Recently, I attended a special sneak preview, presented for Safe House Center in Ann Arbor, for a movie titled “Equal Means Equal” (you can watch a trailer for the movie HERE). In that event, the panel encouraged everyone to think about what they could do to stop violence against women. So today I ask myself this question, and ask you to consider the same: What can we do as leaders to stop the violence against women? I begin with …
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt, You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life This past Friday, we …
Many leaders tend to be competitive, hard-driving people. They have high intellectual IQs, but sometimes their emotional IQs lag behind. I coached one manager, let’s call him George, who had been one of the most successful salespeople at a financial services company. He’d been promoted to manager and was poised to move up to the next level. But as I worked with him, I quickly saw that he lacked the ability to connect well with others. One of the …
Life is not easy. We all have to face severe challenges, including illness and loss. Sometimes these events can devastate an individual or even a whole family. At other times the process of overcoming the adversity can lead to personal growth and development. How we manage these challenges often determines how well we will live our lives. Ann Arbor author and my friend, Jim Tobin, has made a career of writing biographies about people who have had to face …
Last week, Ross Business School professor, Dr. Wayne Baker, gave an excellent presentation about his new book, United America, at my monthly Leaders Connect Breakfast. Contrary to the prevailing view that America is divided by significant differences between various groups, Baker’s research provides surprising truth about American values and identity. United America shows that Americans are united by a set of ten values. “Americans may seem to be hopelessly divided, but United America shows that Americans are united by …
Many of my clients participate in one of my Leadership Roundtables. One of the topics I hear about most from them is how difficult it is for them to have conversations about their careers with their bosses. While they are eager to get feedback and recognition, they often feel awkward about seeking it directly. In response, I remind them about one of the basic laws of reciprocity: Ask first what you could do for another, before asking them to …