Stories are difference-makers

"Stories are how we think. They are how we make meaning of life. Call them schemas, scripts, cognitive maps, mental models, metaphors, or narratives. Stories are how we explain how things work, how we make decisions, how we justify our decisions, how we persuade others, how we understand our place in the world, create our identities, and [...]

By |2021-01-19T09:45:49-04:00October 10th, 2012|Communication, Competence, Leadership, Life|0 Comments

Victims, villains and rescuers

Dudley Do-Right was the hero of a segment of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, a cartoon entertainment show from my youth. Dudley was a dim-witted but cheerfully optimistic Canadian Mountie who was ever trying to apprehend his nemesis, Snidley Whiplash. Dudley was romantically interested in the lovely Nell Fenwick, daughter of Inspector Fenwick, commander of [...]

By |2021-01-19T09:45:50-04:00April 23rd, 2012|Character, Communication, Leadership, Life, Strategy|1 Comment

Are you a good lie detector?

According to TIME magazine article "Lies, Lies, Lies" (Oct 5, 1992), "Lies flourish in social uncertainty, when people no longer understand, or agree on, the rules governing their behavior toward one another." Whew! That was close; I thought I had to bear responsibility for my truthfulness, or lack thereof. TIME made it society's fault. The [...]

By |2021-01-19T09:45:51-04:00January 10th, 2012|Character, Communication, Life|1 Comment

Change begins with inquiry

My friend and colleague, Jim Kranzusch, is a chimp. I'm pretty sure he's always been a chimp. He has even turned "chimp" into a verb ("I chimped him."). Jim has a track record of being an effective manager, a natural leader, and a wise counselor - all due in no small part to the fact that [...]

No more presentations!

Years ago at IBM I was promoted to a job in division headquarters. It was a nice step up on the corporate ladder, a chance to get some "inside baseball" and learn how the business worked from that side of a paycheck. One of my first assignments was to design a "platform" to better support [...]

By |2021-01-19T09:46:12-04:00October 15th, 2010|Communication, Competence, Thinking Differently|0 Comments

The best story wins

Monty Roberts is a horse whisperer. He is one of a few horse trainers that use specific methods to start horses rather than break them. Roberts notes that the “secret” to his process is clear and in the open for any and all to see: horses have their own ways of communicating, el lenguaje del [...]

By |2021-01-19T09:46:12-04:00October 11th, 2010|Communication, Competence, Leadership, Things I Believe|0 Comments

If you could make God bleed…

"If you could make God bleed, people will cease to believe in Him... there will be blood in the water, and the sharks will come." Ivan Vanko (actor Mickey Rourke), Iron Man 2. In the movie Iron Man 2, the hero, Tony Stark (actor Robert Downey, Jr.) has made the world aware of his dual identity, [...]

By |2021-01-19T09:46:13-04:00October 6th, 2010|Character, Communication, Competence, Life|1 Comment

Speak as if you’re right; listen as if you’re wrong

Do you ever feel like you're arguing with idiots? Most of them actually aren't (idiots). Some probably are. For those, remember, "It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument." (Wm. G. MacAdoo) In most business and professional discourse someone has to be the grown up and it might as well be you. Here's [...]

The smell of leadership?

We all need to get away sometimes. "Away" doesn't have to be somewhere exotic, or some place that involves boarding passes or long car trips. Not even a weekend getaway. Just a respite; a brief time out from the day-to-day routine that provides a recharge, a renewal, or a reset. One of my favorite breaks [...]

By |2021-01-19T09:46:13-04:00September 12th, 2010|Communication, Leadership|0 Comments
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