Holly Green
A simple definition of elite leadership can be hard to pin down, but we all know it when we see it. I’ve been studying and working with elite leaders for years – from military teams to Olympic athletes and high performing work teams – and it’s obvious when I meet them. But what is it,…
What do Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, LeBron James, and other elite athletes have in common? They all practice. A lot. Even after winning world championships, the first thing they do the following season is undertake rigorous training and practice sessions to develop their skills to even higher levels. Then they play a number of practice…
The long bomb is one of the most exciting plays in football. Lofting a well-placed ball into the hands of a receiver streaking down the field can instantly change momentum and turn a losing effort into a dramatic win. But is it the best strategy for reaching the goal line? In 2012, NFL quarterbacks collectively…
A lot can happen in three months. The Vatican can elect a pope from Argentina. We can now carry knives through airport security. And Dennis Rodman can become BFF (best friends forever) with Kim Jong Un of North Korea. Who in the world saw that last one coming? Which begs the question: if all this…
Employees want good pay. They want to have some say in how they perform their jobs. They want to be treated fairly. And they want management to be consistent in word and deed. But if you really want a motivated, committed workforce, you’d better answer the five questions that every employee wants to know. 1….
I work with, support and present to hundreds of CEOs and business owners each year. In a world that changes as quickly as ours, they are getting more and more worried about old, entrenched ways of thinking and doing as a source of real vulnerability for their organizations. Most of them are also deeply concerned…
How many times have you had this happen within the past year? You attend a seminar or workshop led by a brilliant speaker. You take copious notes and receive excellent handout materials that reinforce the speaker’s key points. You return to the office brimming with a plethora of ideas and the best intentions for putting…
What? Cookie Monster mislead us? That’s like questioning mom, apple pie and the 4th of July! But he did. If you don’t believe me, just watch this very short (one-minute) video clip <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WhuikFY1Pg>. Where’s the fib? In his implication that there’s only one right answer to the question. From a very early age we’˜re taught…
Feeling a little pressed for time these days? (Who isn’t!) It turns out you have more time than you think. In fact, that’s the title of a great book new book by journalist Laura Vanderkam — “168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think.” (168 = the number of hours in a week.) According…
Remember the old adage, “what gets measured, gets done?” Well, what does not get measured may still be getting done in your organization as well. Unfortunately, it may not be what you want done or what gets you to your destination. In today’s volatile markets, goals set in January can easily become out of date…
Spring has sprung (according to the calendar, anyway) and April is upon us. For those who operate according to the calendar year, that means its time for an end-of-quarter checkup in regards to the strategic plan. More specifically, it means we should begin asking questions like: Are we making progress towards the goal? Is it…
You may be funny, smart, and easy to dance with, but if you are not engaging employees on an ongoing basis, all of your work in developing a strategic plan will be for naught. In my last two blogs, we talked about informing and inspiring employees during implementation of the strategic plan. The last piece…
