The definition of culture in the Merriam-Webster dictionary is: the beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or time. Although accurate, I find this definition lacking, as it does not begin to reveal the scope of its importance or influence on those within it. My definition of [...]
Believe it or not, social influence has more impact on your decision-making than your conscious mind does. We all like to think we are in control of all of our decisions. We have even become quite good at coming up with reasons (after the fact) to justify the decisions we [...]
In my three previous entries on parenting I focused on the importance of modeling and teaching children patience and self-control, the necessity for parents to challenge their children and allow them to fail, and the importance of interacting with your children in ways that will benefit them intellectually. This entry [...]
To illustrate this problem, I am going to share a story that took place in a well known large company. I have made slight changes to the names of the people involved, but everything else in this story is accurate. Soon after Darian was hired it became apparent that he [...]
Any organization that works in isolation tends to become disconnected from their customers, which in turn, leaves them out of touch with what is considered repugnant behavior. They also tend to become more concerned with being right as opposed to doing what is right. Rather than being forward looking and innovative, [...]
Far too often, in all areas of life, I see people making the mistake of confusing the two as the same thing. Some may ask, what is the difference between character and reputation? I believe the great coach John Wooden differentiated between them best, when he said: “Be more concerned [...]
In my two previous entries on parenting I focused on the importance of modeling and teaching children patience and self-control followed by the necessity for parents to challenge their children and allow them to fail. In this one my focus will be on interacting with your children in ways that [...]
Sometimes I think our society is so caught up in appearances, that we are blind to the bigger picture. We seem so caught up in the need to take action when there is a perceived problem, that we place taking any action above taking the appropriate action. We have gotten [...]
Whether they are a coach, the head of an organization or a CEO, almost all leaders start out by sharing their objectives with those under their charge. This is a very important part of the process of establishing what is deemed important and where you aim to go. Unfortunately, far [...]
Most people have heard of the acronym KISS which stands for Keep It Simple Stupid. That is what inspired my title for today’s article. Although my title does not translate into a catchy acronym, it does capture the essence of what lies behind the brilliance of most highly successful organizations. [...]