Is the glass half full or half empty? The pessimist sees what’s present today and can only imagine eventual decline. The glass is already half empty and it’s only going to get worse. The optimist understands that there’s a difference between today and tomorrow. The glass is half full, with room for more. The vision…Read moreRead more
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The possibility of optimism (the optimism of possibility)
Don’t give up (you’re on the right track)…
Wrestling with a puzzle, a project or a problem, the likeliest reason to give up is the belief that it can’t be done. What’s the point of persevering if it’s actually impossible to succeed? “It can’t be done,” we say, throwing up our hands. Not “I can’t do it,” or “It’s not worth my time,”…Read moreRead more
You get what you focus on…. Six audiences….
You get what you focus on. Focus on nothing, and you won’t get much. The successful organization can be focused on any of these constituencies (a partial list): The sales force the stock market potential new customers existing customers employees or the regulators. Many companies are sales-force driven. When the salesforce is happy, the CEO…Read moreRead more
The wishing/doing gap…
It would be great to be picked, to win the random lottery, to have a dream come true. But when we rely on a wish to get where we want to go, we often sacrifice the effort that might make it more likely that we get what we actually need. Waiting for the prince to…Read moreRead more
Urgency and accountability are two sides of the innovation coin…
As organizations and individuals succeed, it gets more difficult to innovate. There are issues of coordination, sure, but mostly it’s about fear. The fear of failing is greater, because it seems as though you’ve got more to lose. So urgency disappears first. Why ship it today if you can ship it next week instead?…Read moreRead more
Personal branding in the age of Google…
A friend advertised online for an Office Administrator. Three interesting resumes came to the top. She googled each person’s name. The first search turned up a Facebook page. There was a picture of the applicant, drinking beer from a funnel. Under hobbies, the first entry was, “binge drinking.” The second search turned up a…Read moreRead more
Learning from the State Department…
Ambassadors do two things that are really difficult for most people within organizations: 1. They listen and send the notes up the chain. They’re at the front line, and they listen to what’s happening and figure out how to get the right people back home to hear what’s being said. 2. They apologize. Not for…Read moreRead more
The call of the Open Sea…
There are predictable evolution and revolutions as an organization grows. These are dictated by the increasing complexity that comes with adding employees,customers,product lines,the locations,etc. Handling a company’s growth successfully requires three things; a) An increasing number of capable leaders. b) A Scalable Infrastructure c) The ability to navigate certain market dynamics. If these factors are…Read moreRead more
“I”, “We” and “You”
One of the most profound ways to change your posture and the way you and your organization interact with customers and partners is to change your pronouns. Instead of saying “I” when you’re ready to take credit, try “we.” Instead of saying “we” when you’re avoiding responsibility, try “I.” And, every time you’re tempted to…Read moreRead more
Running with Gazelles,Eating with Lions…
Every morning here in Africa,a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle. When…Read moreRead more