The old adages “practice what you preach,” “put your money where your mouth is,” “walk the talk” – all boil down to one common denominator. Regardless of culture and geography the top four qualities that effective leaders have are: honest, forward-looking, competent and inspiring. Taken as individual traits each has a distinct role, but collectively […]
We recently sat with Paul Comey, VP of Environmental Affairs for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and he shared some of the responsible practices his organization is engaged in. One of the clear messages from this interview is that, increasingly, people want to work for companies with a conscience. Individuals yearn to contribute within organizations that […]
Ever sit in a “brainstorming session” in which people spin pencils, twirl their hair and talk past each other? Suppose you work for a banking institution and your manager calls a meeting to gather ideas about how to create a more friendly and warm environment where customers like to come? Sue wants a smile campaign […]
The old rules of marketing are dying. Gone are the days when you can buy billboards in Times Square, ads in the New York Times and WSJ, drop zillions of bulk mail and garner the attention of the marketplace in a compelling way. And you certainly aren’t going to grab their attention using old world […]
Jim Loehr on Stress Management from G. Shawn Hunter on Vimeo.I had a mentor once who said to me, “Dream well. You may find yourself there one day.” According to Jim Loehr, the stories we tell ourselves become our realities and to ensure you build a story of fulfillment, engagement, passion and joy, your story […]
The first fifty times you say something people won’t hear you. The second fifty times you say it, they won’t understand. And the third fifty times they won’t believe you. If you want to affect real systemic change you need to repeat your message over and over and over. That’s just the first part. If […]
I know – you work in engineering, or marketing, or IT, or maybe in finance, but you are still in sales. Sure maybe you can write fantastic code – but if no one know this you may find yourself in professional Siberia. And if you think you’re not in sales, your days are numbered. In […]
The other day John Sweeney came down to the studio and shared his wit and energy. He has applied his remarkable presence and sincerity to help people and organizations accelerate their innovation by bringing the philosophies and creativity of theater to the workplace. With his wife, he owns and operates the oldest running comedy workshop […]
There’s a lot of talk in organizations about accelerating the speed of innovation in order to respond quickly to market shifts. This intuitively makes sense – particularly in today’s global economy. If you can’t innovate fast enough, the market changes, the competition eclipses you, etc. . . Or conversely if you innovate too quickly and […]
Talent! It seems in every professional conversation someone sprinkles in expressions like “attracting talent” or “retaining the talent.” I first heard the expression working in television and film where “the talent” was a reference to the on-camera personality. Talent isn’t rare or in scarce quantities – talented people are everywhere in your organization. They just […]