Posts Tagged ‘Change’
The 25-50-25 Principle of Change
Last year, I wrote about the difference between tension and conflict, and why it was necessary for leaders to know the difference. In short, tension is a healthy and temporary disagreement within a team that produces a positive outcome when addressed well. Conflict is unhealthy and potentially permanent disagreement that produces negative outcomes and must…
Read MoreMark Cole: Going to the Next Level
What is the key to going to the next level as a leader? Great question, but one that some people might struggle to answer. Perhaps let me state in a more familiar way—what is the greatest obstacle you will face once you have begun achieving your goals and tasting success? I believe it is the…
Read MoreThe Shift from Uniformity to Diversity
Have you ever noticed that in many space movies, the bad guys all suffer from the same disease? I’m not exactly a movie buff, but I do observe patterns, and it occurred to me that in many science-fiction space movies, there’s a common theme when it comes to the villains. A lack of diversity. Think…
Read MoreThe Cheetah Mentality: Learning How to Leadershift
Do me a favor. Take just a moment and watch this video. Isn’t that amazing? I love what they say at the end of the video about the cheetah’s legs and feet—it’s almost an afterthought, but it’s such a good lesson. “These modifications provide the cheetah with increased traction and fast, sharp turns.” When we…
Read MoreFacing the Challenge of Leading Up
Imagine yourself inside a crowded movie theater. You’ve got your popcorn and soft drink, and you’ve settled into your seat to enjoy a new thriller. After the movie starts, you munch happily away as the story takes off and begins to build. Then, about halfway through the movie, the tension mounts. The main character keeps…
Read MoreA Leader’s Balancing Act
Masterful chefs fuse diverse ingredients into a coherent, tasty whole. When cooking, they perform a kind of culinary balancing act, deftly bringing spices and seasonings into perfect harmony. Each element of the dish touches the tongue with its flavor, and yet none overwhelms the rest. Great leaders combine an assortment of skills into a single…
Read MoreOn Turning a Loss into a Gain | Adapted from Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn (October 2013)
Last time I wrote about the pain of losing, and how it can affect us long-term if we allow it to. Today, let’s talk about the premise of my new book, coming out on October 8, 2013. I believe the concepts within it can help you see losing in a different way and respond so…
Read MoreThe Most Important Leadership Week of My Life
Last Sunday, I returned home from the most important leadership week of my life. It was spent in Guatemala, June 9-16, where I was privileged to witness and participate in life transformation on an international scale. We were in Guatemala as part of my nonprofit organization EQUIP’s Global Transformation initiative. This effort was begun last…
Read MoreFrom Street Performer to Space Tourist: The Creativity of Cirque du Soleil’s Founder
Guy Laliberte’s parents (a PR executive and a nurse) hadn’t envisioned their son making a living by playing his accordion for tips from passersby. Hence, they weren’t exactly delighted when Guy informed them of his decision to bypass college in favor of becoming an artist. As much as they may have regretted his choice at…
Read MoreWhen the Crowd Boos
President Harry S. Truman readily took responsibility for his decisions, and he was famous for saying, “The buck stops here.” Though his approval ratings were only 20-30% for much of his presidency, Truman didn’t waver. “I know the public is against me,” he’d say, “but they’ll come around.” Truman entered the election year of 1948…
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