Want to have virtual meetings? In the age of coronavirus, here are some whys and hows. With the virus raging and shutting down activities, virtual meetings are one of the important go-to activities to keep things going at work and at home with family and friends. They’ll become even more pervasive over time as the COVID-19 crisis wanes, and lessons …
Is There Cat Hair in Your Organization’s Culture? Not Good. Some How-Tos to Clear It Out
Young lab rats like to play. Put two of them in a cage, and you can hear them chirp at 50 kHz of sound as they pounce and wrestle with each other. Put a piece of collar worn by a cat into the cage, and the play stops. Cat hair on the collar instantly triggers fear. Take the piece of …
Values Still Matter Big Time. Operationalizing Them Matters Even More.
I’m talking values today. Take a guess. What percent of organizations actually live their values? Is it? A) 78%. Companies, not-for-profits, public sector organizations are all-in on values because they know their people need a North Star to make the right decisions. B) 10%. Organizations believe values are nice to have but not all that important to getting things done. …
The Status Quo Isn’t Working. Now What? Three Initiatives To Pursue
Yes, you’re making money. Yes, you’re in markets around the world. Yes, you’ve got good people working with you. And yet, your business model is collapsing. If you don’t make a course change, your business won’t survive. No Obvious Playbook What’s changed? The items you’re selling are no longer in nearly as much demand. The colors have gone out of …
Alex Rodriguez and Bolivian Masks: Related or Unrelated?
Two seemingly unrelated and unexpected stories told recently just weeks apart: Alex “A-Rod” Rodriguez, the baseball great who is fourth on the all-time home run list – only Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth have hit more – shared his story of redemption at a lunch I attended. And Andres Agudo, a 30-year old Bolivian guide, showed off a …
Executive Coaching: A Sherpa For Those Who Really Want To Learn And Change
What do you want out of work? Out of life? Money? Power? Health? Play? Status? Popularity? Dare I ask…love? How about all seven? Would be sweet to have all seven, wouldn’t it? So how. How to get them all. The path forward is different for everyone. That’s what I’ve found as executive coach to individuals and teams. If you’re younger, …
Seeking Buried Treasure In A Sea of Sticky Notes
Honduras Threads team hunts for a market for its luxury textiles More than 500 small, yellow sticky notes. That’s where the clues to the treasure were buried during the five-day, design thinking challenge in June. One by one the sticky notes went up on the wall the team created, each one containing an observation or an insight. One by one, …
I Went For A Spin In A Driverless Car And Lived To Tell
I went for a spin in a driverless car the other day. My wife, the lovely Ms. Bancroft, feared I would never make it home alive. FEAR OF DRIVERLESS VEHICLES She has plenty of company in her fear of driverless vehicles. A majority of people in three recent surveys – 74 percent in one – said they wouldn’t ride …
The Jetsons Are Coming, Will You Be Ready?
“Any useful statement about the future should at first seem ridiculous.” — Dr. Jim Dator, Futures Study Professor, University of Hawaii Oh, those Jetsons! George and homemaker wife Jane, their two kids Judy and Elroy and their robot maid Rosie. It’s 2030 and they’re on their way to your city. Rosie with her blinking eyes was a bit cranky so …
Lost In A Snowstorm In The Alps
A small military unit was sent on a training mission to the Alps. They didn’t know the terrain well. No one had a map. Or so they thought. It began to snow. A blizzard. White out conditions. Big drifts everywhere. The men were lost. They were cold and hungry. Panic began to spread as they imagined what could become of …