One of the hottest terms in leadership these days is “Vision Casting”. While the term itself has been both admired and admonished, the necessity of creating and sharing a cohesive vision in every successful organization is uncontested. When we hear a term like “Vision Casting” we often think about those creative types at Disney or Pixar who think of and…

I was talking to a good friend the other day at lunch, and he was describing the first time he realized he needed glasses. He was in a business meeting and during a break, he jokingly picked up a pair of eyeglasses belonging to a business associate and put them on. He always thought the way he saw the world…

One of our Service Contractor customers recently told me that before implementing an integrated Work Order system that he “would not want to have been one of their technicians”. They would previously arrive at a customer’s site with no information on service history, flying by the seat of their pants. This approach created an environment fraught with opportunities for error.…

Having seven kids, my wife and I are always looking for ways to engage with them on their level to create shared moments of growth and discussion. One of the unlikely tools we have started to use is Netflix. While this method is probably not taught in any Human Behavior courses or change management process workshops, it seems to work…

Whether you are basking in the glow of a prosperous and fulfilling 2015 or trying to forget the challenges of last year, we will all most likely have to face another watershed moment in the New Year.  A watershed moment represents a critical turning point when an important change happens. The decisions we make in that moment definitely affects the…

Trust is an essential component to any group dynamic. It happens at the macro level in our society every day. We “trust” that the driver on the other side of the road careening toward us in a 3,000 pound metal missile is paying attention and not feeling particularly homicidal that morning. When we eat out, we “trust” that social norms…

We all mess up, heck even Big Brown messes up. My son ordered a new longboard for our spring break trip to Florida. He paid for overnight shipping so that he could make sure the board was there for our Friday departure. After two missed attempts to deliver by UPS during the week, I called to arrange a pick up…

We can often leverage lessons from our personal life to improve our business acumen. The pitfalls of professional services planning are well known, and the below story shares many of the same elements… Have you ever made plans for something in the future only to realize later that you weren’t thinking clearly during the planning stage? I am all too…