Reading Time: < 1 minGoing into the altMBA a few months ago, I had two very similar goals. To develop better: Clarity of thought Clarity of purpose Clarity of thought is a big reason why I’m writing every day. Each post comes from a small idea, which could just go out as a Tweet or something, but instead I […]
Leadership
Thoughts on taking the altMBA
Reading Time: 3 minI recently finished taking the altMBA, described as “an intensive, 4-week online workshop designed by Seth Godin for high-performing individuals who want to level up and lead.“ Intensive is a great word to use. Throughout the four weeks, you work through 13 separate writing prompts. They ask us not to reveal the nature of the […]
“Good job” isn’t all that good
Reading Time: < 1 minI’m trying to work on how I give thanks to those around me. I feel like I’m pretty good about giving frequent thanks when it’s appropriate, but I’ve realized (in part from books like Thanks for the Feedback, and in part from other conversations) that my “thanks” isn’t all that good. It’s not that giving […]
A quick agenda beats no agenda
Reading Time: < 1 minIt’s been true for decades, and with everyone forced to switch to Zoom for the past year it hasn’t changed much — meetings without a clear agenda are often a complete waste of time. While we have solid agendas for many of our meetings, there are times when we don’t have a chance to put […]
Calling someone “talented” is kind of an insult
Reading Time: 2 minWhile I’ve certainly called people “talented” over the years, and meant it as the highest kind of compliment, it might be taken differently than that. As Seth Godin says in The Practice, “talent is not the same as skill.” He goes on to define each word: Talent is something we’re both with: it’s in our […]
Be selfishly selfless
Reading Time: < 1 minThe idea of being selfless is great. Constantly putting others ahead of you seems like an admirable way to live. It is, perhaps, but it won’t work. In order to serve others, you need to take care of yourself first. If you’ve been on a plane, you know the safety drill, and a big thing […]
We did it ourselves
Reading Time: < 1 minThere are some professions that tend to be underappreciated until something goes wrong. Take the I.T. department at a large company, where many people will think one of two things: You could say the same about production staff at a concert. There are dozens of people working to make sure all goes smoothly, and if […]
Praise and criticism are both vapor
Reading Time: < 1 minIn listening to a recent meditation track from Headspace as part of a recent clarity break, the focus of the clip was on this: Praise and criticism are two sides of the same coin. If we believe in one, we believe in the other. Better not to get attached to either. A similar thought was […]
Goals are a commitment to the process
Reading Time: < 1 minSetting a goal is easy enough: “Lose 20 pounds by March 1” sounds great. If you follow something like the SMART framework, that simple goal essentially checks all of the boxes. While losing 20 pounds might be the goal, setting that goal really means that you’re committing to a process. This likely means eating less […]
Don’t create followers; create leaders
Reading Time: < 1 minRobert Glazer said in his book Elevate: Remember, great leaders don’t create followers. They create more leaders. A great example of this is Nick Saban, head football coach at the University of Alabama. In his time at Alabama, 33 of his players have gone to the NFL in the first round. That’s incredible! Many of […]