Blog
Take a look at recent insights in leadership, strategy and more.
The head or the heart, where do you start?
Progress on anything challenging typically needs a balance of head and heart perspectives; some emotional intelligence alongside the logic and rationale of the numbers and the processes. Neither on...
Time to forgive yourself
Forgiving others’ perceived wrongs is such a freeing thing to do, both for them and for us. History shows that those that get the best results over time act as if other people are doing their best,...
Not where you’d like to be?
We’re pretty used to being clear about what we want, what our vision is—clear enough that if it showed up, we’d recognize it. But what if we can’t get to that straightaway? That’s where “creative...
Knowing skills or living them?
They know the skills we talked about—the ones we practised at the workshop. They reassured themselves about that. They’re quite safe. No cause for concern. No need to change. No need to leave their...
How do you react to others’ successes?
You celebrate them, of course. If you're anything like me though, that's sometimes after a twinge of envy—a brief moment of wishing for a similar success. That’s not the way of personal mastery, of...
Who’s more conflicted—us or them?
One day he says one thing; the next another. He just doesn’t seem to “know his own mind.” If only he would stick to what he said. Frustrating, but are we really any different? It’s a curious...
Does personal mastery mean perfect mastery?
In a word, “no,” not in my map, anyway. It’s tempting to think personal mastery means complete command of a subject or indeed oneself. But that’s an ideal rather than a reality, even for the most...
Does personal mastery make a leader inspirational?
I lately set up a new discussion group on LinkedIn called "Personal Mastery for the Inspirational Leader." You can join the group here. Well, that's not the while truth. The group began as "Personal...
Does “mastery” mean knowing everything or nothing?
At first sight, mastery seems to imply knowing all there is to know about a subject. Is that ever possible though? Is any subject bounded? Or does every topic just grow and grow as we get to know...
Is “tribal” behavior at work in your world?
We all belong to clusters of people with something in common: values, beliefs, aims, norms of behavior, and more. We could call these clusters “tribes,” and in fact, we belong to lots of...
Can they see where the leverage is?
He’s looking in the wrong place... The young man before us insists a particular role will help his career. He’s frustrated that employers don’t see it that way. He goes over his qualifications and...
Whose talk are you walking?
We’re familiar with the phrase “walking the talk”—acting in accordance with what we say, being genuine and congruent—which is a vital part of relating effectively to other people. Sometimes we might...
Which do you notice first, what’s right or what’s wrong?
Vic Conant, owner of Nightingale Conant Corporation, producer of audio learning programs and more, rarely goes in front of the microphone. One time he did, one of the most striking things he said...
If you want change, try fairness
Joe is angry. He wants change. He cites all the things he doesn’t like about what the other guy is doing... and what he doesn’t like about the other guy, period. He wants upheaval. It’s a sustained...
Why the ancients had it all figured
You notice it immediately. The meeting’s hardly started before you realise it’s all going to be facts and figures; all logical and analytical—nothing from the heart at all. I can spot this behavior...