere when I got struck by this beautiful sight and decided to stop.… 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
I love winning, and I hate losing.
Big words. Love and hate.
As usual, it triggers a memory.
In this case of a great song by Michael Kiwanuka that I listen to frequently.
Worth taking a short break and listening to the song.
“You can’t take me down.”
Michael Kiwanuka
Winning, to me, is related to sports and only sports. … Read the rest
Everyone is an alien somewhere.
And sometimes those aliens come together in a football stadium to be entertained for two + hours by a rock band.
That happened to my wife and me a few weeks ago in Frankfurt, Germany. A Santa gift that still needed to be redeemed.
The band is Coldplay, and the tour name is “Music of the Spheres.”… Read the rest
Over the past two years, I have written 200+ stories.
I email my subscribers twice a week my stories on Tuesday and Friday. I post them on the same day on Medium, and when time is on my side, I add them to my website.
Here’s what I learned along the way.… 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
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
