FORBES – Beyond AI: The Power of Reputation, Relationships and Human Connection

As leaders and professionals, we often face a complex dynamic: being too hard on ourselves or letting ourselves off the hook too easily. This internal struggle can strip away joy, ease and true connection while allowing poor behavior and bad habits to flourish. Our inner critic constantly tells us we’re not doing enough, not good enough or not achieving fast enough. This self-judgment robs us of presence and keeps us trapped in a cycle of dissatisfaction. We forget we’re human, not machines. Left unchecked, our inner critic drains us of joy and our ability to connect deeply with others—two essentials for a fulfilling life. On the other hand, we can also be too easy on ourselves, neglecting exercise, rest and self-reflection. We push work ahead of family and friends, only to feel resentment for our choices. We indulge in poor habits—overeating, drinking, mindless scrolling (or worse, porn and illegal drugs)—to avoid feelings of disconnection. There’s a popular message today: “I don’t care what others think.” But that’s not only untrue, it’s dangerous. As humans, we are social beings. We thrive in community, camaraderie and connection. Without these, we starve emotionally, which can lead to darker paths—addiction, loneliness and isolation. The [...]

By |2024-11-01T08:53:52-07:00November 1st, 2024|
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Navigating the AI Revolution: A Leadership Journey Towards Humanity and Relevance

“The Daily Show reported recently that scientists in Japan had invented a robot that can recognize its own reflection in a mirror. ‘When the robot learns to hate what it sees,’ said Jon Stewart, ‘it will have achieved full humanity.’ ― Steven Pressfield, Turning Pro The rapid evolution of AI technology presents us with a paradox. On one hand, it offers unprecedented opportunities for innovation and efficiency. On the other, it challenges us to keep pace with its advancements, ensuring our skills, our businesses, and indeed our very sense of self, remain relevant and in demand. Amidst this tsunami of change, one truth stands clear: the future we are steering towards will reflect our inner selves. The creations of today, powered by AI, will amplify our beliefs and values like never before, at a velocity that history has not seen. It is within this context that I invite you to engage with a conversation that transcends the immediate challenges of technology and touches the core of our leadership ethos. Steven Bartlett, in his podcast The Diary of a CEO, hosts an enlightening dialogue with Mo Gawdat, a luminary in the realms of technology and human happiness. Mo's journey—from spearheading innovation as Google's Chief Business Officer to exploring [...]

By |2024-04-25T09:55:29-07:00April 25th, 2024|
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The Power of Language: A Key to Effective Leadership and Influential Organizations

Language is a beautiful thing. It’s far more than just a tool for communicating, but a magic wand that shapes our view of the world and how others perceive us. It’s a vehicle for expressing thoughts, emotions, and values – and it’s at the core of all human connections. There is a fascinating connection between language and leadership, and how the power of words can shape the course of teams, organizations, our world. Let’s explore. As leaders, our choice of words can do wonders. It’s more than just sharing information, it’s a chance to inspire and motivate our teams, fostering a dynamic, positive, and productive work atmosphere. Our words carry weight, instilling trust and confidence. Conversations become chances to influence, connect, settle disputes, and effectively convey our vision. One concept that beautifully highlights the influence of language on our minds is Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). In a nutshell, NLP is a set of tools and techniques that allow us to understand how our minds work and how we communicate with others. It provides insights into our patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviours and offers strategies to make positive changes in those patterns. The term ‘Neuro’ refers to our brain and nervous [...]

By |2024-01-18T08:10:23-08:00June 8th, 2023|
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Forbes: Leaders, Dreaming Matters.

As published in Forbes. If I could impart one idea that would have the greatest potential to advance you and your future success, it would be this: Master the ability to dream. Now, I know this sounds light and fun. Perhaps even easy. It isn’t. The ability to dream is a discipline, and it is one that few of us are actually good at doing well or consistently. First, let me define what I mean by dreaming: the ability to focus your thoughts on ideas that give you energy. It is the skill of keeping your attention for an extended period of time on an outcome you want to create, often in the absence of any evidence that its realization is even possible. Dreaming is the ability to see in your mind’s eye a positive future and glimpse the realization of that future, and to experience the feeling of the dream’s realization along the way, such that the accomplishment of the dream is merely another rewarding moment in a long series of rewarding moments. Unfortunately, many of us have a hard time focusing our thoughts. Sure, we can think about an outcome that we want to occur — a successful [...]

By |2022-05-12T13:03:18-07:00May 12th, 2022|
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The Real Work Required for Exceptional Communication

We often believe we must become something other than who we are in order to lead and communicate with power and presence. We do not. We need only to become fully ourselves. This sounds easy, except it isn’t. This is where the real work of leadership development exists: to know ourselves, accept ourselves, and our reason for being - our dreams, purpose and values. Then, we must have the courage to live our lives accordingly, to create the world we intend, and when challenged, criticized, or mocked, to stand firmly in our resolve (and often alone). Being fully one's Self - the best, highest version of ourselves - is power, strength and presence. And, exceptional leadership communication that engages, connects, aligns, and moves people to act, results. Here is an example

By |2022-04-15T08:23:37-07:00January 15th, 2022|
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CU Insight: Real Conversations – The Five Questions Worksheet

As published in CU Insight When I ask executive audiences, “How many of you know that you need to have a conversation but you have been putting off actually having it?”, almost every hand will raise. Maybe your direct report hasn’t delivered the report when he said he would. Or perhaps you noticed how a newer team member has been a courageous voice on a challenging project. Whatever it is, we know we need to get better at addressing the real conversation, in real time, and to do so directly with the person or people involved. However, not many of us are comfortable doing so. Many prefer to avoid confrontation or any form of conflict. We are also surprisingly inept at sharing the positive impact others have upon our lives and/or the incredible contribution of their work. There are so many great things we think and feel about others that we simply do not share. For some, sharing the positive impact others have can be even more challenging than sharing the things we want them to do differently or better. After all, why provide feedback that sounds like praise? Isn’t it their job to get the work done well? We [...]

By |2020-11-06T10:08:46-08:00November 6th, 2020|
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CU Management – Leadership Matters: How We Build and Break Trust

As published in CU Management. Practice these leadership fundamentals to consistently convey your intentions, competency and reliability. Although many of us have had to deal at some point with a senior manager who seemed to lack morals, empathy or sincerity, the majority of organizational leaders are not compulsive liars and cheats, out to pull one over on the rest of us. Most leaders are healthy, well-adjusted adults who have invested greatly for the opportunity to contribute to their chosen profession and industry. They are often highly educated, competent and want to do the right thing. They are you. Why, then, does a lack of trust plague so many professional relationships, teams, departments and organizations? As we work at leadership level, we might notice that we still have these kinds of thoughts: “He is so frustrating to deal with.” “I don’t like her.” “We can’t count on the sales team.” But what we are really saying is that the person or people involved have not fulfilled some necessary level of trust: “He is so frustrating to deal with because I don’t trust him to follow through.” “I don’t like her because I don’t trust that she has my best interest at [...]

By |2020-10-19T08:34:42-07:00October 19th, 2020|
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FORBES – Joining The Executive Ranks? Begin with the end in mind.

As featured in Forbes. Beginning a new executive role is exciting. It can also be daunting and overwhelming, with so many people to meet and things to think about, prepare, do, and achieve. The role begins as soon as your position is announced and everything you do from that moment on communicates and has a significant impact. Your first three months are critical. Get these early days right and the positive momentum you establish can do a great deal of work for you, making everything that follows that much easier. Get distracted and fail to think through who you need to be, the relationships you need to build, the communications you must have, and the culture you must live and foster, and this important first impression opportunity is lost. If you are beginning as an executive (or simply want to be more effective in the role you currently hold), take pen to paper and answer the following questions. Then, place your answers where you can see them daily and schedule time to review your progress weekly. What kind of leader do I aspire to be? Who do I want and need to be to foster the ideal culture and to [...]

By |2022-08-08T11:48:01-07:00April 8th, 2020|
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FORBES – Become A Better Communicator: One Simple Change That Changes Everything

As published in Forbes.  Listen to others speak, and one of the first things you will notice is how often people use words like “we,” “you,” “one” or “they” when they are really talking about themselves. For example: We are getting frustrated … You try to connect with millennials, but … If one hasn’t bought into the idea, then … They might not trust him … One of the smallest and most powerful changes we can make to significantly improve our communication is to replace these four words with “I”: I am getting frustrated … I try to connect with millennials, but … I have not bought into the idea, so … I don’t trust him … This one simple change changes everything, and it has a big payoff. When I speak from my own experience, my listener(s) experience me as more authentic, transparent and, often, trustworthy, all qualities we seek and expect from those we work with and through. Using “I” creates more trust because it actually is a more honest way to communicate. When I use the word “I,” I no longer get to hide behind vague identities like “one.” Instead, I immediately take ownership and accountability by [...]

By |2020-01-29T12:01:48-08:00January 29th, 2020|
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FORBES: Artistic Unity – How To Radically Improve Your Leadership Communication

As published in Forbes. The human mind wanders. A lot. Almost a decade ago the Harvard Gazette reported that 47% of the time we are thinking about anything and everything other than what we are actually doing! In 2014, TIME reported that the average attention span, thanks to advances in technology, topped out a whopping eight-seconds, citing the attention-grabbing headline, You Now Have a Shorter Attention Span Than a Goldfish. However, apparently (but not surprisingly) many of us were too distracted to register these findings, as two years later they were reported again by the New York Times. Clearly, our monkey minds are alive (and not entirely well).  Mindfulness, which might be best defined as the ability to give our full attention to what it is we are doing, is now billion-dollar industry! This October, Europe hosted its first conference focused on how we can best incorporate mindfulness into our organizations, but I digress. With our minds so easily distracted and the pings from our “smart” phone only making matters worse, it is no wonder we misinterpret, misunderstand, or completely miss entire communications we ought to have received. It is also why others fail to act upon the vision, values, [...]

By |2021-08-12T14:31:36-07:00November 12th, 2018|
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