We live in a storytelling world. We tell stories all day long by the way we dress, the way we enter a room, our body language during the meeting, the way we speak to those we encounter, and every time we hit send on the next email or social media post. We send messages all day long to those around us and sometimes the messages aren’t telling the story we’d hope for. Are your messages…
In 1924, George Mallory and Andrew Irvine set out to climb Mount Everest. They disappeared near the summit and, ever since, explorers from around the globe have been trying to figure out what happened to them. A few years back, I had the pleasure of meeting Andy Politz. Politz was a member of the Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition. He was present when Mallory’s body was found in May of 1999. In total, Politz participated…
It is always fun to recognize and celebrate others who are out there doing great work in the world. David Mead is one of those people. It was a pleasure to connect with David and get the chance to talk about so many topics that we both are passionate about—authentic leadership, purpose, and culture. David is the Chief of What’s Next for Simon Sinek’s Start With Why team. David believes that every one of us…
We all have memberships. We are members of teams, of companies, of families, of organizations, and of our communities. The memberships (relationships) to which we give our time, resources, minds, and hearts are what make up our lives. We are a collection of the members we choose to honor. And because of where I am in life right now, I realize that these memberships are not just a one-time commitment, but require a periodic renewal…
Why do most change initiatives fail? We say we want to change. We begin an initiative to lead positive change. We want to improve our culture, but we don’t seem to make much progress. So why do most change initiatives fail? Chances are… your team is moving too quickly and expecting things to change overnight your team might not have a clear vision for how they want the future to be different your team might not…
I’ll never forget walking into my home during my freshman year in high school. My mom came into my room and carefully explained that my grandfather had just committed suicide. I’ll never forget the flood of confusion, sadness, and frustration. Not long after his death, I went to a gathering for high school students. I can’t tell you anything about the program that night. The only thing I can remember is that I stood outside…
We’re all accustomed to the plane-landing routine: The ding sounds and everyone begins scurrying. The most comical sight is the people who quickly dash down the aisle to gain a row or two. The airplane’s door does not open immediately. We all know that, don’t we? Now everyone is crammed in more awkward positions than when we were neatly seated—yet the rush is on. So, we sit, stand, check our cell phones, talk about how…
The idea of innovation is interesting, because every relationship, every team, every company in the world can fall into the trap of just doing what we’ve always done. We get into ruts where we feel like we can’t possible change because this is just the way we’ve done it. Yet we need to bring fresh eyes to our lives, our work, our missions. Before I really start, I’d like you to pause and consider these…
What kind of “Leadership” are we really talking about? When you say, “we need more leaders” or “I wish you would lead better next time,” what is the kind of leadership that you are referring to? We throw the term “Leadership” around so loosely these days and the term itself has gotten even more confusing in the divisive times that we live. What one person refers to as leadership, another calls a bully. We all need…
I had waited 45 minutes before the people I was supposed to be meeting with came around the corner and thanked me for being there. They were noticeably frazzled. “Okay, what are we here to discuss?” the woman began. “Well, you called this meeting with me,” I began slowly. “We called this meeting?” she responded. In fact, she had called this meeting. It was a scene out of a Saturday Night Live sketch. I retraced…
