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Think for a minute about the difficult conversations you have had or avoided over the last month. You know — the conversations where you really needed to give someone bad news, talk about something awkward, give unwanted critical feedback, receive…
Read MoreStop for a minute and think about a current professional relationship that you wish was better – stronger, more cooperative, healthier, more open, more trusting, more genuine. Maybe you’re thinking about an employee who is under-performing or a difficult relationship…
Read MoreThis essay was inspired by the NPR series “This I Believe”. Humble Leadership I was born in Scotland, not long after the second world war. My parents had grown up in the depression and had endured the second world war…
Read MoreA real life example of Managerial Courage. The Project and the Compromise… Being courageous in any organization can be risky. Taking the risk of saying what needs to be said can, however, make a huge difference. Several years ago, I…
Read MoreOver-doing can distract us from focusing on what matters most. . . What is an over-doer? One definition is . . . “someone who does something to excess”. That’s me, when I am not careful. Is over-doing also a problem for…
Read MoreWe don’t always make the best hires… If you are like me, there will be some hiring decisions you have regretted. You may have hired someone whose technical skills were a bit “suspect” but you had been interviewing for months…
Read MoreAt the heart of the work that David and I do, we are interested in inspiring people to do their best work and live their best lives. It’s a simple vision, and for us, a compelling one. What is it,…
Read MoreThe Background Several years ago, I was leading a small Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) team based in Ottawa, Ontario. We were part of Nortel Networks, and BPR was the newest corporate trend. I was given the opportunity to take on…
Read MoreGreat, But Not Good Enough! Many of us have had bosses in the past who inspired us to stretch and reach higher levels of achievement. One of mine was Dave MacLaurin. One year my team had excellent results: a large…
Read MoreThe Simulation. And the “Usual” Dramas… I ran an Organization Workshop recently in Portland, Maine, for Middle Managers. The “OW” gets to the heart of partnership in organization life – why partnership is critical to organizational success, what gets in…
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