growth

Apr 20 2012

3 steps for making the most of differences

There is no doubt that any person who has ever been involved in a job interview has heard this question – How do you handle conflict?

Three times this week I’ve had conversations with individuals during which we talked about how tempting it is to compartmentalize areas of life like conflict. Maybe it helps us feel better about ourselves. Maybe it puts problem areas in a neat little box so we can push them out of sight and out of mind.

Think about this – conflict is inevitable. It is a fact of life. Right?

So, if conflict is to be expected, even unavoidable, why the need to label it?

Apr 18 2012

How Taking A Break Affects the Rest of Life

We all know we need to take a break occasionally – to unplug and recharge. (Those two don’t usually go together.) Life and work just get in the way. And before we know it, another month is gone. Another year is gone. Time gets away from us. And we continue pushing ourselves and our teams to the point of burn out.

Several weeks ago, I was leaving town for a week-long vacation with my wife, Sarah, and our 7-year-old daughter, Madison.

On the way out of town, I stopped briefly to meet a client. We spoke for a few minutes, and as I turned to leave, I promised to email some information later that day.

Sitting in the car, Madison overheard my promise and said to her mom as I opened the car door, “Mom, Dad is NOT allowed to send any emails this week!”

It’s interesting that a 7-year-old understands the importance of taking a break when so many leaders struggle with maintaining energy and focus.

BONUS: I’ve created a NEW Guide that will walk you step-by-step through writing your own Personal Life Plan. You can find out how to get a copy of this life-changing tool at the end of this post.

Mar 26 2012

Grow on Purpose

It’s the one piece of advice we all know is true, but don’t necessarily want to hear. If I could say one thing to my generation it would be this – Grow on purpose!

This post is part of the series – Personal Life Planning that Works
Your Life Matters
Grow on Purpose
3 Reasons Everyone Should Have a Personal Life Plan
The #1 Way to Get Better Results with Your Personal Life Plan
3 Personal Life Plan Tips Most People Miss

Over the past few weeks, I’ve received scores of email with questions and comments about self-development and leadership. And the resulting conversations often involve how to improve priority management and make better decisions.

Leaders and team members are looking for solutions to complex challenges in their life and work. And our conversations inevitably lead back to the same solution – grow on purpose.

BONUS: I’ve created a NEW Guide that will walk you step-by-step through writing your own Personal Life Plan. You can get a copy of this life-changing tool at the end of this post.

Mar 15 2012

Creating Your Business Vision

Early in my career, I experienced a number of incredibly difficult challenges in a relatively short period of time. I know you’ve been there too.

Although my team was experiencing record-setting achievements, relationships were strained and my influence was dwindling. I couldn’t make sense of it. And I didn’t understand why my colleagues resented my passion for my work, my aggressive goals, and the long hours I put in.

I loved my work and I loved the outcomes. I loved my team and how they were growing. But it never occurred to me that my passion, energy, and achievements would intimidate those around me. After all, I was laser-focused on improving the organization we were all part of.

Their fear morphed into resentment. I began pushing harder, defending the vision and strategy, and reacting to challenges. As you might imagine, none of this improved the situation. In fact, it made matters worse.Read More

Mar 14 2012

Time is Running Out

If you’re like me, you think of yourself as time conscious. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which coordinates universal time (UTC) is asked 50,000 times a second, What time is it? That’s a lot of people who are concerned about time!

How many times a day do you check your watch? 10? 20? 30 times? Or maybe you’re that guy that discovers that your watch is still on Standard Time two days after Daylight Savings Time began. (I may or may not have done that yesterday.)

Most people mark time by how old or how young they are until they get into their 40’s. Then – it happens! You realize that you’ll never be young again – and you begin considering how much time you have left and what your life will mean.