Lead by questions
Ask more than you tell. There are basically two ways to lead: you can tell people what to do, or you can ask them their opinion. People tend to appreciate being listened to and getting their opinions across. To lead…
Never give up
Be persistent, by default. It is possible to create new things, situations, fortunes, futures and possibilities through the sheer force of your mind, also great companies, beautiful art and trips to the moon. It takes just one person and their…
Change with facts
People usually have more respect for facts than opinions. It never fails to astonish me what facts can do. The typical state in a business, especially a management team, is a constant and sometimes heated debate about everything. It often…
Take quantity time
It is not what you do, it is how much you do it. One of the worst expressions I know is ‘quality time’. It implies that when you have little time, you should do more with it. The classic example…
Stop doing things
We are normally focused on doing things. But you could also think about what you should stop doing. What would you and everything around you benefit without? We go to meetings, we pick up the children after school, we lift…
Adopt the beginners mind
Do you view yourself as an “expert”? Personally, I cannot say I’m an expert at anything. In fact, I don’t want to be an expert. For me, having The Beginner’s Mind means that I am always learning. I never get…
Check before you promise
Have you secured that ‘yes’? It happens all the time, and it is one of the most common leadership traps. You cannot deliver on a promise you have made because delivery would require people you have not involved or resources…
Follow Your Heart
There comes a time when you have to find the answer within. Every leader will eventually face a situation where there are two or more equally reasonable options to choose between. The film Thirteen Days (2000, New Line Cinema), based…
Maximize Your Positive Interactions
Make every contact count, in a good way. Much in business and life is about frequency. In selling, ‘frequency’ is a key term. It refers to the number of times you reach your customers through certain channels. If you are…
Be Nice
To be nice is one of the most underrated virtues. Nice people can sometimes be regarded as weak, soft or ineffectual. Mean people get attention and respect, if not trust and affection. But as Roger Federer, the tennis champion, is…