This morning, I spent some time coloring with my two-year-old granddaughter. She doesn’t always color within the lines. However, it never occurred to me while I was coloring with her to do anything other than praise her for using different colors, for her enthusiasm, and for her willingness to color with me. [Read more…]
Kindness Can Change A Life
I just received an incredible message on LinkedIn. It read:
“Jim. I was responding to someone else’s message and saw your name. [Read more…]
Are You Actually Leading?
My father grew up in one of the poorest parts of one of the poorest states in the US. [Read more…]
Stop Listening, and Start Talking to Yourself
I like to read while I’m on vacation, and my reading list on vacation always includes one book that will help me learn and grow professionally.
[Read more…]Does Your Business Need to Change Gears?
The other day my wife and I were on a bike ride.
We were on a little bit of a climb, and I noticed someone pass me. He wasn’t pedaling any more frequently than I was, but he was making a lot more progress than I was.
When Seeking Financing
When you’re looking for financing and seeking a new banking relationship, you need to be able to tell a story about your company.
This story needs to be realistic. [Read more…]
Invest In Your Team and Customers Will Follow
For many years in my business, I was obsessed with how I was going to attract more and more business. I attended webinars and conferences, and I read nearly every book, or marketing article that seemed relevant to what I perceived was my most urgent need.
Challenge Your Critics
Do you have employees or managers in your organization that seem to always be critical or negative about every decision? I recently ran into someone like this in a meeting with one of our clients.
[Read more…]The Gift of Feedback
We work with an emerging leader in a large corporation. Recently, I asked him if I could talk with some of his team members. So we asked them for some confidential feedback. I made sure to set expectations with them. [Read more…]
Mannerisms of Poor Leadership
What is the hardest part of business leadership? Most of the time, leaders struggle with stepping back and being objective in the diagnosis and analysis of their organization’s situation. [Read more…]